Category: World

Former Nepal Prime Minister Jhalanath Khanal’s house in the Dallu area of Kathmandu was set on fire during the recent protests.

Ravi Laxmi Chitrakar, the wife of former Nepal Prime Minister Jhalanath Khanal, has been flown to India. She had sustained serious burn injuries during the ‘Gen Z’ protests on September 9.
Ravi Laxmi Chitrakar was at home when the house was set on fire during violent protests. Chitrakar has suffered 15 per cent burns during the incident. Her left hand was totally damaged and she developed chest infection as her lungs were affected by smoke, her family said, according to PTI.
She was undergoing treatment at Burn Hospital in Kirtipur. Now, on the recommendations of doctors, she has been taken to New Delhi for further treatment.

Khanal’s house in Dallu area of Kathmandu was set on fire during the protests. Khanal served as the prime minister of Nepal from February to August, 2011.

At least 72 people, including three policemen, were killed in the ‘Gen Z’ protest that led to the toppling of KP Sharma Oli’s government. Nepal’s interim Prime Minister Sushila Karki has described the September 9 vandalism in Nepal as “organised criminal acts” and said that those involved in violence would be brought to justice.
Karki has also formed a three-member probe committee headed by a former Supreme Court judge to investigate the ‘Gen Z’ protests. Former justice Gauri Bahadur Karki, former additional inspector general of police Bigyan Ran Sharma and legal expert Bishweshwor Prasad Bhandari are members of the probe commission.
The probe commission has the mandate to submit its report to the government within three months.

Source : https://www.timesnownews.com/world/asia/former-nepal-pm-jhalanath-khanal-wife-ravi-laxmi-chitrakar-flown-to-india-for-treatment-serious-burn-injuries-gen-z-protest-article-152883058

The highest court in India has strongly criticised the country’s aviation authorities for their handling of the aftermath of the Air India plane crash that killed 260 people in June.

Leaving only one survivor, the flight bound for Gatwick airport from Ahmedabad crashed shortly after taking off, killing 241of 242 passengers on board and 19 others on the ground.

The court said it was “irresponsible” for the aviation authority to suggest, through leaks to the media, that pilot error had caused the disaster.

It called on Indian prime minister Narendra Modi for the government’s response before it rules on a case filed by activists demanding an independent investigation.

The court said the way the aviation body released its preliminary report in to the Boeing Dreamliner’s crash was “selective and piecemeal”.

The preliminary report, published by India’s Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) in July, said fuel supply to the engines was cut off just seconds after take-off.

The report also said one of the pilots was heard asking the other “why did he cut off” in a cockpit voice recording, with another pilot responding that he did not do so.

The recording doesn’t clarify who said what. At the time of take-off, the co-pilot was flying the aircraft while the captain was monitoring.

But the findings of the report have been challenged by aviation safety group Safety Matters Foundation, which is calling for an independent investigation into the crash.

In a court hearing overseeing the aviation safety group’s petition, one of India’s Supreme Court judges said that suggestions that the pilots deliberately shut off fuel supply were “very unfortunate and irresponsible”.

The crash has left many questioning the safety of India’s airspace.

The chief of the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has defended the safety record of the country, telling the BBC in July that “India’s skies have always been safe”.

That same month, the DGCA uncovered 51 safety violations at Air India in the preceding year, as part of its annual audit of the country’s airlines.

Source : https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/crmex7912nro

Former Philippine president Rodrigo Duterte has been charged with crimes against humanity by the International Criminal Court (ICC).

The 80-year-old is accused of being criminally responsible for dozens of murders that allegedly took place as part of his so-called war on drugs, during which thousands of small-time drug dealers, users and others were killed without trial.

The ICC’s charge sheet, which includes several redactions, dates from July but was only made public on Monday.

ICC deputy prosecutor Mame Mandiaye Niang said Duterte was an “indirect co-perpetrator” in the killings, which the court alleges were carried out by others, including police.

The first count laid against Mr Duterte concerns his alleged involvement in the killings of 19 people in Davao City between 2013 and 2016 while he was mayor there.

The other two charges relate to times when he was serving as president of the Philippines, between 2016 and 2022, and launched his so-called war on drugs.

The second count relates to the murders of 14 “high-value targets” across the country, while the third relates to the murder and attempted murder of 45 people in village clearance operations.

Prosecutors referred to how Mr Duterte and his alleged co-perpetrators “shared a common plan or agreement to ‘neutralise’ alleged criminals in the Philippines (including those perceived or alleged to be associated with drug use, sale or production) through violent crimes including murder”.

He has offered no apologies for his brutal anti-drugs crackdown, which saw more than 6,000 people killed – although activists believe the real figure could run into the tens of thousands.

Mr Duterte said he cracked down on drug dealers to rid the country of street crimes.

Rodrigo Duterte is the first Asian former head of state to be indicted by the ICC – and the first suspect to be flown to The Hague in Netherlands – where the court is based – in over three years. He has been in custody there since March.

His lawyer has said Mr Duterte is not able to stand trial due to poor health.

In May, the former president was again elected mayor of Davao, despite being in prison. His son Sebastian (who had been serving as mayor since 2022), has continued as acting mayor in his father’s stead.

Source : https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cg5e1v85lrdo

An Ohio woman ordered Charlie Kirk’s go-to Starbucks drink on Sunday evening — and was startled to find a hateful message written on the cup.

Autumn Perkins, who lives in Middletown, Ohio, visited a Starbucks location inside Kroger and run by Kroger to order the mint majesty with two honeys.

When she received her order, she was shocked to see that an employee had written “racist’s fav drink” on the side of the cup.

“It’s time for people to stop this nonsense,” Perkins told Fox News Digital.

After speaking to the manager, Perkins learned that the employee admitted to writing the hateful message — and was subsequently fired.

“I would agree that people should be fired if they’re doing something like this,” Perkins said, adding that “actions have repercussions.”

“I feel like Charlie stood for respect — we don’t have to agree on everything. We can disagree on a lot of things, but we respect each other,” she went on.

“We can’t communicate and grow if we’re disrespecting each other.”

In a comment to Fox News Digital, a spokesperson for Starbucks provided the below statement.

“Writing this on a cup is unacceptable, and we have clear policies that prohibit negative messages to help preserve a welcoming environment. This Starbucks location is licensed and operated by Kroger. We understand that this associate was terminated by Kroger.”

Source : https://nypost.com/2025/09/22/us-news/customer-orders-charlie-kirks-starbucks-drink-and-finds-a-disturbing-hate-message-employee-gets-fired/

JIMMY Kimmel’s suspension has ended and ABC has confirmed the late night host will return to the air.

In a statement obtained by The U.S. Sun, ABC said they had thoughtful conversations with the comedian since his show was pulled from the air over comments he made about the assassination of Charlie Kirk.

Kimmel will return to his usual late-night slot on Tuesday, the network confirmed.

The statement read: “Last Wednesday, we made the decision to suspend production on the show to avoid further inflaming a tense situation at an emotional moment for our country.

“It is a decision we made because we felt some of the comments were ill-timed and thus insensitive.

“We have spent the last days having thoughtful conversations with Jimmy, and after those conversations, we reached the decision to return the show on Tuesday.”

Kimmel’s show was suspended on Wednesday night following backlash over a previous monologue about activist Charlie Kirk’s death.

Jimmy Kimmel’s late-night show was suspended on Wednesday night following backlash over a controversial monologue he delivered regarding the death of activist Charlie Kirk.

As The U.S. Sun exclusively revealed last week, the decision to pull Kimmel’s show was made just minutes before the crew started taping on Wednesday afternoon.

CELEBRITY REACTIONS POUR IN

Former daytime host, Ellen DeGeneres, took to Instagram and reacted to the news, writing, “Cannot wait to hear Jimmy Kimmel’s monologue tomorrow.”

Rosie O’Donnell shared an Instagram post and captioned it “the sun will come out – tomorrow,” and hash tagged Jimmy Kimmel Live

CHAOS ON SET

“Things transpired very fast. Word filtered down to the individual stations around 3 pm that Jimmy would get pulled, and it sent station heads panicking,” the insider shared.

“Jimmy and the crew were getting ready to film when, at 3:45 pm, news broke widely, and that’s how the crew found out. They were shocked.”

According to the show’s website, taping typically begins at 4:30 pm. The insider added that Disney/ABC staffers had already been feeling uneasy in recent weeks due to heightened tensions.

Adding to the confusion, the source revealed, “ABC wouldn’t give a statement to affiliates so they could properly cover the story themselves.

That left some stations in a situation where they had to make the call to skip coverage of the Kimmel story altogether in their newscasts.”

Meanwhile, Kimmel’s $48 million contract with Disney, which owns ABC, is set to end in 2026.

WHAT HAPPENED TO KIMMEL

Kimmel’s future became uncertain after media company Nexstar urged its ABC-affiliated stations to stop airing Jimmy Kimmel Live! “for the foreseeable future.”

In a statement, Nexstar said, “Nexstar strongly objects to recent comments made by Mr. Kimmel concerning the killing of Charlie Kirk and will replace the show with other programming in its ABC-affiliated markets.”

Andrew Alford, president of Nexstar’s broadcasting division, criticised Jimmy’s remarks as “offensive and insensitive at a critical time in our national political discourse.”

He added, “Continuing to give Jimmy a platform is simply not in the public interest at the current time. We have made the difficult decision to preempt his show in an effort to let cooler heads prevail as we move toward the resumption of respectful, constructive dialogue.”

TRUMP PRAISES ABC

Meanwhile, President Donald Trump weighed in on the controversy, praising ABC’s temporary decision while taking aim at Jimmy Kimmel.

During a press conference with British Prime Minister Keir Starmer on Thursday, Trump remarked, “Jimmy Kimmel was fired because he had bad ratings more than anything else. And he said a horrible thing about a great gentleman known as Charlie Kirk, and Jimmy Kimmel is not a talented person.”

“You can call that free speech or not. He was fired for lack of talent,” Trump added.

KIRK’S ASSASSINATION

Charlie Kirk was killed on 10 September while engaging with students at Utah Valley University in Orem.

Tyler Robinson, 22, allegedly fired a single shot at the conservative activist Charlie Kirk, according to officials.

Robinson turned himself in 33 hours later after confessing the crime to his family, Utah Governor Spencer Cox confirmed.

Source : https://www.the-sun.com/entertainment/15232329/jimmy-kimmel-return-date-revealed-abc-yanked-charlie-kirk/

Doctors call president’s warning that pregnant women should limit use of acetaminophen – also known as paracetamol – ‘highly concerning’ and ‘irresponsible’

Medical experts are raising alarms after Donald Trump warned pregnant women to avoid taking Tylenol, baselessly linking the painkiller – also known as paracetamol – with a rise in autism among children.

From the Society for Maternal-Fetal Medicine (SMFM) to the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG), doctors have endorsed the use of acetaminophen during pregnancy after Trump said pregnant women who can’t “tough it out” without the painkiller should limit their intake.

“Suggestions that acetaminophen use in pregnancy causes autism are not only highly concerning to clinicians but also irresponsible when considering the harmful and confusing message they send to pregnant patients, including those who may need to rely on this beneficial medicine during pregnancy,” read a statement from Steven Fleischman, the president of the ACOG.

Along with Trump, health secretary Robert F Kennedy Jr said the health department was encouraging physicians to exercise their “best judgment” by prescribing the lowest effective dose for the shortest necessary duration.

The claims from Trump and his health secretary were also widely condemned by medical experts and regulators around the world.

The British health regulator MHRA said on Monday there remains no evidence linking the use of paracetamol during pregnancy with autism and that it continues to recommend it for pain relief. That view was also backed by Australia’s Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA), which re-confirmed that the drug is safe for use in pregnancy on Tuesday.

A statement from the Society for Maternal-Fetal Medicine said “a thorough review of existing research suggesting a potential link between acetaminophen use during pregnancy and an increased risk of autism and attention deficit and hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) in children has not established a causal relationship.”

Tylenol posted on Instagram an acknowledgment that followers “may have questions about conflicting information” in recent media coverage.

“What we can tell you is: credible, independent scientific data continues to show no proven link between taking acetaminophen and autism. Medical and public organizations agree,” reads the video.

Doctors have also on social media spread the message about Tylenol’s safe use.

“If you are pregnant right now and considering whether Tylenol is safe in pregnancy, I want you to know that the best available science does not show an association between Tylenol use in pregnancy and an increased risk of autism,” said pediatrician Edith Bracho-Sanchez in a Facebook video.

Dr Monique Botha, associate professor in social and developmental psychology at Durham University, was one of a number of international medical experts to state that they were “exceptionally confident” no relationship exists.

“There are many studies which refute a link, but the most important was a Swedish study of 2.4 million births published in 2024 which used actual sibling data and found no relationship between exposure to paracetamol in utero and subsequent autism, ADHD or intellectual disability.

“This suggests no causal effect of paracetamol in autism,” she said.

The commissioner of the US Food and Drug Administration, Marty Makary, also announced that the agency was approving the medication leucovorin, a drug currently used for patients with cancer and anemia, for the treatment of autistic children upon prescription.

Source : https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/sep/22/trump-tylenol-experts-autism

U.S. President Donald Trump’s new visa fees, for foreign workers drew widespread condemnation from technology executives, entrepreneurs and investors across social media, with just a few outliers, as many saw it as a major blow to a sector that contributed millions to his re-election campaign.
Technology executives and investors said the new fees could add millions of dollars in costs for companies and disproportionately hurt startups, which may not be able to afford visas as part of their strategy.

In a confusing set of announcements beginning late Friday, Trump and other White House officials said they would charge firms $100,000 apiece for H1-B worker temporary employment visas, used by many tech majors, including Amazon.com (AMZN.O), Microsoft (MSFT.O), and Meta Platforms (META.O).
Many criticized the move and the chaotic roll-out that required the White House to clarify the hefty fees would be charged just once, not annually, and they would not apply to existing holders, including those who happened to be overseas at the time of the announcement.
Meta, Microsoft and Amazon did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

Most executives at the tech giants, many of whom have forged close relationships with the Trump White House since his return to office, have not commented publicly on the proposal, which could drastically change their system of attracting talent from countries such as India and China. But others weighed in.

“America’s edge has always been that we attract smart, ambitious people from everywhere,” said Esther Crawford, a former Twitter executive and investor who now works as director of product management at Meta (META.O), according to her LinkedIn profile.

“High-skilled immigrants don’t take from us, they build with us. Some of the best colleagues in my career have been H-1B holders chasing their own American dream.”
The Trump administration has cracked down on immigration on a number of levels, including stepped-up border security and raids that have largely targeted lower-skilled workers, many of whom are undocumented migrants.

Most recently, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement raided a Georgia battery plant owned by South Korea’s Hyundai Motor that angered officials in Seoul, who have raised questions about the relationship with the United States.

Economists at Berenberg warned that the proposed visa fee hike could further burden a U.S. labor market already weakened by the lingering effects of Trump-era trade policies. While artificial intelligence may help alleviate some staffing shortages, analysts cautioned that rising costs could pressure companies and eventually affect their clients.
“By making it very expensive for companies to attract foreign talent, and by forcing some international students to leave the country after graduation, the brain drain will weigh heavily on productivity,” they wrote.

CHAOS AT AIRPORTS

The late Friday announcement caused chaos for travelers, some of whom got off planes rather than go overseas while others raced home on the advice of their companies before the White House clarified the order.

“My heart goes out to all the families and individuals anxious over their futures following the abrupt and chaotic announcement of H-1B visa changes,” said Andrew Ng, founder of DeepLearningAI, in a post on LinkedIn. “America should be working to attract more skilled talent, not create uncertainty that turns them away.”
The change met with some support from top executives, including IBM (IBM.N), Vice Chairman Gary Cohn, who served as head of the White House National Economic Council in the first Trump administration. He told CBS News the new fees as a “good idea” that would help bring in employees with high-value skillsets.

Source : https://www.reuters.com/business/world-at-work/trumps-new-visa-policy-inspires-mostly-sour-response-tech-firms-2025-09-22/

After an incursion of Russian planes into Estonian airspace, the UN Security Council is set to meet for an emergency session. Meanwhile, Russia says a Ukrainian attack on Crimea has killed three people.

Tens of thousands took part in the nationwide action in solidarity with Palestinians in Gaza. Clashes were reported in Milan, where about 60 police officers were hurt.

Thousands of workers and students across Italy have joined a general strike and staged rallies in solidarity with Palestinians in Gaza.

A number of grassroots unions called for a 24-hour strike on Monday, which affected transportation, schools and ports, among other infrastructure.

More than 20,000 people attended a pro-Palestinian protest in front of Rome’s central Termini railway station, while demonstrators in Bologna blocked traffic on a motorway.

Dock workers went on strike in the ports of Genoa, Livorno, Trieste and Venice, where police used a water cannon to break up protesters.

“The Palestinian people continue to give us yet another lesson in dignity and resistance,” Ricky, a protester in Genoa from a group called the Autonomous Dockworkers’ Collective, told the Reuters news agency.

“We learn from them and try to do our part,” he said.

Meloni denounces clashes with police in Milan

In Milan, protesters clashed with police at the city’s central station.

At least 10 people were arrested, and about 60 police officers suffered bruising or more serious injuries, Italy’s ANSA news agency reported.

Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni condemned the clashes between protesters and police in Milan.

Source : https://www.dw.com/en/italy-thousands-join-pro-palestinian-protests-strikes/a-74100712

While the announcement at the event convened by France and Saudi Arabia could boost the morale of Palestinians in their long search for statehood, it was not expected to deliver change on the ground.

Dozens of world leaders gathered at the United Nations on Monday (Sep 22) to embrace a Palestinian state, a landmark diplomatic shift nearly two years into the Gaza war that faces fierce resistance from Israel and its close ally the United States.

President Emmanuel Macron announced that France would recognise Palestine statehood at a meeting he convened with Saudi Arabia, a milestone that could boost Palestinian morale but appeared unlikely to change much on the ground.

The most far-right government in Israel’s history has declared there will be no Palestinian state as it pushes on with its fight against militant group Hamas in Gaza following the Oct 7, 2023, attack on Israel that killed some 1,200 people.

Israel has drawn global condemnation over its military conduct in Gaza, where more than 65,000 Palestinians have been killed, according to local health authorities. In recent weeks, Israel has begun a long-threatened ground assault on Gaza City with few prospects for a ceasefire.

“We must pave the way for peace,” Macron said at the start of the session at the United Nations in New York.

“We must do everything within our power to preserve the very possibility of a two-state solution, Israel and Palestine living side by side in peace and security,” he said before announcing the diplomatic move, drawing lengthy applause from the audience.

Israel has said such moves will undermine the prospects of a peaceful end to the conflict.

Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan, Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney and United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres were among those who also spoke during the event.

Macron outlined a framework for a “renewed Palestinian Authority” under which France would open an embassy subject to factors such as reforms, a ceasefire and the release of all remaining hostages taken from Israel and held by Hamas in Gaza.

Andorra, Belgium, Luxembourg and San Marino were also expected to recognise a Palestinian state on Monday ahead of this week’s UN General Assembly, after Australia, Britain, Canada and Portugal did so at the weekend. Malta made the announcement earlier on Monday.

Macron’s July pledge on recognition set the latest push in motion, with Britain, Canada and Australia later saying they would follow, and eventually doing so on Sunday.

“We call on those who have not yet done so to follow suit,” Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas said via video link, as he was unable to attend the milestone events after being refused a US visa.

“We call for your support so that Palestine becomes a full-fledged member of the United Nations,” he added, promising reforms and elections within a year of a ceasefire.

A delegation representing the State of Palestine has observer status at the United Nations, but no voting rights. No matter how many countries recognise Palestinian independence, full UN membership would require approval by the Security Council, where the US has a veto.

Michael Singh, a managing director and Lane-Swig senior fellow at the Washington Institute, said the latest recognitions are driven by Western allies’ frustration over their inability to influence Israel and the war in Gaza.

“It’s probably aimed at their own public opinion … and at Israeli public opinion to try to show that (Israel) is isolated, and that the war (has) international consequences,” he said.

However, he pointed out that even among the European powers recognising a Palestinian state, there is little unity on concrete actions such as sanctions or arms embargoes.

“(Any sanctions) are likely to be weak and not very effective in influencing Israel. Some of them could backfire,” Singh said.

“There is a chance that, by imposing sanctions, the backlash against Europe could actually strengthen the hardliners in Israel.”

TWO STATE SOLUTION

The two-state solution was the bedrock of the US-backed peace process ushered in by the 1993 Oslo Accords. The process suffered heavy pushback from both sides and has all but died.

No such negotiations over a two-state solution have been held since 2014.

The United States and Israel boycotted Monday’s meeting. Israel’s UN Ambassador Danny Danon said Israel would discuss how to respond to the announcements of recognition after Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu returns to Israel next week.

“Those issues were supposed to be negotiated between Israel and the Palestinians in the future,” Danon told reporters ahead of the meeting. Netanyahu is scheduled to meet US President Donald Trump on Monday in Washington before returning to Israel.

The United States has told other countries that Palestinian recognition will create more problems, Secretary of State Marco Rubio said earlier this month.

Amid Israel’s intensified Gaza offensive and escalating violence by Israeli settlers in the West Bank, there is a growing sense of urgency among some nations to act now before the idea of a two-state solution vanishes forever.

France has driven the move, hoping that Macron’s announcement in July that he would recognise a Palestinian state would give greater momentum to a movement hitherto dominated by smaller nations that are generally more critical of Israel.

EUROPEAN DIVISIONS AND ISRAELI RESPONSE

While the majority of European countries now recognise a Palestinian state, two of the continent’s largest economies, Germany and Italy, have signalled they are unlikely to make such a move soon.

Germany, long a strong supporter of Israel because of its responsibility for the Holocaust, has grown more critical of Israeli policy, while insisting that recognition of a Palestinian state should come at the end of a political process to agree on a two-state solution.

The German government spokesperson also said on Monday there must be no further annexations in Israeli-occupied territory.

Italy said recognising a Palestinian state could be “counterproductive”.

On the ground, Netanyahu has rejected numerous calls to end the campaign until Hamas is destroyed and has said he will not recognise a Palestinian state.

Israel is considering annexing part of the occupied West Bank as a possible response as well as specific bilateral measures against Paris, Israeli officials have said, even though the recognitions are expected to be largely symbolic.

Annexation could backfire and alienate such countries as the United Arab Emirates, a global oil power and trade hub with wide diplomatic clout across the Middle East.

Source : https://www.channelnewsasia.com/world/world-leaders-rally-behind-palestinian-statehood-un-defying-us-and-israel-5362961

Shenzhen, which lies near Hong Kong, has ordered the evacuation of 400,000 people.

Hong Kong rushed to prepare for the arrival of Super Typhoon Ragasa on Tuesday (Sep 23), with officials warning of a “serious threat” comparable to some of the most destructive storms in the city’s recent history.

Ragasa was generating winds with maximum sustained speeds of 220kmh at its centre as it churned across the South China Sea early on Tuesday, having earlier lashed parts of the Philippines, according to Hong Kong’s weather service.

The finance centre was preparing for extensive disruption and damage, while nearby Chinese tech hub Shenzhen has ordered the evacuation of 400,000 people.

“Ragasa will pose a serious threat to Hong Kong, which could reach the levels of Hato in 2017 and Mangkhut in 2018,” Hong Kong’s number-two official Eric Chan said on Monday – referring to two super typhoons that each cost hundreds of millions in property damage.

Hong Kong’s airport will remain open but there will be “significant disruption to flight operations” from 6pm on Tuesday until the next day, the Airport Authority said.

More than 500 Cathay Pacific flights are expected to be cancelled.

Hong Kong Observatory said it would issue its third-highest typhoon warning, T8, at 2.20pm on Tuesday, at which point businesses close up and most transport shuts down.

It warned of rising sea levels, which it said would be similar to those seen during Typhoon Hato and Typhoon Mangkhut.

Water levels will rise about 2m along Hong Kong’s coastal areas, and maximum water levels could reach up to 4m to 5m in some areas, the observatory said, urging residents to take appropriate precautions.

Local authorities handed out sandbags on Monday for residents to bolster their homes in low-lying areas.

Residents in the world’s largest gambling hub of Macau are also bracing for significant impact, with school closures and evacuation plans underway.

“BETTER PRECAUTIONS”

Residents scrambled to stock up ahead of Ragasa’s arrival, leaving supermarket shelves empty of fresh food, vegetables and bread.

“There’s bound to be some concern,” said supermarket shopper Zhu Yifan, a 22-year-old student from China.

Zoe Chan, in her fifties, piled up sandbags outside her clothes shop in the Wanchai district, saying she expected her business to be “ruined” by water damage.

“The most important thing is to take better precautions, so I can rest easier,” Chan told AFP.

School classes will be suspended on Tuesday and Wednesday. The Hong Kong Jockey Club also cancelled Wednesday’s horse-racing meet.

Hong Kong’s stock exchange changed its rules this year to keep markets open during typhoons, with the operator telling Bloomberg News that it was “closely monitoring” the situation.

Authorities have told residents of low-lying areas to be alert to flooding while opening 46 temporary shelters.

Ragasa – named after the Filipino word for rapid motion – will be closest to Hong Kong and nearby casino hub Macau on Wednesday morning, according to Chinese weather services.

Source : https://www.channelnewsasia.com/east-asia/hong-kong-china-shenzhen-super-typhoon-ragasa-flights-5363116

Barack Obama and Michelle Obama wrapped up the summer season with a sun-filled weekend on Steven Spielberg’s $250 million superyacht in Italy.

The former first lady was photographed arriving at the filmmaker’s vessel off the coast of Portofino hours ahead of the retired politician on Friday.

Spielberg warmly greeted her with a massive embrace.

The mom of two sported a Canadian tuxedo, accessorizing with a black backpack, sunglasses and platform sandals for the outing.

Barack, 64, was later spotted joining Michelle, 61, while escorted by his security.

He wore a brown shirt, white pants and white hat.

On Sunday, the couple was seen lounging around the yacht and enjoying a sit-down conversation with Spielberg, 78.

The pair put on a united front after shutting down split rumors on Michelle and her brother Craig Robinson’s podcast, “IMO,” in July.

Leading up to the special episode, Michelle teased that a “very, very, very special guest” would be appearing on the podcast.

“Wait, you guys like each other?” Robinson joked during the episode.

“She took me back!” Obama jokingly responded, adding, “It was touch and go for a while.”

Michelle chimed in, saying it was “nice to [be] in the same room” as the retired politician.

“When we aren’t, folks think we’re divorced,” she continued.

Michelle clarified that “there hasn’t been one moment in [their] marriage where [she has] thought about quitting [her] man.”

“We’ve had some really hard times and we’ve had a lot of fun times, a lot of adventures and I’ve become a better person because of the man I’m married to,” she explained.

The duo have been married since 1992 and share two daughters: Malia, 27, and Sasha, 24.

Source : https://pagesix.com/2025/09/22/celebrity-news/barack-and-michelle-obama-vacation-on-steven-spielbergs-luxe-250m-superyacht-in-italy/

Billy Capshaw suspects the infamous serial killer was behind unsolved murders and disappearances that happened long BEFORE his murder spree in the States

CHATTING about music to his new roommate Jeffrey Dahmer, 17 year-old Billy Capshaw felt sure the pair would get along.

Little did he know the blonde-haired, spectacled man standing before him would go on to become one of the world’s most notorious serial killers – and had already murdered once the year before.

The monster would go on to kill 16 more men, revelling in their torture, dismemberment and in some cases, eating their body parts.

Right now, though, his attention had turned to youthful young Army medic Billy.

It was February 1980 and Billy had just been deployed to a US Army base in Baumholder, West Germany.

Speaking from his home in Hot Springs, Arkansas, Billy told The Sun: “I liked him at first.

“I didn’t know what I know now – that he was like Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde because he could change in a millisecond.

“He was the devil’s best friend.”

Hours into Billy’s first day on base, Dahmer invited him for some evening wine in a local park. Not long after they started drinking, Dahmer turned on Billy and lunged at him.

Billy said: “I was in fight or flight. I didn’t know what to do. I was 17 and like, ‘What the hell?’”

“My heart started beating real fast. I ran from him and he chased me in the woods. I ran like hell.”

Rushing back to the barracks he barricaded himself in a toilet as Dahmer continued to hound him and pound the door.

Eventually, the beating stopped and Billy was able to go back to his room where he found Dahmer asleep.

Yet, the next day, after duties on base, was far worse.

Billy said: “He was sitting on the bunk, drinking more vodka. He’s getting drunker and drunker and all of a sudden he attacks me again. He threw me around like a wet rag. He’s trying to take my clothes off and then he raped me and I couldn’t stop it.”

Traumatised by the ordeal, Billy jumped out of their third-floor window to escape. He was found by officers on the ground with a fractured pelvis.

At the military hospital he described his attack. He was asked to use a rape kit to provide evidence, but says no investigation was conducted.

Worse still, after Dahmer himself showed up at the hospital to quash Billy’s story, he was returned to their room to face yet more torment that day.

From there on in, the sexual assaults escalated. Billy was frequently beaten with a piece of iron piping. He was tied up with rope and drugged with a sedative for days on end.

As soon as Jeffrey started drinking his usuals – gin, martinis and orange vodka he’d sip from a Fanta bottle – Billy knew what was in store.

Detailing the horrors he went through in the documentary I Escaped A Murderer, he recalled: “I begged him and screamed to leave me alone.”

Billy was relieved from duties to recover from his injuries but it just enabled Dahmer to control him even more. He kept him drugged and imprisoned in his room. Dahmer intercepted mail from his family and controlled his food intake.

“He’d been at a festival and he came into our room covered in blood and there was a lot of it. You cannot get that kind of blood on you by a cut. It reeked of murder

As a fellow Army medic, Jeffrey knew just the right doses of drug to give to knock Billy out without killing him.

He agrees he was, perhaps, the test run for Dahmer’s later killings.

He said: “I was absolutely his guinea pig for him to do what he liked with. I couldn’t over-power him but I would scream.

“I told my sergeant. He lived just across the hall from me and he didn’t do nothing.

“Everyone needs to understand how the military works. There are some things you just don’t say. Rape is one of them, back in 1980.

“No one did a thing. I found out from a nurse later on that they just discarded the rape kits.”

Another chilling memory, about seven months into Billy’s ordeal, sticks in his mind.

Billy said: “He’d been at a festival and he came into our room covered in blood and there was a lot of it. You cannot get that kind of blood on you by a cut. It reeked of murder.”

Deadly plot

Seven months in, Billy decided to kill Dahmer with a metal bar bunk bed adaptor from their room.

As Dahmer lay in a drunken slumber, Billy pounded his bed post, but couldn’t carry through with it.

He admitted: “I just couldn’t stop thinking about my mum and how wrong that was but I carry so much guilt that I didn’t kill Dahmer. A lot of people died and even after he left I found out where he was living and I was thinking I’d go there and kill him but again I couldn’t.”

Despite pleas to his superiors, his ordeal lasted 18 months until Dahmer was honourably discharged in 1981 – not for his abuse of Billy but for his alcoholism.

Billy said: “I love God. I prayed so hard when I was in that room, it’s unbelievable. God saved my life as far as I’m concerned because he got Jeffrey out of that base.”

Mutilated victims

It took Billy – who was also discharged from the army on medical grounds because of his ordeal – nearly two more decades to go public with his story.

Dahmer – otherwise known as the Milwaukee Monster or the Milwaukee Cannibal – had killed 17 young men and boys in Wisconsin and Ohio between 1978 and 1991, raping and cannibalizing his victims.

When he was arrested, in 1991, skulls and frozen genitals were found in his apartment.

He was convicted of 16 of the murders in 1992. Billy believes there are many more victims than the ones we know of.

He said: “Sixteen is conservative. I think it is much higher than what he was convicted of.

“He only admitted to what they found. I think he was killing all the time.

“There were five women who went missing near the base, all mutilated.

“There was a young child.

“I’ve had messages from a lady looking for her son. He was a Dutch soldier who went missing in Germany at the same time Dahmer was there.”

Scarred for life

In 1994, Dahmer was murdered in prison. He was 34.

It will be 30 years this November since his death. Yet the physical and mental scars have endured a lifetime for Billy.

He had severe PTSD for over two decades with regular flashbacks and night terrors.

His body is covered with 31 scars. His legs and torso still leave him in agony so he goes to a pain clinic.

He’s been having therapy for decades and was due another session straight after our interview.

He says therapy “saved me” – after he attempted to take his own life three times.

Billy admitted: “I have to live with what he did to me and other people, you’ve kind of got to move on, but I can never forgive him.

“He still plays on my mind. It could be a smell, it could be the way somebody moves.”

“I was in Walmart and this guy looked just like him,” he adds. “I had this bad panic attack and I had to get the hell out of there.”

“I had a bad panic attack. but I have this whole toolbox I use now to stop myself from reacting. I just got in my car and went to another Walmart.”

Source : https://www.the-sun.com/news/12575632/jeffrey-dahmer-i-escaped-a-murderer/

KAYLA Bailey, the Florida woman who has gone missing twice in the last month, has been found alive following an increasingly frantic search.

The troubled 34-year-old mother of five, who disappeared earlier this month amid allegations of sickening sexual abuse by her husband Joshua, was reportedly discovered in a homeless encampment in Jacksonville on Monday afternoon.

She was just a mile from her grandmother’s house, where she was last seen.

Her mom, Lisa Lucas, confirmed her daughter, who runs a photography business, had been found and wants her to now “get the help she needs.”

“The system pretty much let her down last time,” she said on Facebook.

In a cruel twist of fate, Joshua, who was arrested on August 19 for violating the terms of a restraining order following a domestic dispute, was due out on the same day his wife was found.

The U.S. Sun revealed last week that two complainants told Jacksonville cops about alleged sexual abuse against the couple’s children at the hands of their father.

The children are currently living with family members, with their dad forbidden from coming into contact with them and their mom signing over guardianship following her initial disappearance on August 18.

When she was found for the first time after a two-day search, Kayla was lying down in a wooded area, less than a mile from the place she disappeared.

Joshua was then arrested just hours later, after violating a protection order that stipulates he must not come within 500 yards of the family home in Jacksonville.

Advocacy group We Are The Essentials, who assist families looking for loved ones, had been combing the area over the weekend as the search for Kayla became more desperate.

But The U.S. Sun has been told a local firefighter had seen Kayla while attempting to clean up some areas where homeless people congregate.

Once he recognized her face from the original flyers pleading for help, the family was contacted.

An advocacy worker who is helping the family claims she is currently in the hospital undergoing physical and mental evaluation.

“It’s a relief Kayla has been found,” she told The U.S. Sun.

“But the kids are worried now Joshua is coming out of prison.”

NEW FEARS ABOUT FATHER

A report, seen by The U.S. Sun, filed on September 12 includes allegations from witnesses claiming that Joshua engaged in a series of disturbing acts involving minors over an extended period.

The document notes that authorities were dispatched to a residence following a complaint, where they were informed of long-term physical mistreatment.

Although the names of those involved have been redacted, one source alleged that the children were compelled to take part in inappropriate “games.”

The U.S. Sun is withholding the most explicit accusations, but one of the complainants reported witnessing unusual behavior and signs of heightened sexual awareness within the family home.

Source : https://www.the-sun.com/news/15232778/kayla-bailey-missing-person-found-florida-sexual-abuse/

President Asif Ali Zardari’s recent visit to China underscores the growing complexity of Pakistan-China ties. While Islamabad projects an image of strengthened cooperation, particularly around CPEC, reality paints a different picture: worsening security threats to Chinese nationals, Beijing’s withdrawal from the ML-1 railway project, and Pakistan’s growing economic fragility.

When President Asif Ali Zardari began his 10-day trip to China on 12 September, Pakistani state outlets hailed it as a reaffirmation of the “iron brothers” alliance. His itinerary included Chengdu, Shanghai, Urumqi and Kashgar, where he was welcomed by provincial leaders and toured development sites. On paper, the agenda was upbeat: economic cooperation, future connectivity, and deepening ties under the China–Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC).
Yet behind the photo opportunities and choreographed handshakes, the visit exposed a fragile reality. Pakistan is facing mounting security failures, an economic crisis that has gutted investor confidence, and growing frustration in Beijing over Islamabad’s inability to protect Chinese nationals. Analysts suggest that the symbolism of Zardari’s visit is masking a relationship under unprecedented strain.

Imran Khan’s sarcastic comments came after India comfortably defeated Pakistan in two matches in the ongoing Asia Cup being held in Dubai.

Taking a jibe at Pakistan Cricket Board Chairman Mohsin Naqvi, jailed former cricketer-turned politician Imran Khan has said that he, along with Army Chief Asim Munir, should bat as openers if they want to win a cricket match against India.

Khan’s sarcastic comments came after India comfortably defeated Pakistan in two matches in the ongoing Asia Cup being held in Dubai.

The former prime minister’s sister Aleema Khan, while talking to reporters on Monday, said Imran suggested that the only way to win a cricket match against India was if Army Chief Gen Munir and Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) Chairman Naqvi bat as openers while umpires should be former chief justice of Pakistan Qazi Faez Isa and Chief Election Commissioner of Pakistan Sikandar Sultan Raja.

The third umpire should be Islamabad High Court Chief Justice Sarfaraz Dogar, she added.

Aleema said she had told her brother about the back-to-back defeats of the Pakistan cricket team at the hands of India.

Source: https://www.ndtv.com/world-news/only-if-pak-army-chief-can-bat-imran-khan-on-how-to-beat-india-9324989?pfrom=home-ndtv_topstories

PRINCE Harry and Meghan Markle have appeared together for the first time since the Duke reunited with his father during his UK trip.

Harry, 41, and Meg, 44, joined a star-studded guest list at the One805LIVE! charity concert in California, US, last night.

The couple put on a loved-up display at the glitzy event, hosted by Hollywood star Kevin Costner at his luxurious Santa Barbara estate.

Meg wore a sleeveless, dark shirtdress with a cinched waist, while Harry co-ordinated with his wife in a black shirt, trousers and blazer.

They gave a speech at the gala, which looks to raise funds for equipment and mental health programs for local first responders.

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex also took time to speak with some of the crew from Santa Barbara County during the bash.

It comes just weeks after Harry met with his father, King Charles, for the first time in 19 months during his four-day stay in the UK.

Harry had not seen Charles since he jetted back for 30 minutes last February, following the King’s cancer announcement.

The King flew back from Balmoral between three official audiences for the “private tea” between the two, which lasted just 55 minutes.

It means Harry flew 5,000 miles from LA to spend less than an hour inside his father’s home – still almost double the time he got last year.

Harry discussed the reunion while on a surprise trip to Kyiv, Ukraine, just days after the face-to-face meeting between the pair.

And when quizzed on the possibility of further meetings with the King, Harry said: “The focus really has to be on my dad”.

Speaking on his brief return to Britain, a spokesperson for the Duke said he “loved being back”.

After his visit, Harry returned to his home in California, US, in time to celebrate his 41st birthday with his family.

To mark his birthday, Meg shared a picture of her husband – whose name patch says Harry Wales – from just after he had left the army.

The pic was posted with the caption: “Oh hi, Birthday Boy.”

It appears to have been taken in September 2015 when he took part in an RAF flypast at Goodwood Aerodrome in West Sussex.

It came just weeks after he’d left the military earlier that summer – and was taken prior to meeting Meghan.

But while some saw it as a ‘throwback’, news commentator Samara Gill told The Sun’s Matt Wilkinson, ”there’s a lot to pick up on there”.

”Even the caption itself was extremely bare. It was sort of, oh, hi, happy birthday,” the expert shared on The Sun’s Royal Exclusive show.

”It’s so random for all that they’ve been through… their struggle they proclaim to have, to put such a barefaced Instagram post.”

She claims the birthday post ”didn’t make sense” and added: ”I do think that there is trouble brewing under the surface”.

Harry has barely spoken to his family since Megxit in 2020, which saw him and Meghan step down as working royals and move to the US.

They ditched royal life to live in a multi-million pound mansion in celebrity neighbourhood Montecito with Archie, six, and Lilibet, four.

At the time, he filmed his move to California and called it his “freedom flight”.

Among the celebrity guests at the charity gala yesterday was US media personality Oprah Winfrey.

In 2021, a bitter feud ignited when the Sussexes sat down with Oprah and publicly criticised the Royal Family.

During the infamous interview, the couple said certain members of the firm had speculated about Prince Archie’s skin colour.

Meghan also made stinging comments and claims about how they handled her mental health struggles.

The late Queen released a statement two days after her grandson and his wife gave what they claimed to be their side to Oprah.

Her response read: “The whole family is saddened to learn the full extent of how challenging the last few years have been for Harry and Meghan.

“The issues raised, particularly that of race, are concerning.

“Whilst some recollections may vary, they are taken very seriously and will be addressed by the family privately.

“Harry, Meghan and Archie will always be much loved family members.”

The shocking sit-down and subsequent revelations came a year before Queen Elizabeth II passed away in September 2022.

Harry and Meghan have since been accused of making the Queen’s last few years a “complete misery” by a royal expert.

Speaking on The Sun’s Royal Exclusive show, Royal commentator Phil Dampier claimed people would not be able to forgive the Sussexes.

He said: “I just think that she worked her whole life trying to make sure that the monarchy succeeded after her.

“And the legacy was the most important thing to her and the Commonwealth, of course, as well.

“It must have been absolutely heartbreaking for her to see what was happening with Prince Andrew…

“… and what was happening with Harry and Meghan leaving in her final years.

“To cope with that as she was approaching the end and Prince Philip died… all this happened right at the end of her life.

“I think it must have been absolutely heartbreaking for her.”

During Donald Trump’s historic second State Visit last week, he took a subtle swipe at Harry during his speech at the lavish state banquet.

When praising Prince William, the US President said the King had raised a “remarkable son”.

This comment seemed to ignore Prince Harry and Trump later took a dig at the Prince’s philanthropic work.

Source : https://www.the-sun.com/royals/15225760/meghan-markle-prince-harry-charity-event-king-charles/

MUHAMMAD ALI’s Vietnam War draft card is going up for auction – more than 50 years after the boxer’s dramatic act of defiance.

The legendary heavyweight refused to join the U.S. Army when drafted in 1967.

Ali was convicted of draft evasion and stripped of his boxing titles.

He was also banned from the sport and spent the next three years facing jail, before being spared by the Supreme Court.

The draft card has been provided by Ali’s family to auction house Christie’s.

It features Ali’s birth name – Cassius Clay Jr. – and strikingly does not include his signature.

The document could fetch a remarkable $3 million to $5 million, the auction house has estimated.

“Being reminded of my father’s message of courage and conviction is more important now than ever,” said Ali’s daughter Rasheda.

“The sale of his draft card at Christie’s is a powerful way to share that legacy with the world.”

“This is a singular object associated with an important historical event that looms large in our shared popular culture,” added Peter Klarnet, a Christie’s senior specialist, via ESPN.

“This is the first time collectors will be able to acquire a vital and intimate document connected to one of the most important figures of the last century.”

Ali was famously away from the ring for three years, before returning in 1970 to beat Jerry Quarry in his long-awaited comeback.

Just a year later, he was facing off with Joe Frazier in the ‘Fight of the Century’.

The Kentucky native, who died in 2016 aged 74, is regarded by many as the greatest heavyweight of all time.

He was the undisputed champion of the world from 1974 to 1978 and fought 61 times as a pro.

Ali boasted a 56-5 record, with 37 of his wins coming by knockout.

Recently, his brother Rahaman passed away aged 82.

Muhammad’s daughter Hana penned a touching tribute, which read: “In Loving Memory of My Uncle Rock.

“Today, the last living member of my father’s immediate family returned to heaven.

“My Uncle, lovingly known as Rock, was a sweet, gentle soul with a heart as big as the world.

Source : https://www.the-sun.com/sport/15219061/muhammad-ali-draft-card-vietnam-war-auction/

MAJOR UK and European airports have been struck by a cyberattack – forcing airlines to delay and even cancel flights.

The attack reportedly targeted the check-in and boarding systems overnight, disrupting operations at Heathrow, Brussels and Berlin airports.

It crippled the automated systems, making them inoperable, according to Brussels Airport.

Airport staff are now forced to do manual check-in and boarding procedures, causing massive delays and even cancellations.

“This has a large impact on the flight schedule and will unfortunately cause delays and cancellations of flights,” the operator said in a statement published on its website.

“The service provider is actively working on the issue and trying to resolve the problem as quickly as possible.”

At least 10 flights were cancelled out of Brussels Airport and another 17 were delayed by over an hour after the systems were hit.

Passengers travelling today have been advised to arrive in plenty of time to allow for delays at check-in.

Authorities suggested that passengers should arrive two hours in advance for flights within the Schengen zone and three hours early for those travelling outside the area.

London Heathrow – Europe’s busiest airport – also warned of delays caused by “a technical issue” at a third-party supplier.

Derine, 19, told The Sun: “I just flew in from Malta. I’m meant to be flying to Ireland for University.

“There has not been much information about my next flight, but when we arrived, the plane just circled the runway about five times.

“We weren’t let off the plane for half an hour.”

Another traveller said: “I’m flying to Mumbai. My flight is meant to leave in half an hour but it was just delayed by an hour and a half.

“It doesn’t affect me much, but I feel sorry for all the families who are about to sit on a long flight.”

One mother who was travelling with her husband, son, kids and grandkids said: “We are all flying to see my son who lives in Canada.

“We haven’t seen him in over a year, so I really hope it’s not delayed. We’ve been checking our phones constantly this morning.”

A mother and son who were flying to Zanzibar said: “We’ve only been delayed about an hour, but it was a nightmare getting through security.

“There were huge queues, and the machines weren’t working, so everyone was just swarming the staff with iPads. It was chaos.”

A Heathrow spokesperson said: “Collins Aerospace, who provide check-in and boarding systems for several airlines across multiple airports globally, is experiencing a technical issue, which may cause delays for departing passengers.

“While they are working to resolve the problem quickly, we advise passengers to check their flight status with their airline before travelling to the airport and arrive no earlier than 3 hours before a long-haul flight or two hours before a domestic flight.

“Additional colleagues are available in check-in areas to assist and minimise disruption. We apologise for any inconvenience.”

Meanwhile, Berlin airport said: “Due to a technical issue at a system provider operating across Europe, there are longer waiting times at check-in.

“We are working on a quick solution.”

RTX, the owner of Collins Aerospace, said it is aware of cyber-related disruption to its software.

“We are actively working to resolve the issue and restore full functionality to our customers as quickly as possible,” RTX said.

Source : https://www.the-sun.com/news/15222765/cyberattack-heathrow-european-airports/

Germany has cut its budget for international development by 8% and emergency aid has been halved. Aid agencies warn of drastic consequences.

The governing coalition of the conservatives (CDU/CSU) and the Social Democrats (SPD) has slashed the budget of the Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) by 8% to just under €10 billion ($11.47 billion).

Development Minister Reen Alabali Radovan (SPD) is clear about the impact of the cut: “My budget is down by around €910 million compared to the previous year. In view of increasing crises, Germany is investing far less in international cooperation than is actually urgently needed.”

Nevertheless, she told the German parliament that the measures wouldn’t hamstring German development policy.

“We are a long way off American conditions — and that’s how it should be, ” stressed the minister, who was appointed in May 2025.

She was keen to ward off any comparisons with the massive aid cuts made by Donald Trump’s administration

Dramatic increase of hunger and malnutrition

Alabali Radovan gave one example of the impact of Trump’s policies: “In Kenya, over 700,000 refugees, many from Somalia, have been directly affected by the US cuts to the World Food Program.”

The 35-year-old minister said that they had only received a third of the necessary food rations, leading to a dramatic increase of hunger and malnutrition.

“Tensions are growing, many people have to flee, the region is becoming increasingly destabilized,” she warned. “This is unacceptable in human terms and is also not in Germany’s security interests.”

However, aid organizations say that Germany’s cuts will also have drastic consequences.

Compared to 2024, less than half of the acute emergency aid provided by the Foreign Ministry is available: €1.05 billion instead of €2.23 billion. And that aid has dropped by two thirds since 2022.

Thorsten Klose-Zuber, Secretary General of the NGO Help, has sounded the alarm. He said the 50% cut in German emergency aid will mean that over 4 million people worldwide will no longer receive any food aid.

“The discontinuation of humanitarian aid from the United States and the halving of the German budget do not represent the start of our financial problems. For many years now, it has barely been possible to reach half of the people affected,” Klose-Zuber added.

He put the total number of people in need at more than 320 million.

Consequences for healthcare and drinking water

The drastic reduction in aid money also has a concrete impact in other areas.

“Over one and a half million people will lose their basic healthcare due to the German cuts, ” said the Help secretary-general.

The situation is similar when it comes to access to clean drinking water, according to Klose-Zuber.

Almost everything is lacking in the major crisis regions in his view.

And he is not only referring to countries affected by conflict, but also by natural disasters such as earthquakes, as in Myanmar or Afghanistan.

In both countries, there were thousands of deaths and massive destruction, especially to buildings.

His conclusion sounds almost desperate: “It increasingly makes me think of an emergency doctor who arrives at a traffic accident with five seriously injured casualties, and the doctor has to prioritize who dies and who he cares for.”

His aid organization is in a similar position, according to Klose-Zuber. It can only concentrate on the countries with the greatest need.

The NGO head does not think that other countries will step in to fill the gaps created by Germany’s budget cuts: “We are seeing a fundamental movement worldwide, especially from the traditional Western donor countries, to pull out of the agreed multilateral system financially.”

It’s a global trend that he views critically.

Greens consider cuts irresponsible

In the view of the environmentalist Greens, the massive cuts in development and emergency aid are irresponsible.

“No one has claimed that we alone can fill the gaps left by the US with its withdrawal,” says Bundestag lawmaker Jamila Schäfer.

“But the fact that we are not even trying to somehow close this gap really hurts — especially the people directly affected.”

The governing Christian Democrats and its Bavarian sister party, the Christian Social Union, have a completely different view of the effectiveness of German and international development aid.

“I think global scaremongering is wrong,” said CDU lawmaker Inge Grässle in the Bundestag debate.

The conservatives want to show that good results can achieved in development cooperation with €10 billion, too.

Source : https://www.dw.com/en/germany-slashes-aid-and-development-budget/a-74066633

Cathay Pacific said on Monday that it expects to cancel more than 500 flights.

Hong Kong International Airport will suspend all passenger flights for 36 hours from Tuesday (Sep 23) evening, Qantas Airways said, as the Asian financial hub prepares for one of its strongest super typhoons in years.

Hong Kong’s Airport will be closed from 8pm on Sep 23 to 8am on Sep 25, Qantas said in a statement, adding that it would contact customers who are affected.

A spokesperson for Airport Authority Hong Kong said it is closely monitoring the developments regarding the super typhoon, named Ragasa, and has commenced preparations to deal with the storm. But it has not made an official announcement on the closure.

Hong Kong’s Observatory said it would issue the lowest typhoon signal at noon on Monday, upgrading it to the second-highest on Monday night between 8pm and 10pm.

The weather is expected to deteriorate rapidly from Tuesday, and gale-force to storm-force winds will impact the densely populated city on Wednesday, with winds expected to reach hurricane force offshore and on high ground.

Across the city, residents started stockpiling daily necessities on Monday morning. Long queues formed at supermarkets where products like milk had already sold out, while vegetables were being sold for more than triple their normal price at fresh markets, according to Reuters witnesses.

Hong Kong-based airline Cathay Pacific said on Monday that it expects to cancel more than 500 flights.

“Starting at 6pm tomorrow, Sep 23, Cathay Pacific’s passenger flights arriving at and departing from Hong Kong International Airport will cease operations until resuming during daytime hours on Thursday,” a spokeswoman for the airline said at a press conference.

Source : https://www.channelnewsasia.com/east-asia/hong-kong-airport-shut-36-hours-typhoon-ragasa-5361291

Malaysian authorities announced last week that Singaporeans and other foreign travellers can clear Johor land checkpoints using just QR codes under a trial. CNA tries out the system on the trial’s first day.

The first day of a pilot trial by Malaysia’s home ministry – which allows Singaporeans and other foreign travellers to clear Johor land checkpoints using just QR codes without needing to show their passports – got off to a mixed start on Monday (Sep 22).

My colleague Ahmad Zamzahuri Abas, who is a Malaysian, and I, a Singapore citizen, wanted to try crossing the borders on the first day of the pilot – both by car as well as by bus.

We want to give readers a glimpse into how the process works, with our journey starting from the Bangunan Sultan Iskandar (BSI) customs, immigration and quarantine complex in downtown Johor Bahru.

On the one hand, we managed to download the mobile application and generate QR codes for travel with minimal fuss, and also entered Johor Bahru from Singapore with no issues.

Source : https://www.channelnewsasia.com/asia/malaysia-qr-code-clearance-singapore-travellers-foreigners-johor-land-checkpoints-5360681

Chinese officials are investigating outdoor clothing brand Arc’teryx after it apologised for a fireworks display in the Himalayan region of Tibet, which drew backlash for its potential impact on the fragile ecosystem.

Videos from the 19 September event show multi-coloured fireworks erupting across foothills in a display designed by Chinese artist Cai Guo Qiang as part of a promotional campaign.

But the show sparked a barrage of criticism online, with people saying the stunt contradicts Arc’teryx’s image as a conservation-focused brand and calling for a boycott of its clothing line.

The Canadian firm apologised for the display, saying it was “out of line with Arc’teryx’s values”.

The firm said that it will work with an external agency to assess the project’s impact, adding that it had used entirely biodegradable materials. Arc’teryx also said that the spectacle was aimed at raising awareness of mountain culture.

Founded in 1989, Arc’teryx is hugely popular for its high-end sportswear and mountaineering gear and runs more than 150 shops globally. It is owned by Hong Kong-listed fitness equipment company Anta Sports.

It partnered with pyrotechnics artist Cai to stage the high-altitude day-time display called Rising Dragon, set at over 5,000 meters in Tibet’s Shigatse region, a gateway to Himalayan peaks like Everest.

The mountains are also sacred to people in Tibet, where many follow Buddhism. It has been a tightly-controlled part of China since it was annexed in the 1950s, leading some online to ask how and why the project was approved in the first place.

Critics said the mountains were too fragile for fireworks, and the explosions, colour and smoke would have disrupted the ecosystem and local wildlife.

A top comment on Arc’teryx’s apology post said the display was “not something that can be forgiven with a single apology post”, and urged the company to take responsibility for any long-term environmental impact.

Another commenter questioned how a project of such scale could have been approved by so many people.

“The public’s criticism has alerted us that the evaluation of the expression of art needs to be more professional and we need to be more humble and respectful of nature,” Arc’teryx said in its statement.

Source : https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c1eddw19042o

Rupert Murdoch and his son Lachlan are expected to be part of a group of investors trying to buy TikTok in the US, President Donald Trump says.

In a Fox News interview that aired on Sunday, Trump said the men would “probably” be involved in a proposed deal to keep TikTok operating in the US. He also said Oracle chairman Larry Ellison and Dell founder Michael Dell would likely be involved.

“I think they’re going to do a really good job,” Trump said, describing the men as “American patriots”.

The president, who called his Chinese counterpart earlier this week, said the US and China were making progress on a deal that would see the social media platform’s American operations sold to US investors.

The sale is required because of a law passed by Congress in April 2024 that would ban the app unless its Chinese parent company ByteDance sells its US arm.

That law was proposed over fears that Beijing could access the personal data of TikTok’s 170m American users. Its enforcement is on hold pending a deal.

When asked about who was involved in the proposed TikTok deal, Trump told Fox’s The Sunday Briefing that “they’re very well-known people” who would raise a “tremendous amount” of money.

“Larry Ellison is one of them. He’s involved. This great guy, Michael Dell is involved. I hate to tell you this, but a man named Lachlan is involved. Do you know who Lachlan is?” he said. “And Rupert is probably going to be in the group.”

Lachlan Murdoch recently took over Fox Corp and News Corp, the family’s media empire, bringing a lengthy succession battle with his siblings to a close. Rupert Murdoch, 94, is chairman emeritus of News Corp.

After Trump’s comments on Sunday, US media reports suggested the Murdoch’s would not be investing in a personal capacity but instead through Fox Corp.

Their media empire includes the Wall Street Journal and Fox News, and they are known for their conservative views and right-leaning media outlets. But they have also occasionally drawn the ire of Trump, who is currently suing the Wall Street Journal for defamation over a report alleging he signed Jeffrey Epstein’s birthday book.

The White House has raised expectations that a deal is on the verge of completion amid political pressure to take the social media app’s US operations out of the hands of its Chinese owners ByteDance.

On Saturday, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said a deal could be signed “in the coming days”.

Leavitt, who was also speaking to Fox, said data and privacy for the app in the US would be led by Oracle and “the algorithm will also be controlled by America as well”.

The proposed TikTok deal raises the prospect of the Murdochs and the Ellisons, now two of the country’s most powerful families in US media, gaining significant influence over one of America’s most popular social media apps.

China has not confirmed whether a deal has been agreed.

China’s official state news agency Xinhua’s account of Trump’s conversation with Xi reported the Chinese premier as as saying that Beijing “welcomes negotiations”.

Source : https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/crkjjv28ykjo

With conflict continuing in Ukraine and the Middle East, a little-explored global industry has never been more in demand – the war risk insurance market.

When a Russian missile damaged Natalia Grishko’s apartment in a tower block on the outskirts of Kyiv last November she thankfully was not injured.

Mrs Grishko’s daughter, Alina Kalcheva, says the missile fell about 100m (328ft) from the building. “The blast wave damaged my mother’s balcony, windows, doors, and the interior of the apartment.”

While her mum was “of course very upset and cried” to begin with, Mrs Kalcheva says she ultimately felt calm because they had insured the flat against such an attack.

For while general household insurance doesn’t cover conflict damage – whether you live in Ukraine or a country not under attack – Mrs Kalcheva had had the foresight to take out specialist war risk insurance cover for her mother. And the insurer paid out $1,000 (£740) to help cover the repairs.

The annual premium or cost was $52, and the 33-year-old says she “didn’t hesitate to buy it. And as it turned out it was obviously the right decision.”

Fellow Ukrainian Ekaterina Vasylieva even took out a war risk policy for her car in April 2024. That was particularly timely, because only a day later her vehicle was damaged by Russian shrapnel when it was parked in a street in the coastal city of Odesa.

“Only the day before I extended the comprehensive insurance on the car, and the manager offered for me to get insurance against military risks,” she says. “The cover saved me a lot because after the Russian attack the car looked like a sieve.”

War risk insurance is the general term for a sector that also offers cover against terrorism. Industry experts say it has grown exponentially since the September 11 attacks in the US back in 2001.

And while individuals can take out war risk cover, the vast majority of policies are bought by companies who wish to insure their operations, facilities and staff around the world. Especially in high-risk countries and regions.

Although data is hard to come by for an industry that doesn’t seek the limelight, one trade publication this year estimated that the global amount spent on taking out war risk insurance now totals about $1bn (£800m) per annum.

And £621m, or nearly 80%, of that figure is said to go to specialist insurers in the City of London, which is the centre of the international war risk insurance market.

Joanna Cousins heads a nine-person political violence and war team at one such London-based insurer – Westfield Speciality.

She cites the example of a large energy facility in Iraq, owned by a Western company, which has been attacked multiple times in recent years.

Mrs Cousins says that the owner ultimately bought more than £100m of war risk cover, without which it would have “ceased or greatly reduced” the operation of the site.

People in the war risk market are not normally very keen to talk about how much a policy costs. But for a British or American company operating in Lebanon or Israel, “currently, premiums are priced between 0.5% and 2% of the total cover they buy,” says a senior London war risk insurance underwriter who asked not to be named.

An underwriter is a finance professional who determines the level of risk of an insurance application, and then calculates what the cost of the cover will be.

The 0.5% to 2% range means that if a business wants £100m of annual cover it has to pay between £500,000 and £2m. However, these rates will “fluctuate significantly as the situation in different countries in the Middle East is volatile”, adds the unnamed underwriter.

Premiums in stable Gulf states are said to be much lower, from 0.025% to 0.05% of the total amount covered.

What is actually covered by a policy can vary. For example, a company can get cover for kidnappings and ransoms, treating serious injuries, or the cost of dealing with an “active assailant” situation.

“The market is growing in capacity and demand, ” says Daniel Hiller, underwriter, and group head of terrorism and political violence at insurer Munich Re Specialty.

“There are more perils customers can buy coverage for, especially around the active shooter product, but also strikes and riots.”

War risk cover is organised in seven “buckets” spanning different severities of conflict. Sabotage and terrorism are considered to be the lowest, while civil and interstate war are the highest.

“Many insurers try to offer all this coverage, since often it’s not clear where a situation has moved from risk of terrorism, to civil war, to even interstate war,” says Raveem Ismail, founder of specialist insurance firm London-based Trigger Parametric.

The war risk sector is centred on London due to the continuing strength of Lloyds of London, which has been a specialist insurance market since 1689.

Lloyds is also home to war risk insurance reinsurers – firms who buy and sell the cover.

Ms Cousins says this spreads out the possible exposure. “Each [reinsurer] covers a certain percentage of the risk, of anywhere between one and 10%,” she says.

Constantin Gurdgiev, a finance professor at the University of Northern Colorado, and an expert in the study of risk and conflict finance, says the challenge for the war risk sector is to work out what premium to charge for cover.

“Wars and conflicts more generally represent black swan [very rare] events,” he says. Because of this rarity, he adds that “historical data tends to be a weak basis for establishing any priceable insights”.

Source : https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c15kzjkqpqeo

Police in Pakistan say they have found the bodies of three transgender people on a roadside in the southern city of Karachi, in the latest violence against the community.

They were shot dead by unidentified assailants and their bodies discovered shortly after midnight on Sunday in the Memon Goth area of Karachi, police said.

“The bullet-riddled bodies of three transgender women were found on a highway,” city police official Javed Ahmed Abro told the AFP news agency.

Authorities are still in the process of confirming their identities and have yet to determine a motive.

Amnesty International says there has been a concerning rise in violence against trans people, also known as Hijras, in Pakistan.

“Transgender persons are a vulnerable segment of society, and we must all give them dignity and respect,” Sindh’s provincial chief minister Syed Murad Ali Shah said in a statement.

In 2018, Pakistan’s Senate voted to support a bill protecting the rights of transgender people, and allowing them to determine their own gender identity.

The Transgender Rights Act was praised by many globally, but key sections were later revoked by a sharia court.

Source : https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c0lkkx3e1j9o

Ukrainian attacks on Russia’s Belgorod border region killed two civilians while Russian shelling of eastern Ukraine left a man dead, officials said Sunday.

Vyacheslav Gladkov, the governor of Belgorod, wrote on the Telegram messaging app that a woman was killed when shelling struck a private home in the border town of Shebekino, while a man died in a drone strike on the village of Rakitnoe.

The Belgorod region, which borders Ukraine, has faced frequent cross-border attacks since Moscow launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.

In Ukraine, a man was killed and residential buildings and infrastructure were damaged by Russian shelling in Kostiantynivka in the Donetsk region, Serhii Horbunov, head of the city’s military administration, said Sunday.

The latest round of attacks came after Russia launched a large-scale missile and drone attack targeting regions across Ukraine on Saturday, killing at least three people and wounding dozens. Russia launched 619 drones and missiles during the attack, Ukraine’s air force said.

Also on Saturday, Estonia summoned a Russian diplomat to protest after three Russian fighter aircraft entered its airspace without permission Friday and stayed there for 12 minutes, the Foreign Ministry said. It happened just over a week after NATO planes downed Russian drones over Poland and heightened fears that the war in Ukraine could spill over.

Writing on social media site X on Sunday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Ukraine had been targeted by “more than 1,500 strike drones, over 1,280 guided aerial bombs, and 50 missiles of various types” over the previous week.

Noting that “thousands of foreign components” were found in the Russian weaponry, Zelenskyy said Ukraine was “counting on the 19th EU sanctions package to be truly painful, and on the United States to join the Europeans.” European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen presented the package of sanctions on Friday.

Zelenskyy expects to meet U.S. President Donald Trump on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly this week, where he has said he hopes to gauge how close Ukraine and its partners are to finalizing long-term security guarantees.

Source : https://apnews.com/article/russia-ukraine-war-belgorod-drones-7aedb2a342e56dd22504448d1ccd1bed

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un says he still has good memories of U.S. President Donald Trump and urged Washington to drop its demand the North surrender its nukes as a precondition for resuming long-stalled diplomacy.

Speaking to Pyongyang’s rubber-stamp parliament on Sunday, Kim stressed that he has no intention of ever resuming dialogue with rival South Korea, a key U.S. ally that helped broker Kim’s previous summits with Trump during the American president’s first term, according to a speech published by state media on Monday.

Kim suspended virtually all cooperation with the South following the collapse of his second summit with Trump in 2019 over disagreements about U.S.-led sanctions against the North. Tensions on the Korean Peninsula have worsened in recent years as Kim has accelerated his weapons buildup and aligned with Russia over the war in Ukraine.

Kim’s comments came as South Korean President Lee Jae Myung departed for New York to attend the U.N. General Assembly, where he is expected to address nuclear tensions on the Korean Peninsula and call on North Korea to return to talks.

Trump is also expected to visit South Korea next month to attend the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit, prompting media speculation that he may try to meet Kim at the inter-Korean border, as they did during their third meeting in 2019, which ultimately failed to salvage their nuclear diplomacy.

During his latest speech at the Supreme People’s Assembly, Kim reiterated that he would never give up his nuclear weapons program, which experts say he sees as his strongest guarantee of survival and the extension of his family’s dynastic rule.

“The world already knows well what the United States does after forcing other countries to give up their nuclear weapons and disarm,” Kim said. “We will never lay down our nuclear weapons … There will be no negotiations, now or ever, about trading anything with hostile countries in exchange for lifting sanctions.”

He said he still holds “good personal memories” of Trump from their first meetings and that there is “no reason not to” resume talks with the United States if Washington “abandons its delusional obsession with denuclearization.”

Kim has stepped up testing activities in recent years, demonstrating weapons of various ranges designed to strike U.S. allies in Asia and the U.S. mainland. Analysts say Kim’s nuclear push is aimed at eventually pressuring Washington to accept the idea of the North as a nuclear power and to negotiate economic and security concessions from a position of strength.

Kim is also trying to bolster his leverage by strengthening cooperation with traditional allies Russia and China, in an emerging partnership aimed at undercutting U.S. influence.

He has sent thousands of troops and huge supplies of military equipment to Russia to help support President Vladimir Putin’s war in Ukraine. He visited Beijing earlier this month, sharing the spotlight with Chinese President Xi Jinping and Putin at a massive military parade. Experts say Kim’s rare foreign trip was likely intended to boost his leverage ahead of a potential resumption of talks with the United States.

Source : https://apnews.com/article/north-korea-trump-kim-good-memories-nuclear-be9f1f41e56914ca07934bf7c50b8237

There’s no going back.

Prince Harry will reportedly never be a part-time royal — despite recently reuniting with his father, King Charles III, in the UK.

“The King is a forgiving man but has been absolutely clear in upholding his late mother’s decision that there cannot be ‘half-in, half-out’ members of the working royal family,” a royal source told the Daily Mail.

The insider also blasted sources that said Harry’s four-day trip to the UK could be a new working model for him, in which he still gets to take on royal duties while being based in the US with his wife, Meghan Markle, and their two children: Archie, 6, and Lilibet, 4.

“Whoever is behind [the Sussexes] seems to have mistaken a brief tea and a slice of cake for the Treaty of Versailles,” the insider said.

Another royal source shared, “These syrupy briefings from supposed Sussex sources are precisely why the King and Royal family are so hesitant to embark on any road to rapprochement. If the intention is to encourage a rebuilding of trust and relationships, they serve the precise opposite effect.”

The insider added that President Trump’s visit to the UK last week was a show of strength for Charles and Prince William.

“As last week’s State Visit clearly demonstrated, the power and impact of the modern monarchy lies in the unshakeable bond between The King and the Prince of Wales, supported by other working members of the family,” the source claimed.

But a spokesperson for Harry tells Page Six, “The Duke has made it clear that the focus, as it relates to his family, is his father — beyond that, and on any other issues as it relating to the Royal family, we won’t be commenting.”

Harry, 41, expressed interest in moving back to the UK with his family, according to Joss Stone, who spoke with him at London’s WellChild Awards during his visit.

The singer told Hello! magazine that the father of two asked her about her own recent move back to the UK.

“He was saying how wonderful the schools are here and how important community is for children,” the Stone, 38, recalled. “It was nice to share that with him because it’s exactly why we felt drawn to come back.”

A spokesperson for the Duke of Sussex previously told Page Six that he very much enjoyed his recent visit back to his home country.

Source : https://pagesix.com/2025/09/21/royal-family/king-charles-will-never-let-prince-harry-return-as-half-in-half-out-working-royal-report/

Bernard Arnault, the boss of luxury goods group LVMH and France’s richest man, has attacked a proposed 2% tax on billionaires as an assault on France’s economy and denounced the plan’s architect as a far-left ideologue.
The tax, which would target wealth above 100 million euros ($117 million), has gained political traction in France, where Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu faces pressure from the Socialist Party to include it in the 2026 budget or face a confidence vote that could topple his government.

“This is clearly not a technical or economic debate, but rather a clearly stated desire to destroy the French economy,” Arnault told Britain’s Sunday Times.
He accused the plan’s architect, economist Gabriel Zucman of being “first and foremost a far-left activist” who uses “pseudo-academic competence” to promote an ideology aimed at dismantling the liberal economic system, which Arnault described as “the only one that works for the good of all”.
Zucman, a professor at France’s École Normale Supérieure and the University of California, Berkeley, rejected the accusations.
“I’ve never been an activist for any movement or party,” he said on X, adding his work was grounded in research, not ideology.

Zucman was among 300 economists who publicly backed the economic platform of the left-wing Nouveau Front Populaire alliance ahead of last year’s legislative elections.

Source : https://www.reuters.com/world/frances-richest-man-lvmhs-arnault-slams-proposed-billionaire-tax-2025-09-21/

US President Donald Trump’s administration has announced a USD 1,00,000 annual fee on H-1B visas, a move that triggered widespread panic, concern and fear among Indian professionals on the work visa.

With an aim of attracting young, skilled talent, China has announced the introduction of a new ‘K Visa’. The K visa is designed to attract talented professionals, particularly in the fields of Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) from all over the world. China’s move comes as countries across the world are busy tightening or recalibrating work visa rules, including the US, which has been a destination for top talent in the fields of STEM for years.
China had approved the decision in August and seeks to amend the regulations on the administration of foreigners’ entries and exits which will take effect on October 1, 2025.
K visa will be open to foreign “young scientific and technological talents,” according to the Chinese Ministry of Justice. K visas will offer more convenience to holders in terms of the number of permitted entries, validity period and duration of stay.

Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif emphasized the importance of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) as a crucial opportunity for the nation to leverage Chinese investment and expertise.

Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has cautioned that while China remained his country’s “great friend and brother”, the CPEC was the last opportunity to benefit from Chinese expertise and investment, according to a media report. “History will never forgive us if we fail to take advantage of this opportunity,” he said.
During a recent high-level meeting, Sharif warned ministries and divisions of strict action over delays in executing over USD 8 billion worth of China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) 2 projects, the Express Tribune newspaper reported on Sunday.
Sharif noted that although the Pakistan-China B2B Conference was a tremendous success, agreements signed must be followed up meticulously by the concerned ministries to convert them into binding joint venture contracts, ensuring that Chinese investment materialises.

He warned that no complacency or undue delay would be tolerated, and unlike in the past, no project should be delayed.

He said China had agreed to launch the CPEC 2.0 programme, which would focus on agriculture, Special Economic Zones, investment in mines and minerals, and the upgradation of the Karakoram Highway.
In a word of caution, he said that it was the last opportunity to benefit from Chinese expertise and investment.
He urged ministries to work wholeheartedly to ensure success, stressing that the government was answerable to the people and accountable for results.
The prime minister also highlighted his recent visit to China, where he attended the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation Summit in Tianjin and met President Xi Jinping, Premier Li Qiang, and other world leaders.

Source : https://www.timesnownews.com/world/asia/on-brother-chinas-cpec-a-word-of-caution-from-pakistan-pm-history-will-never-forgive-us-article-152868055

A gunman opened fire in a New Hampshire country club on Saturday, killing one person and wounding several others, authorities said.

The person who died at the Sky Meadow Country Club in Nashua was an adult male, according to New Hampshire Attorney General John Formella and Nashua Police Chief Kevin Rourke.

Authorities said the suspect, who was detained at the scene, was also an adult male, and earlier reports of two shooters were mistaken. Police said there was no further danger to the public.

Investigators were still working to determine a motive, New Hampshire Senior Assistant Attorney General Peter Hinckley said.

Information on the wounded victims’ conditions was not immediately available.

Tom Bartelson of Pepperell, Massachusetts, who was at the country club, described a chaotic scene that unfolded near his nephew’s wedding. He said he heard the shooter say “the children are safe” and “free Palestine” and appeared to be targeting someone.

“Getting together for a dance for the bride and groom and then all chaos went off,” he said. “We heard about six shots and everybody ducked for cover and next thing you know we’re rushed into safe spots and things like that.”

He said some people dropped to the ground and attempted to get away from the scene. There was a lot of panic, he said.

“We were trying to keep family members safe,” he said. “Keep everybody down and try to find safe spots.”

Another person who was at the scene, Evie O’Rourke of Salem, New Hampshire, said she was still trying to find her son, Robert Decesare of Nashua, in the aftermath of the shooting.

“We don’t know where he is. He went down. My daughter in law and granddaughter escaped … They saw my son go down and they saw blood, and we can’t find him,” she said.

Emily Ernst, who was at the scene, said she saw a gunman in all black.

“He had a mask on. We just saw him raise the gun and then we ran,” Ernst said. “I ran through the kitchen for my life.”

Source : https://apnews.com/article/country-club-shooting-new-hampshire-nashua-c971a42b7a0cb2eb44a48cade28cff27

“Kristi Noem is going to have a bad day today,” exclaimed Gavin Newsom‘s press office X feed this morning, calling out the South Park–parodied Homeland Security Secretary by name. “You’re welcome, America.”

The taunting post came just a few hours before the California Governor Saturday put pen to paper on Senate Bills 627, a.k.a. the “No Secret Police Act” and 805 a.k.a The “No Vigilantes Act” in a public ceremony in LA.

“ICE, unmask, what are you afraid of?” said Gov. Newsom in Sat, surrounded by Mayor Karen Bass, LA County Supervisor (and ex-Labor Secretary) Hilda Solis, LASUD Superintendent Alberto M. Carvalho and others. “This is not about the pronoun police, this is about the secret police,” Newsom added, quoting The Daily Show‘s Jon Stewart.

“Kristi Noem is going to have a bad day today,” exclaimed Gavin Newsom‘s press office X feed this morning, calling out the South Park–parodied Homeland Security Secretary by name. “You’re welcome, America.”

The taunting post came just a few hours before the California Governor Saturday put pen to paper on Senate Bills 627, a.k.a. the “No Secret Police Act” and 805 a.k.a The “No Vigilantes Act” in a public ceremony in LA.

“ICE, unmask, what are you afraid of?” said Gov. Newsom in Sat, surrounded by Mayor Karen Bass, LA County Supervisor (and ex-Labor Secretary) Hilda Solis, LASUD Superintendent Alberto M. Carvalho and others. “This is not about the pronoun police, this is about the secret police,” Newsom added, quoting The Daily Show‘s Jon Stewart.

Unsurprisingly, as some wonder how the new laws can be actively enforced, the Trump administration is opposed to the measures. “Once again, sanctuary politicians are trying to outlaw officers wearing masks to protect themselves from being doxed and targeted by known and suspected terrorist sympathizers,” Assistant DHS Secretary Tricia McLaughlin said on September 16 of the recent enacted masking policy when it started to become clear that Gov. Newsom was likely to sign the bills into law.

The signing of SB 627, 805 and three other related bills Saturday by the Trump-trolling Newsom (who was full of his now usual swipes at the former Apprentice host and top aide Stephen Miller today) comes against the additional backdrop of a redistricting campaign to prevent Trump from rigging the 2026 midterms and increased attacks from the White House and the FCC on free speech and the First Amendment — which the governor highlighted online today too.

With a number of Trump payoffs and ring kissing having already occurred, and promises of more to come from Trump himself and FCC chair Brendan Carr, those attacks directly hit one of Hollywood most powerful corporations once again this week. On Sept. 17, Disney suddenly announced Jimmy Kimmel‘s long-running and MAGA-critical Live! would be “preempted indefinitely” after remarks the host made a couple of days before about the MAGA response to the Sept. 10 fatal shooting of conservative activist Charlie Kirk sent Carr and affiliate owners blood boiling.

Source : https://deadline.com/2025/09/gavin-newsom-no-ice-masks-law-trump-jimmy-kimmel-1236551531

Israel’s military kept up its assault on Gaza City and the wider Gaza Strip on Saturday, dismantling underground shafts and booby-trapped structures in attacks that killed at least 60 Palestinians, according to Gazan health authorities.

The assault came as 10 countries, including Australia, Belgium, Britain and Canada, are scheduled to formally recognise an independent Palestinian state on Monday, ahead of the annual leaders’ gathering at the U.N. General Assembly next week.

Israel’s intensified military demolition campaign targeting high-rise buildings in Gaza City began this week alongside a ground assault.

Its forces, which control Gaza City’s eastern suburbs, have been pounding the Sheikh Radwan and Tel Al-Hawa areas from where they would be positioned to advance on central and western parts of the city.

Most of Gaza City’s population is sheltering in those parts.

The military estimates it has demolished up to 20 Gaza City tower blocks over the past two weeks. It also believes, according to Israeli media, that more than 500,000 people have left the city since the start of September.

The militant group Hamas, which controls Gaza, disputes this, saying just under 300,000 have left and around 900,000 remain, including Israeli hostages.

On messaging site Telegram, Hamas’ military wing earlier released a montage-type image of Israeli hostages, warning that their lives were at risk due to Israel’s military operation in Gaza City.

Hamas also estimates that since August 11, Israel’s military has destroyed or damaged more than 1,800 residential buildings in Gaza City, and destroyed more than 13,000 tents housing displaced families.

In almost two years of fighting, Israel’s offensive has killed more than 65,000 Palestinians, according to Gazan health authorities, spread famine, demolished most structures and displaced most of the population, in many cases multiple times.

Israel says the hunger crisis in Gaza has been exaggerated and that much of the blame lies with Hamas.

Source : https://www.reuters.com/world/middle-east/israel-presses-with-gaza-city-assault-34-palestinians-killed-2025-09-20

Russia unleashed a major drone and missile attack on Ukraine overnight, killing three people, injuring dozens more, and damaging infrastructure and residential buildings, President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said on Saturday.

Despite diplomatic efforts to find ways to end the war that began when Russia invaded in February 2022, the fighting has intensified in recent months.

In a statement on the Telegram app, Zelenskiy said Russia had launched around 580 drones and 40 missiles targeting infrastructure, civilian manufacturing companies and residential areas in different parts of the country.

Air defences shot down 552 of the drones and 31 missiles, Ukraine’s air force said.

RUSSIA IS ‘TERRORISING’ CIVILIANS, SAYS ZELENSKIY

“All night, Ukraine was under a massive attack by Russia,” Zelenskiy said. “Every such strike is not a military necessity but a deliberate strategy by Russia to terrorise civilians and destroy our infrastructure.”

Russia denies targeting Ukrainian civilians.

In the central city of Dnipro, a missile with a cluster munition hit a residential apartment building, Zelenskiy said.
One person was killed, and at least 26 people were injured in Dnipro, regional officials said.
Two people were also killed in the Chernihiv region in the north and the Khmelnytskyi region in the west of the country, regional officials said.

Reuters could not independently verify the battlefield reports.

“It should not be happening in the 21st century. We are all people. Agree… sit down at the negotiating table.”

Kyiv faces increasing pressure in eastern Ukraine, where Russian troops are keeping up their grinding advance, devastating villages and towns and claiming new territory.

Source : https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/russia-hits-ukraine-with-barrage-drones-missiles-kills-3-kyiv-says-2025-09-20/

Sir Keir Starmer is expected to announce the UK’s recognition of a Palestinian state in a statement on Sunday afternoon.

The prime minister said in July that the UK would shift its position unless Israel met several conditions, including agreeing to a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip and committing to a long-term peace process leading to a Palestinian state co-existing alongside Israel.

The Israeli leadership has ruled this out since the start of the war following Hamas’s attack in southern Israel on 7 October 2023 in which 1,200 people were killed and 251 taken hostage.

The PM’s move has drawn fierce criticism from the Israeli government, families of hostages held in Gaza and some Conservatives.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu previously said recognition of a Palestinian state “rewards terror”.

The decision to recognise a Palestinian state represents a major change in UK foreign policy, after successive governments said recognition should come as part of a peace process and at a time of maximum impact.

However, ministers argue there was a moral responsibility to act to keep hopes of a long-term peace alive.

Efforts to secure a ceasefire in Gaza – let alone a long-term solution to the Israel-Palestine conflict – have faltered. Israel recently sparked international outrage when it carried out an air strike on a Hamas negotiating team in Qatar.

Government sources said the situation on the ground had also worsened significantly in the last few weeks. They cited images showing starvation and violence in Gaza, which Sir Keir previously described as “intolerable”.

Israel’s latest ground operation in Gaza City, described by a UN official as “cataclysmic”, has forced hundreds of thousands of people to flee.

It is the latest Israeli offensive in the nearly two-year war which has seen much of the Palestinian territory’s population displaced, its infrastructure destroyed, and at least 65,208 people killed, according to Hamas-run health ministry figures.

Earlier this week, a United Nations commision of inquiry concluded Israel had committed genocide against Palestinians in Gaza, which Israel denounced as “distorted and false”.

Ministers have also highlighted the continued expansion of Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank, which are illegal under international law, as a key factor in the decision to recognise Palestinian statehood.

Justice Secretary David Lammy, who was foreign secretary when recognition was proposed, cited the controversial E1 settlement project – which critics warn would put an end to hopes for a viable, contiguous Palestinian state – as well as violence from Israeli settlers in the West Bank.

Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas welcomed the UK’s recognition pledge when he visited Sir Keir earlier this month, with Downing Street saying both leaders had agreed Hamas should play no role in the future governance of Palestine.

Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch said she wanted to see a two-state solution in the Middle East.

But she wrote in The Telegraph over the weekend: “It is obvious, and the US has been clear on this, that recognition of a Palestinian state at this time and without the release of the hostages, would be a reward for terrorism.”

Meanwhile, in an open letter to Sir Keir on Saturday, family members of some of the hostages taken by Hamas urged the prime minister not to take the step until the 48 still in Gaza, of whom 20 are thought to still be alive, had been returned.

The announcement of the forthcoming recognition had “dramatically complicated efforts to bring home our loved ones”, they wrote. “Hamas has already celebrated the UK’s decision as a victory and reneged on a ceasefire deal.”

Sources in government said ministers will be setting out next steps for sanctioning Hamas in the coming weeks.

During a state visit to the UK this week, US President Donald Trump also said he disagreed with recognition.

Sir Keir had set a deadline of the UN General Assembly meeting, which takes place this week, for Israel to take “substantive steps to end the appalling situation in Gaza, agree to a ceasefire and commit to a long-term, sustainable peace, reviving the prospect of a two-state solution”.

He said in July: “With that solution now under threat, this is the moment to act.”

A number of other countries including Portugal, France, Canada and Australia have also said they will recognise a Palestinian state, while Spain, Ireland and Norway took the step last year.

Palestine is currently recognised by around 75% of the UN’s 193 member states, but has no internationally agreed boundaries, no capital and no army – making recognition largely symbolic.

The two-state solution refers to the creation of a Palestinian state in the West Bank and Gaza Strip, with East Jerusalem as its capital. Israel currently occupies both the West Bank and Gaza, meaning the Palestinian Authority is not in full control of its land or people.

Recognising a Palestinian state has long been a cause championed by many within the Labour Party. The PM has been under mounting pressure to take a tougher stance on Israel, particularly from MPs on the left of his party.

Shortly before he gave his speech in July, more than half of Labour MPs signed a letter calling for the government to immediately recognise a Palestinian state.

Source : https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/ce800enrglzo

Pop Mart has been building on the success of the Labubu doll with new character lines and collaborations with established intellectual property. However, trends change and it remains to be seen if the company can keep up.

Last August, Mr Terry Khoo headed to Marina Bay Sands Expo and Convention Centre before the crack of dawn, just for the Pop Toy Show, a convention for pop-culture toys and collectibles. He was determined to get his hands on the Merlion Labubu, a Singapore-exclusive edition of the popular Labubu doll.

The annual convention has been organised in Singapore since 2023 and in China since 2020 by Pop Mart, the company behind popular collectible toys, most notably the ubiquitous Labubu – a furry toy known for its iconic rabbit-like ears and mischievous, sharp-toothed grin.

Mr Khoo, a 29-year-old project manager, said: “I thought it was early but when I reached at 5am, I was already way at the back (of the queue). I was speaking to some people and some of them were there from as early as 3am.”

He estimated that there were already 200 to 400 people ahead of him by the time he arrived, and the queue had snaked out of the convention centre and spilled onto the road.

Still, he waited in line for six hours, only to find that the launch of the limited edition toy was abruptly cancelled after a scuffle erupted between convention-goers over the collectible.

Although he has yet to acquire the Merlion Labubu, he now owns around 30 Pop Mart figurines, which he stores in two display cabinets – one at home and the other in his office.

Mr Khoo and other Labubu buyers have contributed to the runaway success of the Beijing-based Pop Mart, a company founded in 2010 that only recently became a household name when the Labubu craze erupted in early 2024.

Ms Ripple Sim, for instance, has spent thousands of dollars to date on her Pop Mart collection. She has more than 100 items that include several popular characters such as Labubu, Twinkle Twinkle, Skullpanda and Dimoo.

The event stylist, 41, began collecting Pop Mart merchandise in August last year, saying she started because of the rising Labubu hype at the time, which played into her fear of missing out.

Ms Sim also films herself unboxing Pop Mart blind boxes live and posts these videos on her social media accounts.

“I love unboxing blind boxes as well as watching people unbox, so I decided I might as well live(stream) it, so anyone who’s keen or free to watch can just join in the fun,” she said.

To date, the most expensive Labubu toy she owns is a larger-sized “Zimomo Angel in Clouds”, which she bought for more than S$300.

Her most precious one is a “Chestnut Cocoa” – a rare Secret V1 Labubu doll that has a one-in-72 chance of being found in a blind box – which she unboxed live on camera to the delight of viewers tuning into her livestream.

“It’s a core memory to have pulled a Secret on TikTok livestream, (especially) during the peak of the Labubu hype,” Ms Sim said.

Blind-box toys are sold in sealed, opaque packaging that conceals the exact figurine within, making the box’s content a mystery to buyers until opened.

A third Pop Mart fan, a civil servant in her mid-30s who declined to give her name, began collecting Pop Mart figurines about a year ago. She has since amassed a collection of more than 300 items, which cost her about S$5,000 in total.

Her first blind-box figure was from the series called “Pucky the Feast”, but her collection is now made up of various Pop Mart character lines, including Labubu, Skullpanda, Crybaby, Hirono, Dimoo and Molly. As long as she likes the design, it can join her collection.

“The thrill of blind boxes is in the unboxing process and not knowing what to expect.”

She recalled feeling “quite disappointed” after failing to pull her desired toy from that first Pucky the Feast blind box, but added that this uncertainty was part of the fun.

Beyond the excitement of this pursuit, she has also found a sense of community among fellow Pop Mart collectors. She described the hobby as having evolved into more of a social pastime.

“Over time, it became less about the toys and more about its social aspects,” she said.

“With friends and colleagues, it became a discussion topic. And within the Pop Mart community, there are also regulars who teach you tips on how to find your desired blind box figurine. You make new friends and learn from one another.”

Such unwavering demand from fans have made Labubu a global phenomenon.

In August this year, Pop Mart reported an almost 400 per cent surge in net profit for the first half of the financial year, with revenue leaping 204.4 per cent year-on-year to 13.88 billion yuan (US$1.95 billion).

Yet, as successful as Pop Mart has become, it also remains polarising, as opinions on the toys it sells can be sharply divisive.

Many observers who are not swept up by the Labubu fever find themselves baffled: What exactly is driving this obsession with toys that are not even conventionally cute, to the point where collectors are willing to jostle or even turn violent over them?

Source : https://www.channelnewsasia.com/today/big-read/pop-mart-labubu-worldwide-craze-5354541

Estonia requested a consultation of NATO powers after the Baltic nation said three Russian fighter jets violated its airspace in a “brazen” 12-minute incursion. Estonia’s president said air defense “must be a priority.”

Three Russian fighter jets violated NATO member Estonia’s airspace for 12 minutes on Friday in an “unprecedented brazen” incursion, its government said.

Russian jets have violated Estonian airspace in the past, but usually only briefly. The length of Friday’s incursion was unusual.

However, a statement from Russia’s Defense Ministry said the flight was in keeping with “international rules governing airspace” and “did not violate” Estonia’s borders.

Meanwhile, Poland deployed aircraft during a massive overnight Russian attack on neighboring Ukraine.

Ukraine’s Volodymyr Zelenskyy said at least three people were killed and dozens of others were hurt.

This blog is now closed. Please read below to learn about the news on Russian violation of Estonian airspace as well as the latest developments in Russia’s war in Ukraine on September 20.

Austria’s OMV fires executive accused of spying for Russia — report

Austria’s majority state-owned energy group OMV has dismissed an executive over allegations of espionage for Russia, according to an exclusive report published by the Austrian news magazine Profil.

According to the magazine, the OMV employee attracted attention after meetings with a Russian diplomat suspected by Western intelligence services of being linked to Russia’s domestic intelligence service, the FSB.

Austria’s domestic intelligence agency DSN had reportedly been monitoring the executive for several months.

OMV told Reuters that the employee’s contract was terminated with immediate effect and said it is fully cooperating with authorities. The company declined to provide further details, citing data protection.

Austria’s Foreign Ministry has summoned the Russian charge d’affaires in Vienna, who was asked to waive the Russian diplomat’s immunity.

“Otherwise, he would have been considered persona non grata and would have had to leave Austria,” the ministry told Reuters.

According to Profil, the OMV executive had been temporarily assigned to the Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (Adnoc), which owns a 25% stake in OMV.

The two companies are planning to merge their petrochemical subsidiaries, Borouge and Borealis. The employee reportedly had insights into both firms and passed information to the Russian diplomat during meetings in Vienna.

Source : https://www.dw.com/en/estonia-seeks-nato-consultations-after-russia-jets-incident/live-74071954

Last night a close pal of Fergie said she wrote the email at a time when she had been threatened with legal action by Epstein.

Sarah Ferguson said sorry to Jeffrey Epstein after linking him to paedophilia in an interview, telling him: “I did not use the P word about you”.

In the interview published on March 7, 2011, the Duchess of York apologised for having accepted £15,000 from Epstein — a long-time associate of her ex-husband Prince Andrew.

She said: “I abhor paedophilia and any sexual abuse of children and know that this was a gigantic error of judgment on my behalf.

“Whenever I can, I will repay the money and will have nothing to do with Jeffrey Epstein ever again.”

But just over a month later, on April 26, the Duchess secretly wrote to Epstein from her personal email address stating: “As you know I did not, absolutely not, say the P (paedophile) word about you.”

A close friend of Fergie last night insisted she wrote the email when she had been threatened by aggressive legal action by Epstein.

The pal said: “The threats from Epstein were extremely aggressive and unpleasant.

“He was furious she had done the right thing and condemned him publicly, and wanted revenge.

“She felt she had no option but to write in the way she did — trying to appease him and make it all go away.”

The email lays bare how evil Epstein was able to exert powerful influence over the Duke of York and his family via his vast wealth.

The Duchess had told the convict: “I know you feel hellaciously let down by me.

“And I must humbly apologise to you and your heart for that.

“You have always been a steadfast, generous and supreme friend to me and my family.”

Her email continued: “I am apologising to you today for not replying to your email or reaching out to you. I was bedridden with fear. I was paralysed.

“I was advised in no uncertain terms, to have nothing to do with you and to not speak or email you.

“And if I did — I would cause more problems to you, the Duke and myself. I was broken and lost.

“So please understand. I didn’t want to hurt Andrew one more time. I was in over-riding fear. I am sorry.”

Last night, a spokesman for the Duchess said: “The Duchess spoke of her regret about her association with Epstein many years ago, and as they have always been, her first thoughts are with his victims.

“Like many people, she was taken in by his lies.

“As soon as she was aware of the extent of the allegations against him, she not only cut off contact but condemned him publicly, to the extent that he then threatened to sue her for defamation for associating him with paedophilia.

“She does not shrink back from anything she said then. This email was sent in the context of advice the Duchess was given to try to assuage Epstein and his threats.”

Source : https://www.the-sun.com/royals/15224768/sarah-ferguson-jeffrey-epstein-apology-email/

According to a senior US official, those who are visiting or leaving the country, or visiting India, don’t need to rush back before Sunday or pay the $100,000 fee.

Amid tensions after the hike in the application fees for the H-1B visa holders, the Indian Embassy in the US has issued an emergency assistance number for Indian nationals seeking support.

“Indian nationals seeking emergency assistance may call cell number +1-202-550-9931 (and WhatsApp). This number should be used only by Indian nationals seeking immediate emergency assistance and not for routine consular queries,” the Indian Embassy in the US said in a post on X.

The move by the US administration has sparked concerns for the Indians, as 71-72 per cent of H-1B visas are going to Indians.

Earlier, a senior US official clarified that the individuals currently holding H-1B visas, including those visiting India or abroad, won’t be affected.

“Those who are visiting or leaving the country, or visiting India, don’t need to rush back before Sunday or pay the $100,000 fee. $100,000 is only for new and not current existing holders,” the official told ANI.

Meanwhile, the Indian government on Saturday advised all its missions/posts to extend all possible help to Indian nationals who are travelling back to the US in the next 24 hours or so.

India Reacts To H-1B New Visa Fees

Spokesperson of the Ministry of External Affairs, Randhir Jaiswal, in an official statement, said that industry in both India and the US has a stake in innovation and creativity and can be expected to consult on the best path forward.

“The Government has seen reports related to the proposed restrictions on the US H1B visa program. The full implications of the measure are being studied by all concerned, including by Indian industry, which has already put out an initial analysis clarifying some perceptions related to the H1B program,” read the official statement.

PM Modi Calls For Self-Reliance

Prime Minister Narendra Modi, on Saturday, after laying the foundation stone for several developmental projects in Gujarat, highlighted the importance of self-reliance.

“Today, India is moving forward with the spirit of ‘Vishwabandhu’. We have no major enemy in the world. Our biggest enemy is our dependence on other countries. This is our biggest enemy, and together we must defeat this enemy of India, the enemy of dependence,” he said.

Source : https://www.news18.com/world/indian-embassy-in-us-issues-helpline-number-amid-concerns-over-h-1b-visa-fees-9586534.html

At least 72 people, including three policemen, were among the dead during the violent protests against alleged corruption and a ban on social media on September 8 and 9.

Nepal ‘Gen Z’ group, whicg spearheaded the recent protests against the government, has listed two demands – the arrest of deposed prime minister K P Sharma Oli and then home minister Ramesh Lekhak over their alleged role in a shootout that killed 19 people during the anti-government protests on September 8 and the formation of a high-level probe commission to investigate the wealth of all high-ranking leaders and government officials since 1990. Oli quit on September 9 shortly after hundreds of agitators entered his office demanding his resignation.

Addressing a press conference at Sambad Dabali, Dr Nicholas Bushal, one of the advisers to the Gen Z group that spearheaded the protests, said Oli, Lekhak and Chief District Officer of Kathmandu Chhabi Rijal should be arrested immediately as they were directly responsible for the shootout at Naya Baneshwor in which 19 activists were killed.

Separately, the Gen Z activists also organised a sit-in demanding Oli and Lekhak’s arrest at Maitighar Mandala near Singhdurbar Secretariat in Kathmandu, from where they started their protest rally on September 8.

At least 72 people, including three policemen, were among the dead during the violent protests against alleged corruption and a ban on social media on September 8 and 9.

No Shooting Orders Given, Says Deposed PM Oli; Calls For Probe
However, Nepal’s former prime minister KP Sharma Oli on Friday denied that he had given any shooting orders during the Gen Z demonstrations, saying bullets were fired at protesters from automatic guns that the police did not possess and called for a probe into the matter.

In his first public statement since his ouster, the Communist Party of Nepal (Unified Marxist-Leninist) chairman blamed the infiltrators for the violence during the “peaceful protest” by Gen-Z. “The government didn’t order to shoot at the demonstrators,” 73-year-old Oli said in a message issued on the occasion of Constitution Day.

“The bullets were fired at the protesters from automatic guns, which were not possessed by the police personnel, and this must be investigated,” Oli said.

Normalcy Returns To Nepal
There have been signs of normalcy gradually returning to Nepal after days of turmoil. Curfew restrictions were eased as Karki was sworn-in as the country’s interim prime minister. The Army has also scaled back its presence, markets have reopened and traffic has resumed.

Source : https://www.timesnownews.com/world/asia/nepals-gen-z-turns-up-pressure-on-ousted-pm-kp-sharma-oli-lists-two-key-demands-article-152863973

Relatives of Peter Reynolds, 80, and his wife Barbara, 76, had made repeated pleas about their deteriorating health since their arrest in February.

The Taliban on Friday released a British couple held in Afghanistan for more than seven months on undisclosed charges, an official said.

The case of Peter and Barbie Reynolds, aged 80 and 75, underlined the Western concerns over the actions of the Taliban since they overthrew the country’s NATO-backed government four years ago.

What is the background to their detention?

The couple had lived in Afghanistan for 18 years and ran an educational institution in the country’s central province of Bamiyan.

The Reynolds’ family members repeatedly called for their release, saying they were being mistreated. The Taliban dismissed the abuse allegations. What prompted the couple’s detention was never revealed by the Taliban.

What did the Taliban and the UK have to say?

“Two British nationals named Peter and Barbara Reynolds, who had violated the laws of Afghanistan, were released from custody today following the judicial process,” Foreign Ministry spokesman Abdul Qahar Balkhi said on social media.

He said that the Taliban “does not view the matters of citizens from a political or transactional angle.”

The elderly couple were handed over to Britain’s special representative to Afghanistan, Richard Lindsay, Balhki added.

What did the UK have to say about their release?

The UK foreign office said it was relieved over the couple’s release.

“The UK has worked intensively since their detention and has supported the family throughout,” Hamish Falconer, minister for the Middle East, Afghanistan and Pakistan, said in a statement.

“The State of Qatar played an essential role in this case, for which I am hugely grateful.”

The move by the Taliban is seen as part of a broader effort to get the regime international recognition, years after resuming power in 2021.

Source : https://www.dw.com/en/taliban-release-british-couple-after-seven-month-ordeal/a-74059854

The H-1B visa program is used extensively by tech companies to attract skilled foreign workers. India and China account for the vast majority of workers under the program.

US President Donald Trump on Friday signed a proclamation that attaches a new annual $100,000 fee to H-1B visa applications as his administration continues in its efforts to tighten immigration policy.

The visa program provides a path for highly skilled workers to lawfully work in the US for a limited period of three years.

US tech companies have routinely used the visa program to bring in workers, with applicants from India and China receiving the most visas.

In 2025, over 70% of approved beneficiaries under the program came from India.

Every year, a limited number of 85,000 visas are offered under two categories. Currently, visa applicants pay a small fee to enter a lottery, and if an application is selected, another fee is paid to formally process the application. Companies recruiting workers generally pay the fees.

Trump administration cracks down on H-1Bs
Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick said the new fee is aimed at getting companies to recruit more US citizens as workers.

“All of the big companies are on board,” Lutnick said. “We’ve talked to them.”

“If you’re going to train somebody, you’re going to train one of the recent graduates from one of the great universities across our land. Train Americans. Stop bringing in people to take our jobs,” he said.

“We need workers. We need great workers, and this pretty much ensures that that’s what’s going to happen,” Trump said from the Oval Office.

While announcing the new fee, Trump also introduced a $1 million “Trump Gold Card” visa with a potential pathway to US citizenship for accepted applicants under an expedited process. Companies can sponsor a person for $2 million.

Tech companies in focus
Critics of cracking down on skilled foreign workers have said the US risks losing its competitive edge in tech, while costing companies millions in added costs. Others say the system is in need of reform, and has been subject to widespread fraud and abuse by companies looking for cheap labor.

It is currently unclear how and when the new fee will take effect, or if it will be challenged in court. New visa fees are usually set by Congress after months of public deliberation.

According to CBS News, current fees range from $1,700 to over $4,000. According to government data, Amazon and its cloud computing unit AWS led the number of approved visas so far in 2025 at 12,000. Microsoft and Meta saw 5,000 visas approved.

Source : https://www.dw.com/en/trump-announces-100000-fee-for-h-1b-visa-applications/a-74071063

Some have pointed to a dark shape in the crater, claiming it resembles an alien body

A CHILLING 22-minute video titled The Roswell Incident has appeared in the National Archives, showing what some claim could be debris and alien bodies from the infamous 1947 crash.

The footage blends still images, motion-controlled camera shots, and extracts from the published Roswell Report, as well as UFO magazines and books.

The footage was likely uploaded on September 17, just two days ago.

It opens with the book The Roswell Report: Fact Versus Fiction in the New Mexico Desert and ends on a stark black-and-white shot of a crater littered with metallic debris.

The scene has triggered online speculation that the footage may be the first images of the crash site.

The original incident took place in New Mexico in July 1947, when a rancher reported scattered debris, prompting authorities to investigate.

Some viewers have pointed to a dark shape in the crater, claiming it resembles an alien body.

Major Jesse Marcel, who recovered debris at the time, described the area as “a large area heavily scattered with metallic debris from a single impact point that scarred the earth.”

UFO expert Mark Lee told the Daily Mail the crater image is likely intended to add intrigue rather than provide proof.

“In my opinion, it’s either a hoax,” Lee said.

“Just because it’s been added to the National Archives doesn’t give it scientific validation.

“If it came out as a release from the military or Congress, I would take it a lot more seriously.”

Lee added that the alleged alien is likely pareidolia, a psychological effect where the brain sees familiar shapes in random objects.

The US military conducted its own investigation, concluding in 1994 that the debris was likely from a high-altitude balloon from Project Mogul, a top-secret program designed to detect Soviet nuclear tests.

Despite the official explanation, the video has reignited debates online, with users posting widely differing interpretations.

One user tweeted, “National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) has uploaded a video of the Roswell 1947 UAP Crash site.”

Others suggested the footage may simply be B-roll used in the 1996 Roswell Report presentation.

Some claimed a grey alien appears in the official video, while others warned the images are not labeled as the actual debris site.

Jesse Marcel Sr., the first military officer on the scene in 1947, told his son he believed the materials were extraterrestrial and may have shown him parts of a flying saucer.

The debris reportedly spread across a triangular area roughly 200 to 300 feet wide and three-quarters of a mile long.

The War Department quickly retracted its initial claim of a “flying disc,” stating the wreckage came from a weather balloon.

The US Air Force later confirmed it was part of Project Mogul, designed by Columbia University, NYU, and the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution.

Despite decades of secrecy, many ufologists remain unconvinced by the balloon explanation.

Veteran researcher Kevin Randle has argued that “something fell at Roswell” and all terrestrial explanations have been eliminated.

Source : https://www.the-sun.com/news/15220778/ufo-debris-alien-bodies-roswell-incident-video-new-mexico

US President Donald Trump said on Friday (Sep 19) that he and Chinese President Xi Jinping made progress on a TikTok deal and agreed to a face-to-face meeting as soon as next month in South Korea.

It was the first call between the two leaders in three months, as they sought to lower tensions in a strained relationship that has been marked by successive trade talks.

“We made progress on many very important issues, including trade, fentanyl, the need to bring the war between Russia and Ukraine to an end, and the approval of the TikTok Deal,” Trump wrote on social media.

Trump said that the two leaders would meet at the APEC summit in South Korea that begins next month and that he would go to China early next year. He also said Xi would come to the US at a later date.

“The call was a very good one, we will be speaking again by phone, appreciate the TikTok approval, and both look forward to meeting at APEC!” Trump wrote.

But China’s readout made no reference to a final TikTok agreement. According to Xinhua, Xi told Trump that China “respects the will of firms and welcomes companies to conduct business negotiations on the basis of market rules to reach a solution consistent with Chinese laws and regulations while balancing interests”.

The statement did not spell out the terms of an agreement between the leaders on TikTok.

The White House did not immediately comment.

On Thursday, Trump told Fox News it sounded like China had approved a deal to change ownership of video-sharing app TikTok.

The US president had on Tuesday announced that a deal was struck that would keep the app operating in the United States, transferring its US assets to US owners.

“We had a very good meeting the other day, and it sounds like they’ve approved TikTok.”

A deal for the app, which has 170 million US users, is a breakthrough between the two largest economies.

Trump has repeatedly put off a ban against TikTok under a law designed to force the app’s sale from its Chinese parent company, ByteDance, for national security reasons.

US and Chinese officials announced the deal in principle in Madrid following trade talks, but did not give details or answer key questions then. The terms of the deal were also not disclosed, but “the commercial terms have been agreed upon”.

US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said at the time that the objective of the deal would be to switch to American ownership.

The US president, speaking in the UK on Thursday, said the TikTok deal would be “owned by all American investors, and very rich people and companies”.

“Very, very straight, very legitimate companies and really companies that love America, so they’re going to be owning it,” he said.

Source : https://www.channelnewsasia.com/world/us-president-trump-chinese-president-xi-jinping-tiktok-5357431

Estonia has requested a consultation with other Nato members after Russian warplanes violated its airspace on Friday.

Estonia’s foreign ministry condemned the incursion as “brazen”. It said three Russian MiG-31 fighter jets entered the Estonian skies “without permission and remained there for a total of 12 minutes” over the Gulf of Finland.

A Nato spokesperson said the military alliance “responded immediately and intercepted the Russian aircraft”, calling it “yet another example of reckless Russian behaviour and Nato’s ability to respond”.

Italy, Finland and Sweden scrambled jets under Nato’s mission to bolster its eastern flank. Later Russia denied violating Estonian airspace.

Russia’s defence ministry said the jets were on a “scheduled flight… in strict compliance with international airspace regulations and did not violate the borders of other states, as confirmed by objective monitoring”.

It said they flew over neutral Baltic waters, more than 3km (two miles) from Vaindloo Island, which belongs to Estonia.

Estonia’s foreign minister, Margus Tsahkna, said the move was a “clear provocation” and called on Nato members to show unity in their response.

“Twelve minutes violation – heavy violation – of Nato airspace needs a solid response on a political level as well as on a practical level,” he said.

Tensions have escalated between the Nato military alliance and Russia since Moscow launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022.

They have risen in the last week, after Poland and Romania – both Nato members – said Russian drones breached their airspace. In response, Nato pledged to move military assets, including fighter jets, eastwards to strengthen defence.

Speaking later on Friday, Estonian Prime Minister Kristen Michal said his government had “decided to request Nato Article 4 consultations” at an urgent meeting.

“Nato’s response to any provocation must be united and strong. We consider it essential to consult with our allies to ensure shared situational awareness and to agree on our next joint steps,” Michal said.

Article 4 of the Nato treaty formally starts urgent consultations within the 32-member alliance, which ties the US and many European nations together on collective defence.

It is the second time in a week that a Nato member has requested Article 4 consultations. Poland did so after Russian drones entered its airspace.

US President Donald Trump told reporters he was due to be briefed on the incident later on Friday.

He said: “I don’t love it. I don’t like when that happens. Could be big trouble. But I’ll let you know later.”

Estonia’s foreign ministry earlier said it had summoned the Russian chargé d’affaires “to lodge a protest” over Friday’s incursion, while top EU diplomat Kaja Kallas described the incident as “an extremely dangerous provocation”.

The minister added Russia had already violated Estonia’s airspace four times in 2025. Estonia shares a border with Russia to the east.

Estonia said the aircraft entered its airspace from the north east and were intercepted by Finnish jets over the Gulf of Finland. Once inside Estonian airspace, Italian F-35 jets, based in Estonia, were deployed under Nato’s Baltic Air Policing mission to escort the aircraft out.

The government said the Russian jets had no flight plans, had their transponders turned off and also did not have two-way radio communication with Estonian air traffic control.

Estonian Defence Minister Hanno Pevkur told the BBC: “It is unprecedented that for 12 minutes the Russians were in our airspace.”

He added that “in this situation, the only right thing to do is to push them out of Estonian airspace”.

Michal also said the Russian incursion showed its war of aggression in Ukraine was not proceeding as the Kremlin had planned.

“The aim is to draw attention and assistance away from Ukraine by forcing Nato countries to focus more on the defence of their own territories,” he added.

In a post on X, Kallas, who is an Estonian national, said the EU “will continue to support our member states in strengthening their defences with European resources”.

She said Russian President Vladimir Putin was “testing the West’s resolve. We must not show weakness”.

Echoing her words, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said on X: “We will respond to every provocation with determination while investing in a stronger Eastern flank.”

“As threats escalate, so too will our pressure,” she added.

Estonia’s ambassador to the UK, Sven Sakkov, told the BBC that “clear, practical steps” to increase the protection of airspace above Nato’s eastern flank were needed in light of Friday’s incident.

“If we had to face such times as we are living in now alone, we would be extremely concerned,” he said, adding that Estonians nonetheless felt “determined” to defend themselves.

Source : https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/czrp6p5mj3zo

Jimmy Kimmel predicted his own demise the day after President Donald Trump won the 2024 election, assuming he was on the president’s “list of enemies’’ and should give up — before vowing reverently to keep his own “very important voice’’ on air.

Kimmel, who was “indefinitely” sidelined from his eponymous show on Wednesday, told his sidekick Guillermo in a “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” opening sketch taped after Vice President Kamala Harris’ brutal loss to Trump last November that he was “leaving the country.”

“I can’t stay for another four years of this — who knows what he’s going to do?” he balked. “You’ve heard him. He said he has a list of enemies. You think I’m not on that list?”

Guillermo, whose full name is Guillermo Rodriguez, countered, “Jimmy, we need you to help us get through this. You have a very important voice.”

“I do?” Kimmel replied. “Maybe you’re right.”

The TV host then spent his 10-minute, sometimes-teary monologue grousing about Trump’s victory and how it was “a terrible night for women, for children, for the hundreds of thousands of hard working immigrants who make this country go, for health care, for our climate, for science, for journalism, for justice, for free speech.”

“It was a terrible night for poor people, for the middle class, for seniors who rely on Social Security, for our allies in Ukraine, for NATO and democracy and decency,” he continued in a mawkish tone.

“And it was a terrible night for everyone who voted against him. And guess what? It was a bad night for everyone who voted for him too. You just don’t realize it yet.”

After making a “joke” about sharing a jail cell with Taylor Swift, Kimmel quipped: “We’ll see how funny that is in six months. When the great talkshow host roundup begins.”

Ten months later, ABC executives pulled him off the air — but his ratings had started nose-dived almost immediately after the election, as he resumed his Trump tirades.

Monthly Nielsen figures showed “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” fell to just 1.1 million total viewers in August 2025, were cut nearly in half from January’s 1.95 million, trailing behind every one of his late night peers.

Kimmel’s August household rating of 0.35 was his lowest point of the year. Viewers between the ages of 18 and 49 were his worst demographic.

The “Man Show” alum averaged only 129,000 viewers in that bracket in August, off from 212,000 in January and less than half his June peak of 284,000.

Kimmel was indefinitely canned got into trouble early in his monologue Monday night when he decided to talk about the brutal killing of Kirk at an event at Utah Valley University in Orem last week.

“We hit some new lows over the weekend, with the MAGA gang trying to characterize this kid who killed Charlie Kirk as anything other than one of them and doing everything they can to score political points from it,” he told the audience at the El Capitan Entertainment Centre in Hollywood, California.

Kirk, 31, was fatally shot amid his “American Comeback” college speaking tour on the campus of Utah Valley University on Sept. 10.

Tyler Robinson, a “radicalized” 22-year-old with a live-in trans partner, was captured 33 hours later and charged with Kirk’s murder.

Utah Gov. Spencer Cox had told The Wall Street Journal in a piece published Sept. 13 that Robinson subscribed to a “leftist ideology.”

Kimmel’s deal with ABC had been slated to run through May 2026 under a three-year extension signed in September 2022 — but he was abruptly pulled before his show aired Wednesday night.

Source : https://nypost.com/2025/09/19/us-news/jimmy-kimmel-predicted-his-own-demise-after-trump-win-pledged-to-keep-very-important-voice-on-tv-before-ratings-dive

Russia and Vietnam have developed a back-door method of concealing arms deal payments to avoid American and other Western sanctions, using the profits from joint oil and gas ventures to pay off defense contracts without any open transfers of cash through the global banking system, according to internal Vietnamese documents obtained by The Associated Press.

Under the system, Vietnam has purchased Russian military equipment including fighter jets, tanks and ships on credit from Moscow, then paid that credit back from its share of profits from a joint Vietnam-Russia oil company operating in Siberia. Such transactions are irregular in international financial markets and in this case are designed to keep cash quietly flowing even if sanctions aimed at ending Russia’s war on Ukraine are strengthened, the documents make clear.

The revelation comes at a precarious time when the U.S. is trying to strengthen ties with Vietnam as a bulwark against growing Chinese assertiveness in Southeast Asia, and has ongoing trade negotiations with Hanoi after the White House imposed 20% tariffs, while at the same time President Donald Trump is threatening even more stringent sanctions on Moscow.

The European Union has also added a raft of new sanctions to pressure Russian President Vladimir Putin to end the war, and Trump recently issued an executive order doubling tariffs on India to 50% to pressure New Delhi to stop buying Russian oil and military equipment, which he said was helping enable the war against Ukraine.

The Trump Organization, the president’s family business, also broke ground earlier this year on a $1.5 billion luxury golf complex outside the capital, Hanoi, after Vietnam fast-tracked approval. The president’s sons run the organization, but financial disclosures in June indicated that Trump himself benefits from many of its activities.

News that the unorthodox arrangement was in the works leaked in 2023. But rather than shutting it down, an internal document from last year reveals that Russia and Vietnam finalized and implemented it, while also making agreements to ensure it would produce sufficient funds for future military purchases.

The Vietnamese government document that was leaked in 2023 and the newer government document from last year were provided to The Associated Press by an official who said that he was part of a faction opposed to closer ties to Russia at the risk of jeopardizing the growing relationship with Washington. He provided the documents on condition of anonymity to protect himself from possible reprisals from Vietnam’s authoritarian government.

An AP reporter displays an excerpt from a June 11, 2024 memo from Vietnam’s Oil and Gas Group (PVN) to the Ministry of Industry and Trade detailing an arrangement to avoid potential American sanctions when purchasing Russian defense goods, in Bangkok, Thailand, on Sept. 16, 2025. (AP Photo/Sakchai Lalit)

The U.S. State Department refused to comment specifically on the documents or the payment plan designed to skirt American sanctions, referring comments to the Vietnamese government. It reiterated broadly, however, that “our sanctions remain in place.”

“Those engaging in certain transactions or activities with sanctioned entities and individuals may expose themselves to sanctions risk or be subject to an enforcement action,” the State Department said in an email to the AP this week.

Source : https://apnews.com/article/vietnam-russia-money-transactions-united-states-a71a83e7d60672a63565cc9fe28945d7

Prince Harry could be heading back across the pond.

The Duke of Sussex dropped a major hint that he and wife Meghan Markle are considering returning to his home country while chatting with Joss Stone at London’s WellChild Awards last week.

The singer, 38, told Hello! magazine on Monday that the royal, 41, spoke with her about her recent relocation back to the United Kingdom.

“He was saying how wonderful the schools are here and how important community is for children,” the Grammy winner recalled. “It was nice to share that with him because it’s exactly why we felt drawn to come back.”

Stone, who shares four children with husband Cody DaLuz, wanted to raise her little ones in “a safe environment … surrounded by family, friends and a strong sense of belonging.”

Harry appeared “genuinely interested” in Stone’s move, she went on to tell the outlet.

“He … asked about how we were settling back in,” the songwriter noted. “He’s just very warm and down to earth, as always. Maybe Harry will move back too. That would be nice.”

Harry left England in 2020 with Markle, 44, and their now-6-year-old son, Prince Archie.

After briefly staying in Los Angeles and Canada, the couple moved into a Montecito, Calif., mansion, where they remain with their son and 4-year-old daughter Princess Lilibet.

King Charles III has only met Lilibet once when the family of four traveled across the pond for the late Queen Elizabeth II’s Platinum Jubilee in 2022.

In May, Harry expressed a desire to reconcile with his dad, whom he has been estranged from for years.

“There’s no point in continuing to fight,” the prince said to BBC News at the time, noting that Charles “won’t speak” to him. “It would be nice to reconcile.”

Source : https://pagesix.com/2025/09/19/royal-family/prince-harry-drops-major-hint-he-and-meghan-markle-are-planning-move-back-to-uk

Trump Administration’s twin moves come even as the US and India just restarted negotiations for a trade deal amid strain in ties.

Donald Trump’s administration on Thursday moved to make it difficult for India to continue its role in the operations of the Chabahar Port in Iran, even as the United States embassy in New Delhi revoked and subsequently denied visas for “certain business executives and corporate leadership” of India for their alleged involvement in trafficking fentanyl precursors.

The back-to-back moves by Washington, D.C., came even as the exchange of positive vibes between Trump and Prime Minister Narendra Modi recently led to the restart of negotiations for a trade deal between the two nations, even as the US president’s 50% tariff on all imports from India strained the bilateral relations.

In keeping with Trump’s policy to exert “maximum pressure” on Iran, his Secretary of State, Marco Rubio, has revoked the sanctions exception issued in 2018 under the Iran Freedom and Counter-Proliferation Act (IFCA) for assistance for reconstruction and economic development of Afghanistan, with effect from September 29 next.

Source: https://www.deccanherald.com/india/us-ends-chabahar-port-waiver-revokes-visas-of-some-indians-for-narco-trafficking-3735252

TSUNAMI warnings were issued after a massive 7.8 magnitude earthquake rocked to coast of eastern Russia.

The tremor’s epicentre fell off the coast of the Kamchatka Peninsula in the country’s Far East.

Across the Pacific, a tsunami advisory was announced in Alaska following the quake.

Authorities warned of waves that could reach as much as three metres above standard tide levels.

The quake left residents stunned as objects shook inside their houses.

Videos posted on social media show furniture and lights rattling as the tremors struck.

Cars were rocked back and forward on the streets to the horror of their owners.

Locals were also seen rushing out of their homes in panic.

Regional governor Vladimir Solodov said on Telegram: “This morning is once again testing the resilience of Kamchatka residents.

“There are currently no reports of damage. I ask everyone to remain calm.

“A tsunami warning has been issued for the east coast of the peninsula. The public is being alerted.”

One advisory for tsunamis, which covered the Aleutian Islands and the Amchitka Pass, was cancelled after two hours.

The Kamchatka Peninsula often sees seismic activity due to its location on the so-called Pacific Ring of Fire.

Last week, another 7.4 magnitude earthquake struck the same part of Russia.

A brief tsunami threat alert was also issued following this tremor, but was subsequently dropped.

That quake also came just weeks after a terrifying 8.8 magnitude earthquake shook the same region in July.

It saw tsunami warnings announced across the Pacific Rim.

Such was its magnitude that this earthquake was the sixth largest ever recorded by humans.

A volcano in Kamchatka also send a vast column of ash surging into the atmosphere with its first eruption in centuries in August.

Source: https://www.the-sun.com/news/15216886/tsunami-warning-massive-magnitude-earthquake/

A WOMAN claiming to be Donald Trump’s wife has been nabbed while trying to hand deliver a letter to the president.

Christy Renee Kimbrell was arrested at Mar-a-Lago while Trump was heading to the UK for a state visit.

Palm Beach Police arrested Kimbrell, 49, and charged her with trespass, reported the Palm Beach Post.

The worrying incident comes just days after the horrific assassination of Charlie Kirk, and more than a year after Trump was the target of an assassination attempt at a Pennsylvania rally.

Kimbrell was taken into custody on September 16 and faces the single misdemeanor charge, according to court records, said the Post.

She was arrested at the president’s posh resort-like club in Palm Beach, Florida, after midday on Tuesday while claiming to be his wife.

However, Trump has been married to his third wife, Melania Trump, since 2005.

Cops were warned that an “unwanted guest” had arrived on the scene, reported NBC-affiliate WPTV.

A United States Secret Service agent informed officers that Kimbrell indicated she was keen to meet Trump, 79.

Police said they knew of Kimbrell from previous surprise visits.

When cops asked the Trump fan for her ID, she claimed her full name was “Christy Renee Trump.”

The woman claimed to officials that she had recently changed her surname from Kimbrell to Trump, the broadcaster added.

Four special operations soldiers are understood to have been on board

A MILITARY helicopter carrying four soldiers has crashed near an army base, according to a defence spokesperson.

The Black Hawk came down at around 9pm near the Joint Base Lewis-McChord in Washington state.

Four special operations soldiers are understood to have been on board when it crashed.

Reports claim the chopper came down around 35 miles west of the base.

It is not yet known if there were any casualties.

The Thurston County Sheriff’s Department were called out to reports of an explosion in the area.

A spokesperson said: “Deputies have located what is believed to be the scene.

“We have been advised that the military lost contact with a helicopter in the area, and we are working closely with JBLM to deploy any resources needed to assist.

“Deputies located the crash site but have been unable to continue rescue efforts as the scene is on fire and is starting to overheat their footwear.”

Army Special Operations Command has described the horror crash as a “mishap”.

The troops on board are believed to be in the hardened “Night Stalkers” special operations regiment.

“Four service members assigned to the 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment (Airborne) were on board an MH-60 Black Hawk helicopter involved in an aviation mishap in a rural area near Joint Base Lewis-McChord,” a spokesperson said.

A “great unwokening”? Along with the late-night talk show host’s suspension, several signs point towards a sharp shift to the right in the US media and Hollywood.

Robert Redford’s death this week wasn’t just the loss of a screen legend. It closed the book on a Hollywood that once saw itself as America’s progressive conscience. Redford, on screen as a Watergate journalist Bob Woodward in “All the President’s Men,” off screen as an activist for environmental issues and Indigenous rights, embodied a liberal vision of the US entertainment industry, one that championed independent voices and socially-conscious storytelling.

The week he died, however, brought further signs of a rightward shift in the US entertainment business, with the balance of cultural power increasingly tilting away from Redford’s Hollywood and toward something closer to Donald Trump’s America.

This was clear in the US media’s reaction to the murder of far-right activist Charlie Kirk. On Wednesday, national network ABC announced it was taking popular late-night (and former Oscar) host Jimmy Kimmel off the air “indefinitely” after comments he made suggesting Kirk’s killer may have been a MAGA Republican.

The move came after Brendan Carr, head of national broadcasting regulator the Federal Communications Commission, threatened that he would take action against ABC for Kimmel’s comments.

This suspension comes just weeks after rival network CBS said that it was cancelling “The Late Show With Stephen Colbert” at the end of the season, citing financial reasons.

David Ellison: Paramount media mogul aligns with Trump
But the timing of the cancellation led to questions and accusations that Stephen Colbert’s show was canceled for political reasons.

In July, Paramount’s CBS arm quietly paid Trump $16 million (€13.5 million) to settle a lawsuit over a 2024 “60 Minutes” interview with Kamala Harris. (Trump had claimed, without much evidence, that “60 Minutes” altered the interview to make Harris look better). CBS canceled Colbert’s show after the host blasted the payout as a “big fat bribe.” Colbert still collected an Emmy last Sunday, but he’ll be off the air by May 2026.

This week also saw further speculation that David Ellison — son of Oracle billionaire Larry Ellison, the second-richest man in the world and a longtime Trump ally — will follow up his $8 billion takeover of Paramount with a bid for another Hollywood jewel: Warner Bros. Discovery. Such a move would unite Paramount’s holdings, including CBS and the “Mission: Impossible” and “Star Trek” franchises, with Warner’s stable of assets: DC Studios (“Superman,” “Batman”), along with CNN and HBO.

In another era, the deal would have triggered major antitrust alarms. But under Trump, regulators have shifted focus. Officials now emphasize political “neutrality” over competition concerns, with CNN expected to face particular scrutiny.

Ellison has already shown a willingness to align with Trump’s agenda. He installed conservative think-tank head and Trump advisor Kenneth Weinstein as CBS News ombudsman. He held talks with Bari Weiss, founder of the “anti-woke” Free Press, about a possible role at CBS.

A series of defamation lawsuits
Paramount isn’t alone in appearing to capitulate to powerful right-wing actors. ABC News recently agreed to pay $15 million to resolve a defamation case involving Trump-critical comments made by presenter George Stephanopoulos.

The Wall Street Journal and New York Times still face similar multi-billion-dollar lawsuits from Trump.

There’s also a business rationale to ABC’s decision to pull Kimmel. Nexstar, which owns dozens of ABC affiliates, is currently angling for a mega-merger that would make it the biggest station owner in the US. As the pending merger still requires government approval, Nexstar pre-empted the late-night talk show on its stations. A few weeks ago, its CEO also praised the Trump administration as the company announced its upcoming $6.2 billion merger with TV rival, Tegna.

Critics warn the effect of these actions has been a chilling one, with networks, studios and streamers increasingly cautious about programming that could draw presidential ire.

Media giants renounce ‘woke’ values
Disney recently renounced “woke” values, with the company’s CEO, Bob Iger, declaring that its mandate is to “entertain” rather than to advance “any kind of agenda.”

In the months following Trump’s reelection, major studios quietly rolled back their diversity, equity and inclusion programs. Disney rebranded its cultural initiatives, while Amazon and Paramount eliminated hiring targets and training once tied to DEI. The changes follow Trump’s executive order dismantling federal DEI programs and signaling regulatory scrutiny for companies that maintain them.

Churning out the conservative content
The programming shift is equally visible. Amazon is paying a jaw-dropping $40 million for two documentaries by and about Melania Trump, one directed by Brett Ratner, a director/producer cancelled during the #MeToo era. The streamer is also re-running the first seven seasons of “The Apprentice,” the reality-TV show starring Trump which helped make him a household name in America.

Hollywood’s conservative shift was already underway before the second Trump presidency. Taylor Sheridan’s neo-Western “Yellowstone” and its spin-offs — soapy prime-time shows that embrace a worldview more at home in middle America than in the coastal urban centers — have become billion-dollar franchises despite being snubbed by the Emmys. Sheridan’s latest, “Landman,” places oil workers at the center of its narrative, with characters railing against clean energy and government bureaucracy.

There’s been a rebirth of Christian-themed films and TV series as well. Angel Studios, a “faith-friendly” production company based in Utah, has become a breakout player. Its “Sound of Freedom” starring “The Passion of the Christ” actor Jim Caviezel, grossed $250 million worldwide. “The King of Kings,” an animated film about the life of Jesus, brought in another $77 million.

Source: https://www.dw.com/en/jimmy-kimmel-suspension-the-us-medias-shift-towards-trumps-maga/a-74043672

Jimmy Kimmel was spotted on his way to his lawyer’s office less than 24 hours after ABC suspended his talk show after his comments about Charlie Kirk’s death.

The “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” host flashed a smirk at paparazzi while behind the wheel of his Audi S8 in Los Angeles on Thursday, according to photos obtained by the Post.

He dressed up in a blue long-sleeve button-up and sported sunglasses for the outing.

Page Six confirmed that Kimmel’s late-night show was “indefinitely” off-air on Wednesday after he made remarks about Kirk’s death on Sept. 10 and the “MAGA gang.”

“We hit some new lows over the weekend with the MAGA gang trying to characterize this kid who killed Charlie Kirk as anything other than one of them,” the comedian said on Monday’s episode.

The conservative Turning Point USA co-founder was fatally shot during an appearance at Utah Valley University, and the suspected killer has since been arrested.

At the time, Kimmel, 57, offered his condolences to Kirk’s family via social media, writing, “Instead of the angry finger-pointing, can we just for one day agree that it is horrible and monstrous to shoot another human?

“On behalf of my family, we send love to the Kirks and to all the children, parents and innocents who fall victim to senseless gun violence.”

Insiders, meanwhile, told the Daily Mail that the TV personality was “absolutely f–king livid” that ABC pulled his show, alleging that he’s been wanting to “break his relationship with [the network] forever.”

The source claimed that Kimmel “didn’t even say anything that bad” about Kirk, explaining that he should be able to exercise his First Amendment rights.

“This is persecution, and Jimmy isn’t going to stand for it,” they shared. “And he has a lot of friends who are going to cause problems if suddenly he doesn’t have a show.”

On Wednesday, Kimmel was given a list of requirements by Sinclair, the largest affiliate group of ABC, that he must fulfil if he wants his late-night show to make a comeback.

Source :https://pagesix.com/2025/09/18/celebrity-news/jimmy-kimmel-spotted-heading-to-lawyers-office-in-first-public-sighting-since-late-night-show-suspension/

Justin Baldoni has beefed up his legal team with a high-powered lawyer.

The “It Ends With Us” director has brought on renowned defense attorney Alexandra Shapiro to join his stacked legal team in his ongoing battle against his former co-star Blake Lively.

A court document filed Monday and obtained by Page Six informs the New York federal court, “Please take notice that Alexandra A.E. Shapiro of Shapiro Arato Bach LLP hereby appears as counsel for” Baldoni and his co-defendants, including publicists Melissa Nathan, Jennifer Abel and Wayfarer Studios CEO Jamey Heath.

Shapiro is no stranger to high-profile cases, as she is currently also representing Sean “Diddy” Combs, who was recently found guilty of prostitution charges but acquitted for sex trafficking.

The experienced trial lawyer was in the courtroom representing the Bad Boy Records founder, 55, earlier this year alongside Marc Agnifilo, Teny Geragos, Anthony Ricco and Anna Estevao.

Page Six has reached out to Baldoni’s reps for comment on the latest addition. It does not appear that Shapiro will replace the “Jane the Virgin” alum’s lead lawyer, Bryan Freedman, however, as the latter is still listed on the case’s docket under Baldoni’s team.

The increase in representation comes just before the case’s discovery deadline draws close and shortly after Baldoni, 41, was hit with new harassment allegations.

Earlier this month, a person whose name has been redacted — filed docs claiming they had “repeated, negative interactions with Mr. Baldoni and his associates, including verbal abuse by Mr. Baldoni.”

The Wayfarer Studios founder is already facing sexual harassment allegations from Lively, 37, as the “Gossip Girl” alum has alleged that he made her and other women feel uncomfortable on set.

Source : https://pagesix.com/2025/09/18/celebrity-news/justin-baldoni-hires-sean-diddy-combs-lawyer-to-fight-blake-lively-legal-battle/

The Taliban government has removed books written by women from the university teaching system in Afghanistan as part of a new ban which has also outlawed the teaching of human rights and sexual harassment.

Some 140 books by women – including titles like “Safety in the Chemical Laboratory” – were among 680 books found to be of “concern” due to “anti-Sharia and Taliban policies”.

The universities were further told they were no longer allowed to teach 18 subjects, with a Taliban official saying they were “in conflict with the principles of Sharia and the system’s policy”.

The decree is the latest in a series of restrictions which the Taliban have brought in since returning to power four years ago.

Just this week, fibre-optic internet was banned in at least 10 provinces on the orders of the Taliban’s supreme leader in a move officials said was to prevent immorality.

While the rules have had an impact on many aspects of life, women and girls have been particularly hard-hit: they are barred from accessing education over the sixth grade, with one of their last routes to further training cut off in late 2024, when midwifery courses were quietly shuttered.

Now even university subjects about women have been targeted: six of the 18 banned are specifically about women, including Gender and Development, The Role of Women in Communication, and Women’s Sociology.

The Taliban government has said it respects women’s rights in accordance with their interpretation of Afghan culture and Islamic law.

Donald Trump suggested Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer could use the military to stop illegal migration at a news conference marking the end of the US president’s second state visit to the UK.

Trump said he discussed migration issues with Sir Keir during a meeting at his country residence Chequers.

The US president talked about his policies to secure borders in the US and said the UK faced a similar challenge with migrants crossing the English Channel in small boats.

“You have people coming in and I told the prime minister I would stop it, and it doesn’t matter if you call out the military, it doesn’t matter what means you use,” Trump said.

In a later interview with Fox News, he urged Sir Keir to take a “strong stand” against immigration, saying it was hurting him “badly”.

Speaking during the joint press conference, Trump said illegal immigration “destroys countries from within and we’re actually now removing a lot of the people that came into our country.”

Since his return to the White House in January, Trump has stepped up deportations of illegal immigrants and cracked down on unlawful border crossings.

In two days of pomp and pageantry, the US president was hosted at Windsor Castle by King Charles and the Royal Family, and attended a state banquet on Wednesday before his political talks with the prime minister on Thursday.

The President and First Lady Melania Trump departed the UK from Stansted Airport on Air Force One shortly after the news conference.

In a wide-ranging Q&A with UK and US journalists, the leaders were also asked about Palestinian statehood, free speech, the war in Ukraine, energy and other topics.

The pair touted the “special relationship” between the UK and the US, and announced a new tech deal Trump said would help the allies “dominate” in the world of artificial intelligence (AI).

The tech prosperity deal signed at Chequers will see US firms invest in the UK and boost co-operation on AI, quantum and other emerging technologies.

No matter how successful the trip, there are limits on how much any leader can impact Trump.

When BBC US Editor Sarah Smith asked if the visit would boost Britain’s influence on trade or foreign policy, White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles said “none at all.”

US Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick told the BBC the AI investment deal could have been ten times bigger if Britain scrapped rules he said stifle investment – like the digital services tax or the Online Safety Act.

Trump and Sir Keir skirted around several contentious matters, including accusations of free speech being under attack in Britain, and the sacking of Peter Mandelson as the UK’s ambassador to the US last week.

“I don’t know him actually,” Trump said, when asked about whether he had sympathy with Lord Mandelson.

In what could have been an awkward moment, Trump defused the question by handing over to Sir Keir, who fired Lord Mandelson over his links to the late convicted sex offender Jeffery Epstein.

In one flashpoint, Trump said he had “a disagreement with the prime minister” on the subject of Palestinian statehood.

The prime minister plans to recognise Palestinian statehood ahead of next week’s United Nations general assembly in New York.

Palestine does have some international recognition but has no internationally agreed boundaries, no capital and no army.

Currently 147 of the UN’s 193 member states have recognised Palestine. By joining that list the UK would be making a strong political statement, albeit a largely symbolic one.

Trump is opposed to such a move and accused Palestinian armed group Hamas of “putting the hostages up as bait” in Gaza.

The war in Ukraine came up in a few questions too, with Trump expressing his disappointment in Russian President Vladimir Putin over his lack of engagement with peace efforts.

“He’s really let me down,” Trump said.

Trump also urged Western allies to stop buying Russian oil to force Putin to the negotiating table, but did not commit to sanctioning Moscow.

There were no divisions between Trump and Starmer on action to tackle illegal migration, as the leaders projected a sense of unity and affection for each other.

Standing alongside Trump, the prime minister said illegal migration was an issue his government had been taking “incredibly seriously”.

Sir Keir said his government had struck several migrant returns deals with other countries, including France, and had been taking action to crack down on people-smuggling gangs.

The prime minister pointed to the first migrant return under the one-in, one-out scheme with France.

“That’s an important step forward,” Sir Keir said. “But there’s no silver bullet here.”

More than 30,000 people have crossed the Channel in small boats so far this year.

It is the earliest point in a calendar year this figure has been passed since data on crossings was first reported in 2018.

The rise in crossings is one of the most prominent issues in British politics and has piled pressure on the prime minister to come up with a solution.

As part of his drive to tackle illegal immigration, Trump has issued a series of executive orders implementing a broad ban on asylum for migrants entering at the southern border and has sent in troops to assist border security efforts.

The arrests of migrants by the US Border Patrol have been decreasing since Trump took office.

Source : https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cpd91wjypj9o

A California family watched their four beloved cats get sick one by one last fall. Two of them didn’t make it. But the other two survived after their veterinarian made a bold decision to treat them with the same flu medicine doctors give to people.

The cats had caught H5N1 bird flu, the virus that’s been tearing through dairy farms and chicken coops across America. Now it’s jumped into people’s homes, putting millions of pet cats at risk.

The family’s story, published in the medical journal One Health, shows how quickly this virus can spread from barns to living rooms. And it offers the first real proof that cats can beat this disease if they get help fast enough.

How Bird Flu Came Home

The trouble started in Tulare, California, where dairy farms and suburban neighborhoods sit side by side. The family lived less than a mile from farms dealing with bird flu outbreaks. The husband sold hay to local farms, visiting them regularly for work.

Dr. Jacob Gomez, the veterinarian who ended up treating the cats, knew something was wrong when the first two cats died so quickly. But when he called state and federal agriculture officials for help, nobody called back. “Due to the current demand from the food animal sector, feline outbreak calls were not returned and no treatment or testing options were provided,” the study notes.

Gomez was on his own with dying cats and no playbook to follow.

The first cat to get sick was an indoor-only pet who suddenly became too weak to walk around. Despite being up to date on all his shots, he died at an emergency animal hospital. A few days later, another cat from the same house got sick with identical symptoms and also died, even with supportive care.

By then, Gomez suspected bird flu. When the family brought in their third cat, running a high fever and barely responsive, the veterinarian decided to take a chance.

A Risky Treatment That Worked

With no official guidance and no time to waste, Gomez prescribed Tamiflu, the antiviral drug people take for regular flu. He gave the cat the human dose, twice a day for ten days, along with fluids and fever reducers.

Within a week, the cat was eating again and back to his normal self. When the fourth cat arrived with similar symptoms the next day, Gomez used the same treatment. That cat also recovered completely.

Months later, blood tests confirmed what Gomez suspected. Both surviving cats had developed strong immunity against H5N1. One cat showed exceptionally high protection levels, while the other had moderate but still robust immunity. Both cats stayed healthy and active, with their protection lasting at least three to four months after getting sick.

Why Cats Are Sitting Ducks for This Virus

Cats can catch H5N1 in several ways that make them particularly vulnerable. They might eat infected birds or mice, drink contaminated milk, or simply breathe in virus particles. Even indoor cats aren’t safe since the virus can hitchhike into homes on shoes, clothing, or other items from farms or markets.

Bird flu has already surprised scientists by infecting seals, bears, foxes, and other mammals that weren’t supposed to be at risk. Now cats are joining that list, and each new species gives the virus more chances to change and potentially become more dangerous to people.

The problem is that nobody’s really watching for bird flu in household pets. All the surveillance focuses on commercial farms, creating a blind spot where infections in family cats could go completely unnoticed.

What Cat Owners Need to Know

Pet owners should watch for sudden exhaustion, loss of appetite, fever, trouble breathing, and any neurological changes like confusion or difficulty walking. These symptoms need immediate veterinary attention, especially in areas where bird flu has hit local farms or wild birds.

The catch is that most veterinarians don’t have clear instructions for diagnosing or treating bird flu in pets. Gomez had to wing it with his own protocol, but cat owners shouldn’t have to hope their vet is willing to experiment during a crisis.

The good news from this California outbreak is that early treatment with antivirals can save cats’ lives. The key seems to be recognizing the symptoms quickly and getting treatment before the virus does permanent damage.

Source : https://studyfinds.org/cats-dead-bird-flu-outbreak-hits-california/

Charlie Kirk’s suspected assassin reportedly planned the shooting for more than a week, texts show

AN ABC journalist has been widely slammed online after he described text messages between Charlie Kirk’s suspected assassin and his roommate as touching.

Tyler Robinson, 22, was charged with murder and faces the death penalty – days after the assassination at Utah Valley University that left the US reeling.

Utah County officials released charging documents on Tuesday and revealed text messages documenting an exchange between Robinson and his roommate.

In the conversation on September 10, Robinson appeared to admit he carried out the killing.

He described his roommate as his “love” and apologized to him.

“Im gonna turn myself in willingly, one of my neighbors here is a deputy for the sheriff,” Robinson said.

The skin cancer diagnosis comes after the former Brazilian president had been hospitalized with separate ailments. The medical woes come after Bolsonaro was sentenced to 27 years in prison for plotting a coup.

Former Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro has been diagnosed with skin cancer, his doctor said Wednesday.

“The tests showed that two of the lesions were an early type of skin cancer,” Bolsonaro’s doctor, Claudio Birolini, told reporters.

The diagnosis was made public after Bolsonaro was discharged from an overnight stay in hospital for separate medical issues that included vomiting, dizziness and low blood pressure.

Bolsonaro had already gone to the hospital on Sunday to have the skin lesions removed and tested.

The former right-wing president was recently convicted of attempting a coup, and was taken to the hospital from his house arrest on Tuesday after feeling “unwell.”

His doctor said he would need regular monitoring, “to ensure no new lesions appear and that the removals were complete.”

Why is Bolsonaro under house arrest?
Bolsonaro was last week convicted of plotting a coup to overthrow Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, Brazil’s current president, following his 2022 election loss.

He was sentenced to 27 years in prison, with his lawyers saying they will appeal the verdict due to the former leader denying any wrongdoing.

US President Donald Trump, a friend of Bolsonaro, called the trial a “witch hunt” and mentioned the former president’s trial as part of his reasons for imposing 50% tariffs on Brazil.

Bolsonaro has been under house arrest since early August after the justice overseeing the case, Alexandre de Moraes, said the 70-year-old had violated precautionary measures imposed on him for the trial.

Source: https://www.dw.com/en/brazil-bolsonaro-discharged-from-hospital-diagnosed-with-skin-cancer/a-74021322

US President Donald Trump and King Charles hailed the special relationship between the US and the UK at a lavish state dinner attended by high-profile guests. DW has the latest on Trump’s ongoing state visit to the UK.

US President Donald Trump and First Lady Melania Trump attended a lavish state dinner at Windsor Castle on Wednesday evening.

King Charles opened the banquet, saying in his speech it was his “great pleasure” to host Trump. The King also praised Trump’s commitment to finding solutions to wars.

The US president hailed the relationship between America and the UK too, saying it was “priceless and eternal.”

The royal affair was a continuation of the pomp that followed through the day, when the Trumps were personally greeted by the King and the Queen when they arrived in the UK for a historic second state visit.

Meanwhile, thousands of people turned out in central London to protest against the US president’s state visit.

Scroll through the posts to catch up with the events of September 17 below:

Local residents and eyewitnesses say dozens of Israeli tanks and military vehicles have pushed into a major residential district of Gaza City, on the second day of Israel’s ground offensive aimed at occupying the area.

Video footage shows tanks, bulldozers and armoured personnel carriers moving on the edges of Sheikh Radwan, in northern Gaza City. Thick clouds of smoke can be seen as Israeli forces fire artillery shells and smoke bombs to cover their advance.

The Sheikh Radwan district was home to tens of thousands of people before the war and is considered one of the city’s most densely populated areas.

Israel says the aim of its Gaza City offensive is to free hostages held by Hamas and defeat up to 3,000 fighters in what it describes as the group’s “last stronghold” – but the operation has drawn widespread international condemnation.

The leaders of more than 20 major aid agencies, including Save the Children and Oxfam, warned that “the inhumanity of the situation in Gaza is unconscionable”.

Residents in Sheikh Radwan said Wednesday’s incursion followed a wave of heavy airstrikes targeting buildings and main streets across the neighbourhood, in what appeared to be preparation for the ground assault.

Saad Hamada, a local resident who fled south with his family earlier on Wednesday, told the BBC: “The drones didn’t leave anything. They hit solar panels, power generators, water tanks, even the internet network.

“Life became impossible, and that is what forced most people to leave despite the danger.”

Sheikh Radwan includes the areas of Abu Iskandar, al-Tawam, and al-Saftawi, and is intersected by al-Jalaa Street, a vital artery linking central Gaza City with its northern districts.

Locals say Israeli control of the neighbourhood could open the way for forces to advance deeper into the city and reach its central areas.

The images of tanks in Gaza City’s streets have caused widespread panic among residents, particularly those still living in the western and central parts of the city.

Witnesses said the sight of tanks approaching their homes revived memories of previous incursions, that ended with entire neighbourhoods being flattened.

The incursion into Sheikh Radwan has triggered yet another wave of displacement, with thousands of families fleeing south.

Long lines of cars and carts loaded with belongings were seen on the roads, as the Israeli army opened a route to the south via the Salahedin Road. Residents reported journeys taking hours and costing hundreds of shekels due to the scarcity of transport and soaring prices.

Three police officers were fatally shot and two wounded Wednesday in southern Pennsylvania, and the shooter was killed by police, authorities said.

The officers were at the scene, amid rolling farmland, to follow up on a domestic-related investigation that began the previous day.

“This is an absolutely tragic and devastating day,” Gov. Josh Shapiro said at a news conference. “We grieve the loss of life of three precious souls who served this county, who served this Commonwealth, who served this country.”

“This kind of violence is not OK. We need to do better as a society,” Shapiro said.

It was one of the deadliest days for Pennsylvania police this century. In 2009 three Pittsburgh officers responding to a domestic disturbance were ambushed and shot to death by a man in a bulletproof vest.

Condolences began pouring in from police departments across the region on social media and people began leaving flowers at the headquarters of the Northern York Regional Police Department.

“The grief will be unbearable but we will bear it,” said Pennsylvania State Police Commissioner Christopher Paris, who pledged a full, fair investigation.

Dozens of police and emergency vehicles with their lights flashing formed a procession to the coroner’s office. People lined the road holding American flags and saluted as it passed.

The shooting erupted in the area of North Codorus Township, about 115 miles (185 km) west of Philadelphia, not far from the Maryland line, authorities said.

Dirk Anderson, a farmer who lives across a two-lane country road from the scene, said he was in his shop “when we heard shots,” which he described as “quite a few.” He saw a helicopter arrive and a large police vehicle response.

The two injured officers were in critical but stable condition at York Hospital, authorities said.

Authorities did not identify the shooter, the officers or which police department they belonged to, or describe the circumstances of how they were shot, citing the ongoing investigation.

Shapiro said he and other officials met with the slain officers’ families, who, while grieving, took the time to say how proud they were of their loved ones.

Attorney General Pamela Bondi called the violence against police “a scourge on our society.” She said federal agents were on the scene to support local officers.

The emergency response unfolded on a rural road in south-central Pennsylvania. Officers were keeping people well back from the scene, with some 30 police vehicles blocking off roads bordered by a barn, a goat farm and soybean and corn fields.

Another officer in the area was killed in February, when a man armed with a pistol and zip ties entered a hospital’s intensive care unit and took staff members hostage before a shootout that left both the suspect and an officer dead.

Source: https://apnews.com/article/where-pennsylvania-police-shooting-gov-shapiro-090bf6c2373aef5ec0aeaccccc54e35e

Crissa Tolentino has long been resigned to floods as a way of life.

The 36-year-old public school teacher takes a paddle boat through the inundated streets nearly every day. It’s the only way to travel from her home in the suburbs to the heart of Apalit, a low-lying town near the Philippine capital Manila.

The boat takes her to work, and to the clinic where she is being treated for cancer. She says she only sees dry streets for about two months in the year.

But this year she is very angry.

An unusually fierce monsoon has derailed daily life more than ever in the South East Asian nation, and sparked anger and allegations about corruption in flood control projects.

The rains have stranded millions mid-commute, left cars floating in streets that have turned into rivers and caused outbreaks of leptospirosis, a liver ailment that spreads through the excrement of sewer rats.

“I feel betrayed,” Ms Tolentino says. “I work hard, I don’t spend too much and taxes are deducted from my salary every month. Then I learn that billions in our taxes are being enjoyed by corrupt politicians.”

It’s a charge that is resonating across the Philippines, where people are asking why the government cannot tame the floods with the billions of pesos it pours into infrastructure like roads, bridges and embankments.

The boss of Nvidia says he is “disappointed” that China has reportedly ordered its top technology companies to halt purchases of the firm’s artificial intelligence (AI) chips.

Jensen Huang told BBC News the US needs “to make sure that people can access this technology from all over the world, including China.”

He added: “The advance of human society is not a zero-sum game.”

Mr Huang is one of a number of tech bosses, including Microsoft’s Satya Nadella, accompanying US President Donald trump on his state visit to the UK.

“President Trump is very clear,” Mr Huang said. “He wants America to win, and President Xi wants China to win, and it’s possible for both of them to.”

But he believes “the conversation will sort itself out.”

Donald Trump is expected to speak to China’s President Xi Jinping on Friday.

Nvidia – the world’s leading chipmaker – had previously been banned from selling its most advanced chips to China, before Trump reversed the ban in July.

Nvidia has to pay 15% of its Chinese revenues to the US government in an unprecedented deal struck in the summer.

On Wednesday morning, the Financial Times reported that China’s Cyberspace Administration had told tech companies to stop using Nvidia chips which had specifically been manufactured for the Chinese market.

Shares of the US company were down more than 1% in premarket trading.

Mr Huang said he would “support the US” as they try to resolve geopolitical issues, and would tell the same thing to Trump if he is asked about it on Wednesday evening.

The UK is hosting Trump at a state banquet, where tech bosses including Mr Huang are expected to attend.

The US and China have been in trade talks in Europe this week.

On Monday, China’s market regulator said Nvidia had violated Chinese anti-monopoly laws, without giving any more details.

Source: https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cqxz29pe1v0o

The supermodel isn’t feeling her best at the moment

FANS are concerned about Bella Hadid’s health after seeing her latest Instagram posts.

The famous model, 28, shared a series of snaps today featuring stunning views as well as a number of photos of her appearing unwell.

In the snaps Bella can be seen with tear-stained cheeks hooked up to an assortment of wires and IV drips.

There’s also a photo of her wearing an oxygen mask indoors while tucked up in bed with a pizza squishmallow plush.

The star is wearing various different tops in the images – including a blue and white stripe jumper and a white vest – indicating that they were taken on different days.

There’s a small cut visible on her forehead above her right eyebrow, too.

A worn-out looking Bella captioned the series of photos with an apology for taking time away from being online, and sent love to her 61 million followers.

“I’m sorry I always go MIA I love you guys.”

The comments section on the post has since been limited to restrict any new comments being shared, but many Instagram users took a moment to share their well wishes while they could.

“We love you so much,” replied one user, followed by a white heart emoji.

“Take care and heal, the world is waiting for Miss Bella Hadid always. Stay strong,” said another.

A sea of users left no words but dropped heart emojis in Bella’s comments section.

It’s unknown right now what Bella is struggling with, but she has been open over the last decade about her “invisible suffering” with lyme disease.

In past interviews, she’s described how she lives in “chronic” pain most days and can even find it hard to take a shower.

She was diagnosed with the disease back in 2013.

Her brother, Anwar, shares the same diagnosis.

Source: https://www.the-sun.com/entertainment/15207178/bella-hadid-sparks-concern-sharing-tear-streaked-selfies/

The gesture, inspired by PM Modi’s ‘Ek Ped Maa Ke Naam’ initiative, reflects their shared commitment to environmental conservation.

The United Kingdom’s King Charles sent on Wednesday to Prime Minister Narendra Modi a Kadamb tree on his birthday, inspired by the ‘Ek Ped Maa Ke Naam’ initiative.

The British High Commission shared the details in a post on X.

It said, “His Majesty The King has been graciously pleased to send a Kadamb tree to India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi on his birthday. The gesture, inspired by PM Modi’s ‘Ek Ped Maa Ke Naam’ initiative, reflects their shared commitment to environmental conservation.”

In another post on X, the UK High Commission further highlighted how, earlier during PM Modi’s visit to the UK in July this year, PM Modi had gifted King Charles a ‘Sonoma’ tree.

“During his visit to the UK in July, PM Modi gifted His Majesty The King a ‘Sonoma’ tree as part of the same initiative. Collaboration on climate and clean energy is a key pillar of the Commonwealth and the UK-India partnership as set out by the two PMs in Vision 2035.” The essence of the “Ek Ped Maa Ke Naam” initiative is to plant a tree in one’s mother’s name symbolically.

An official statement by the GoI noted how this simple act serves a dual purpose- honouring the role of mothers in nurturing life and contributing to the health of the planet. Trees are the foundation of life, and like a mother, they provide nourishment, protection, and a future for the next generation. Through this initiative, people can plant a tree in honour of their mothers, creating a lasting memorial, while also addressing the urgent need for environmental protection.

The Prime Minister had emphasised the importance of collective efforts to improve the environment and spoke about India’s progress in increasing forest cover over the past decade. He stated that this campaign is in line with the country’s need for sustainable development.

Source : https://www.freepressjournal.in/world/united-kingdoms-king-charles-sends-kadamb-tree-as-present-to-pm-modi-on-his-75th-birthday

THIS is the dramatic moment Donald Trump bombs another Venezuelan boat as he wages war on “extremely violent drug trafficking cartels”.

The US president warned “WE ARE HUNTING YOU” as he shared unclassified footage of the vessel being obliterated with 11 people on board.

Three “male terrorists” were killed in the kinetic strike on international waters, according to Trump.

Dramatic footage showed a small boat rocking around in choppy waters before it was targeted by a US missile.

A huge explosion erupts and leaves the vessel up in flames.

Trump shared the video to his Truth Social account as he sent a direct warning to any drug traffickers.

He wrote in the caption: “These extremely violent drug trafficking cartels POSE A THREAT to U.S. National Security, Foreign Policy, and vital U.S. Interests.”

“BE WARNED — IF YOU ARE TRANSPORTING DRUGS THAT CAN KILL AMERICANS, WE ARE HUNTING YOU!

“The illicit activities by these cartels have wrought DEVASTATING CONSEQUENCES ON AMERICAN COMMUNITIES FOR DECADES, killing millions of American Citizens.

“NO LONGER.”

In a bizarre response Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro claimed the footage shared by the US was actually made with artificial intelligence.

Maduro said: “The video shows modification by AI.

“Everybody knows it… I’m not Gemini. I’m Maduro. There’s a lot of mechanisms that say it.”

Trump and Maduro are locked in a bitter international feud after weeks of heated back and forth.

President Trump accused his Venezuelan counterpart of being complicit in “mass murder, drug trafficking, sex trafficking, and acts of violence and terror across the United States and Western Hemisphere”

He also slapped a $50million bounty on Maduro offered by Washington.

Maduro responded by saying he will never let Trump get away with his “threats of bombs, death, and blackmail”.

He also announced he is mobilising his nation’s military – claiming to have 2.5 million military personnel deployed to defend Venezuela.

President Maduro claimed: “Everyone knows that the story of drugs and drug trafficking is a plot.

“That’s the argument. They want regime change to seize the country’s wealth, to control the country’s oil reserves.”

Around 78,000 Americans died of drug overdoses between March 2024 to March 2025, according to provisional data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Trump has always claimed the figure is likely much higher and has vowed to prevent as many drug-related deaths as possible during his second term.

Just weeks ago, the Don blitzed another narco boat killing 11 on board.

On September 3, Trump claimed he attacked a boat full with drug-smuggling gangsters heading for American shores.

Source : https://www.the-sun.com/news/15192916/trump-bombs-venezuelan-drug-boat/

THE suspect accused of assassinating political activist Charlie Kirk has appeared in court hours after state prosecutors vowed to pursue the death penalty.

Tyler Robinson, 22, appeared stone-faced as he attended his first court hearing virtually and remained silent throughout the 12-minute proceeding.

Robinson, who wore a suicide prevention smock, showed no emotion as Judge Tony Graf read the slew of charges against him and when state prosecutors confirmed they had filed a notice seeking the death penalty.

Prosecutors charged Robinson with seven felonies, including aggravated murder, discharge of a firearm, and two counts of obstruction of justice, among other crimes.

Robinson nodded as the judge spoke to him and only spoke when asked to state his name for the record.

Judge Graf also granted a pretrial protective order for Kirk’s wife, Erika Kirk, that was filed by Utah County prosecutors.

The judge informed Robinson that he would remain in custody without bail.

It’s the first time Robinson has been seen in public since his parents turned him over to Washington County Sheriff’s officials 33 hours after Charlie Kirk was killed at Utah Valley University on September 10.

Judge Graf set Robinson’s next hearing for September 29.

VILE ‘CONFESSION’

Robinson’s court hearing came hours after state prosecutors outlined the extensive evidence they collected in their case against the alleged assassin.

Jeffrey Gray, the Utah County attorney, revealed on Tuesday that Robinson’s DNA was found on the trigger of the rifle believed to have been used in Kirk’s assassination.

Kirk, a popular right-wing political activist, was minutes into his Q&A event on the campus of Utah Valley University in Orem when he was fatally struck in the neck by a single gunshot.

Hundreds of attendees fled in terror as Kirk’s team rushed him to Timpanogos Regional Hospital, where he died hours later.

Gray said that Robinson wrote in one text message to his roommate that he had been planning to kill Kirk, 31, for “a bit over a week.”

In a series of text exchanges, Robinson allegedly confessed to his roommate, whom he had been romantically involved with, to killing Kirk.

“Drop what you’re doing. Look under my keyboard,” Robinson wrote to his roommate, according to court documents.

The note, according to prosecutors, read: ‘I had the opportunity to take out Charlie Kirk, and I’m going to take it.”

The roommate, who is cooperating with investigators, replied, “What?????????????? You’re joking. right????” adding, “You weren’t the one who did it right????”

Robinson allegedly responded, “I am, I’m sorry.”

‘ROBINSON’S DESPERATION’

Robinson allegedly said he used his grandfather’s distinct rifle, which he was given as a gift, and hid it in a bush as he fled the crime scene.

Prosecutors said Robinson was desperate to retrieve the rifle, but feared law enforcement had already swept the area.

“I can get close to it but there is a squad car parked right by it. I think they already swept that spot, but I don’t wanna chance it,” Robinson texted his roommate, according to prosecutors.

“I’m wishing I had circled back and grabbed it as soon as I got to my vehicle…. I’m worried what my old man would do if I didn’t bring back grandpas rifle… idek if it had a serial number, but it wouldn’t trace to me.

“I worry about prints I had to leave it in a bush where I changed outfits. didn’t have the ability or time to bring it with…. I might have to abandon it and hope they don’t find prints.

“How the f**k will I explain losing it to my old man…. only thing I left was the rifle wrapped in a towel…. remember how I was engraving bullets?

“The f*****g messages are mostly a big meme, if I see ‘notices bulge uwu’ on fox new I might have a stroke alright im gonna have to leave it, that really f*****g sucks.”

Robinson then instructed his roommate to delete their text exchange.

FAMILY TURNS ROBINSON OVER

Gray, the Utah County attorney, said during a press conference on Tuesday that Robinson was first identified as the suspect thanks to his parents.

“Robinson’s mother expressed concern to her husband that the suspect shooter looked like Robinson,” Gray said.

His mother told investigators that “over the last year or so, Robinson had become more political and had started to lean more to the left, becoming more pro-gay and trans-rights oriented,” the Utah County attorney added.

Source : https://www.the-sun.com/news/15199724/charlie-kirk-suspect-tyler-robinson-court/

“GAZA is burning” Israel has said after another night of strikes blitzed the region.

The IDF warned residents to move south as Israel launched its ground operation in the famine-stricken city – and the US cautioned Hamas “time is running out” to make a deal.

Israeli forces said the increased operation “to destroy Hamas’ military infrastructure” has started after another night of heavy bombardment killed at least 20 people in northern Gaza.

The country’s Defence Minister Israel Katz announced “Gaza is burning”.

Roughly a million Palestinians were living in Gaza City before the evacuation warnings.

And over 220,000 have been forced to flee northern Gaza over the past month because of Israeli strikes.

Israel said it’s been urging Gaza locals to evacuate for the past month but charities warned Palestinians face “an impossible choice” – either flee and face dying of starvation on the road or stay and risk being killed by Israeli forces.

It comes as the UN today confirmed Israel has committed “genocide” in Gaza since October 2023, with the “intent to destroy the Palestinians”.

An IPC report today said: “If a ceasefire is not implemented to allow humanitarian aid to reach everyone in the Gaza Strip, and if essential food supplies and basic health, nutrition and [sanitation and water] services are not restored immediately, avoidable deaths will increase exponentially.”

The war in Gaza has killed more than 64,000 people, according to the Gaza health ministry.

Meanwhile, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken cautioned Hamas “time is running out” to make a deal, citing the dangers “an intensified” military campaign posed to the war-torn region.

Referencing a path to peace, he said he hoped “it can happen through negotiation”.

He said: “The Israelis have begun to take operations there. So we think we have a very short window of time in which a deal can happen.

“We don’t have months anymore, and we probably have days and maybe a few weeks so it’s a key moment — an important moment.

“Our preference, our No. 1 choice, is that this ends through a negotiated settlement.

“The only thing worse than a war is a protracted one that goes on forever and ever.

“At some point, this has to end. At some point, Hamas has to be defanged, and we hope it can happen through a negotiation. But I think time, unfortunately, is running out.”

Just yesterday, Israel launched a fresh ground offensive to occupy Gaza city.

Amid reports of the assault, Donald Trump claimed Hamas were moving hostages above ground “to use them as human shields”.

Posting on his Truth Social platform, he said: “I hope the Leaders of Hamas know what they’re getting into if they do such a thing.

“This is a human atrocity, the likes of which few people have ever seen before.

“Don’t let this happen or, ALL ‘BETS’ ARE OFF. RELEASE ALL HOSTAGES NOW!”

Netanyahu thanked Trump for his “unflinching support” for, what he calls, Israel’s battle against Hamas and the release of its hostages.

It’s understood 20 hostages remain under Hamas’ control.

The Israeli PM has been uncompromising in his determination to wipe out Gaza.

In the wake of his attack on Qatar, he warned any nations harbouring terrorists: “Expel them or bring them to justice.”

Source : https://www.the-sun.com/news/15192844/gaza-israel-burns-war/

IT was a clash that had Capitol Hill buzzing – a fiery Senate showdown where FBI Director Kash Patel locked horns with Democrats and declared he was here to stay.

The tense back-and-forth played out Tuesday during Patel’s first appearance before the Senate Judiciary Committee since taking over the bureau.

In Washington, the hearing quickly spiraled into a spectacle as Patel faced barrage of questions over his handling of the assassination of conservative activist Charlie Kirk.

Senator Cory Booker went on to attack, predicting Patel’s days in office were numbered.

“Here’s the thing, Mr. Patel, I think you’re not gonna be around long, I think this might be your last oversight hearing,” Booker said.

“Because as much as you supplicate yourself to the will of Donald Trump and not the Constitution, Donald Trump has shown us he is not loyal to people like you.”

Patel snapped back without hesitation.

“I am not going anywhere,” he fired back.

“If you want to criticize my 16 years of service, please bring it on.”

The dramatic exhange came as Patel already faced heat for publicly misfiring on social media about the Kirk investigation.

Patel initially announced on X that the bureau had caught the shooter, only to later retract the claim.

Senator Dick Durbin, the Judiciary Committee’s top Democrat, slammed Patel for rushing to claim credit.

“Mr. Patel was so anxious to take credit for finding Mr. Kirk’s assassin, that he violated one of the basics of effective law enforcement: at critical stages of an investigation shut up and let the investigators do their job,” Durbin blasted.

Authorities eventually arrested 22-year-old Tyler Robinson in Orem, Utah, after a tense manhunt lasting more than 24 hours.

Patel traveled to Utah alongside Governor Spencer Cox to announce the capture, but he was criticized for dining at Manhattan’s exclusive Rao’s restaurant the night of the shooting instead of heading straight to the scene.

President Donald Trump, pressed by reporters, deflected – first praising ally Pam Bondi before nodding to Patel’s role in Robinson’s arrest.

“Well first of all I think Pam Bondi has done an unbelievable job,” Trump said.

“And Kash, take a look at what he did with this horrible person that he just captured.”

But the firestorm didn’t stop with the Kirk case.

Patel also came under pressure over the bureau’s controversial July memo declaring that Jeffrey Epstein had no “client list” and died by suicide.

The unsigned document sparked outrage from lawmakers across the aisle and fueled fresh conspiracy theories.

Durbin pressed Patel on why the paper carried no signature.

“The memorandum had the insignia of the Department of Justice and the Federal Bureau of Investigation,” Patel said.

“And in our effort to secure transparency for the American people, because the three prior administrations had not done so, we conducted an exhaustive search… and we produced what was legally and permissibly able to be produced.”

Source : https://www.the-sun.com/news/15198881/kash-patel-cory-booker-heated-exchange-hearing/

Utah County’s district attorney has announced seven counts, including aggravated murder, obstruction of justice for disposing of evidence, and witness tampering.

Utah prosecutors said on Tuesday (Sep 16) they will seek the death penalty for the suspect in conservative activist Charlie Kirk’s assassination and revealed evidence including alleged text messages in which he confessed.

Tyler Robinson, 22, is accused of firing a single rifle shot from a rooftop sniper’s nest that killed the 31-year-old Turning Point USA founder on the campus of Utah Valley University last Wednesday.

“I had enough of his hatred,” Robinson told his roommate and romantic partner, according to court transcripts filed by prosecutors.

Utah County District Attorney Jeffrey Gray announced seven counts, including aggravated murder, obstruction of justice for disposing of evidence, and witness tampering. He said the decision to seek the death penalty was made “independently, based solely on the available evidence and circumstances and nature of the crime”.

TEXTS TO ROOMMATE

Court documents show Robinson left a note under his keyboard: “I had the opportunity to take out Charlie Kirk and I’m going to take it.” When confronted by his roommate, Robinson replied: “I am, I’m sorry.”

He allegedly told the roommate he had planned the attack for more than a week, wished he had retrieved the rifle afterward, and asked for texts to be deleted. DNA was later recovered on the trigger of the suspected murder weapon.

Robinson surrendered after his parents recognised him in gunman images and persuaded him to meet a retired sheriff’s deputy. Prosecutors say he told his roommate before surrendering: “I’m much more worried about you,” urging silence with police.

The roommate, who has not been identified, is cooperating.

POLITICAL VIOLENCE FEARS

Kirk, a prominent Trump ally, was addressing 3,000 people when he was shot, an event captured in graphic video that spread online.

The killing has fuelled fears of rising US political violence after last year’s two assassination attempts on Trump and the killing of a Democratic state lawmaker in Minnesota.

Source : https://www.channelnewsasia.com/world/prosecutors-seek-death-penalty-suspect-in-charlie-kirk-assassination-5352776

The US Secretary of State thanked Qatar for its efforts to end the Gaza war and reiterated America’s support for the country’s security and sovereignty.

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio pledged strong support for Qatar’s security on a lightning visit on Tuesday (Sep 16), as anger boils in the Gulf ally over last week’s Israeli attack on Hamas negotiators.

On a hastily arranged stop in Doha after a visit to Israel, Rubio shook hands with Qatar’s emir, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, in his office before entering closed-door talks that lasted just under an hour.

He flew out straight after the meeting.

In Israel, he had pledged “unwavering support” even after it angered US allies in the Gulf by targeting Hamas negotiators in Doha.

“Secretary Rubio reaffirmed the strong bilateral relationship between the United States and Qatar, and thanked Qatar for its efforts to end the war in Gaza and bring all hostages home,” said State Department spokesman Tommy Pigott.

Rubio “reiterated America’s strong support for Qatar’s security and sovereignty”, he added.

Rubio had earlier said the United States would work with Qatar to finalise a defence agreement soon despite the Israeli military action.

Speaking to reporters on Tuesday, Qatar’s foreign ministry spokesman Majed al-Ansari said his country appreciated US support for its mediation efforts, adding that “this attack, of course, expedited the need for renewed strategic defence agreements between us and the US”.

Rubio had earlier said he would “ask Qatar to continue to do what they’ve done”, adding that “if there’s any country in the world that could help end this through a negotiation, it’s Qatar”.

But Israel’s launch of its long-anticipated ground assault on Gaza City early on Tuesday left little scope for any new mediation bid.

Rubio’s visit also sought to reassure Qatar after the Israeli strikes undermined security pledges to the Gulf emirate from its key ally.

Rubio landed in Qatar a day after an Arab-Islamic summit in Doha condemned Israel for the strikes, with the head of the six-nation Gulf Cooperation Council urging Washington to “use its leverage and influence” to rein in Israel.

President Donald Trump told reporters in Washington that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu “won’t be hitting” Qatar again.

Rubio made no such comments in Israel.

Netanyahu said his government assumes “full responsibility” for the attack on Doha “because we believe that terrorists should not be given a haven”.

Source : https://www.channelnewsasia.com/world/rubio-us-strong-support-qatar-israel-strike-5352181

One year after China’s aggressive property stimulus, prices are still falling in most cities – except Shanghai. Analysts explain why.

Buying a new apartment in Shanghai these days requires more than just cash – it takes stamina, luck – and sometimes a bit of theatre.

At a recent weekend launch of One Tian An Place, a mid-range project in the well-established Jinyuan area of Minhang, hopeful buyers queued, clutching numbered slips that determined the order they could enter to claim a unit before the red “sold” tags went up.

One successful buyer, who drew a lottery number well past 60, described the process as “a bit nerve-wracking” – but ultimately worth it.

“The (unit) floor was a bit lower than we expected but it doesn’t really matter as long as it doesn’t affect the lighting,” he wrote on Xiaohongshu on Sep 7, under the handle Zaoshuizaoqiba.

“Land prices keep rising,” he added. “We were really worried we might not be able to afford anything later. Since (the unit) was still under 100,000 yuan (US$14,042) per square metre, we just wanted to get on board quickly.”

“The earlier you buy, the more peace of mind you have.”

By the end of the day, sales agents reported around 90 per cent of units had been sold.

But for 33-year-old Andree Wu, also looking to buy in Shanghai, the search has been less successful.

Living in Putuo District with her husband, child and dog, she began house-hunting in February after giving birth, hoping to find a larger three to four-bedroom apartment.

Months later, she is still looking – even after raising her budget from 15 million yuan to 25 million yuan, opening the door to more choices.

“There are only houses that excel in one aspect but are very poor in another,” she told CNA.

“The house we really want just doesn’t exist.”

Still, Wu admitted the recent policy support played a role in stretching her budget.

“The lower mortgage rates made me more willing to raise my budget … Lower rates have reduced the pressure somewhat,” she said.

Both cases reflect the buyer enthusiasm fuelling Shanghai’s property market, where high-spec central projects are snapped up almost immediately.

On Jul 2, financial outlet Yicai reported that five mid- to high-end projects sold out on their first day.

But these frenzied sell-outs mask a deeper malaise.

Nearly a year after China launched its most aggressive property stimulus in decades, the housing market remains sharply bifurcated.

Pockets of buoyancy endure in luxury enclaves of Shanghai and a handful of top-tier cities.

Elsewhere, demand is anaemic.

Average new-home prices continue to edge down while land sales in fourth- and fifth-tier cities have plunged to their lowest levels since 2011.

China’s property market, once the country’s growth engine, now runs on two tracks – roaring at the top, stalling everywhere else.

The big bang package may not restore the property boom – only blunt the pain, analysts argue.

BIG BANG MEASURES – AND THEIR LIMITS

The September 2024 stimulus package was a sweeping attempt to turn the tide.

Beijing cut existing mortgage rates by 50 basis points, delivering savings to an estimated 50 million households.

Down-payments were standardised at 15 per cent for first and second homes.

A 300 billion yuan affordable housing re-lending facility was fully funded, while other measures ranged from “white list” financing to revitalising idle land and easing purchase curbs in mega-cities.

The measures, announced at a State Council press conference on Sep 24 last year, were aimed at clearing unsold inventory, reviving housing demand, and stabilising prices, according to the government’s official policy summary.

Yet the backlog keeps growing.

According to data released by China’s National Bureau of Statistics (NBS), the number of unsold new homes rose to 405 million square metres in August 2025, from 382 million square metres in July 2024.

“My sense is that (the measures) have almost zero impact (on moving the property market),” said Lin Han-Shen, China country director at The Asia Group.

“If I was to look at what the primary driver is to drive more purchases of property, it’s if the properties rise in price.”

“The Chinese are not deep value investors,” Lin said. “They do not buy when prices are low. They tend to buy when prices are going up.”

Wang Dan, China director at Eurasia Group, agreed. “There was not a single policy that has achieved any of the effects to reverse the housing cycle,” she told CNA.

“What the policies have been doing so far is basically to try to stimulate more of a demand among potential homebuyers,” she added.

“Housing prices are still going down – that’s why it didn’t work.”

Except for one city: Shanghai.

Standing out from the pack, the city posted a 5.9 per cent year-on-year increase in new-home prices in August, according to NBS data released on Sep 15.

Despite that, average prices across China’s four top-tier cities – Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou and Shenzhen – still fell 0.9 per cent from a year earlier, as declines in the other three outweighed Shanghai’s gains.

In second-tier cities, prices fell 2.4 per cent, while third-tier cities saw a 3.7 per cent drop.

Two teenagers who peed into a pot of broth at a hotpot restaurant have been ordered to pay 2.2m yuan ($309,000; £227,000) to two catering companies in China.

The incident, which happened in February at a Shanghai branch of China’s biggest hotpot chain Haidilao, sparked widespread criticism after the 17-year-olds posted a video of their drunken act online.

There is no suggestion that anyone consumed the contaminated broth but Haidilao had offered to pay thousands of diners who dined at the restaurant in the days following the incident.

In March, Haidilao sought more than 23m yuan in losses, saying this took into account the amount it compensated customers over the incident.

Last Friday, a Shanghai court found that the teenagers had infringed upon the companies’ property rights as well as reputation through “acts of insult”, noting that their actions contaminated tableware and “caused strong discomfort among the public”.

It also found that the teens’ parents had “failed to fulfil their duty of guardianship” and ordered that they bear the compensation, state media reported.

This includes 2m yuan for operational and reputational damage, 130,000 yuan to one of the caterers for tableware losses and cleaning expenses, and 70,000 yuan in legal costs.

However the court ruled that any additional compensation Haidilao offered to its customers, beyond what they were billed, was a “voluntary business decision”, and therefore should not be borne by the teenagers.

Haidilao had offered to compensate more than 4,000 diners who visited the branch between 24 February – the date of their visit – and 8 March, both with a full refund and a cash compensation that is 10 times the amount they were billed.

Source : https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cq8e57eexn2o

She’s standing by her Mam.

Gov. Kathy Hochul defended her shocking endorsement of Zohran Mamdani, arguing Tuesday the socialist mayoral contender is the best candidate to fight Donald Trump.

New York City’s next mayor needs to “stand up” against Trump’s desire to lord over City Hall — and Mamdani fit that bill best out of the crowded mayoral field, Hochul argued during an unrelated event in a Hell’s Kitchen pharmacy.

“I could not have been crystal clearer,” she said, not very clearly.

“I need a mayor who understands that.”

Hochul’s bombshell backing of Mamdani on Sunday came after months of holding the Democratic nominee at arm’s length, and seemingly came with little-to-no concessions from the firebrand for the governor.

Her New York Times op-ed announcing the endorsement praised Mamdani’s commitment to affordability, but otherwise offered few specific reasons for her support — among them his commitment to fighting Trump.

Source : https://nypost.com/2025/09/16/us-news/hochul-argues-zohran-mamdani-would-be-best-candidate-to-stand-up-to-trump-as-she-defends-shock-endorsement-in-nyc-mayoral-race/

A massive brawl erupted in suburban Long Island as 20 members of rival biker crews tangled in a bloody clash across two towns that left four people stabbed and seven facing rioting charges.

Round one of the throwdown erupted at 1683 Sports Bar & Grille in West Islip on Sunday afternoon before the crews dug in for more fighting at Phillips 66 gas station in Lindenhurst, police said.

In Lindenhurst, five miles away from the bar, round two of the fighting ballooned into a full-on street showdown — with blades drawn and blood splashing onto the street, a gas station attendant who witnessed the melee told The Post..

Five men were taken to the hospital and were treated for non-life-threatening injuries.

Scientists have identified the origins of the blue color in one of Jackson Pollock’s paintings with a little help from chemistry, confirming for the first time that the abstract expressionist used a vibrant, synthetic pigment known as manganese blue.

“Number 1A, 1948,” showcases Pollock’s classic style: paint has been dripped and splattered across the canvas, creating a vivid, multicolored work. Pollock even gave the piece a personal touch, adding his handprints near the top.

The painting, currently on display at the Museum of Modern Art in New York, is almost 9 feet (2.7 meters) wide. Scientists had previously characterized the reds and yellows splattered across the canvas, but the source of the rich turquoise blue proved elusive.

In a new study, researchers took scrapings of the blue paint and used lasers to scatter light and measure how the paint’s molecules vibrated. That gave them a unique chemical fingerprint for the color, which they pinpointed as manganese blue.

The analysis, published Monday in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, is the first confirmed evidence of Pollock using this specific blue.

“It’s really interesting to understand where some striking color comes from on a molecular level,” said study co-author Edward Solomon with Stanford University.

The pigment manganese blue was once used by artists, as well as to color the cement for swimming pools. It was phased out by the 1990s because of environmental concerns.

Previous research had suggested that the turquoise from the painting could indeed be this color, but the new study confirms it using samples from the canvas, said Rutgers University’s Gene Hall, who has studied Pollock’s paintings and was not involved with the discovery.

“I’m pretty convinced that it could be manganese blue,” Hall said.

The researchers also went one step further, inspecting the pigment’s chemical structure to understand how it produces such a vibrant shade.

Scientists study the chemical makeup of art supplies to conserve old paintings and catch counterfeits. They can take more specific samples from Pollock’s paintings since he often poured directly onto the canvas instead of mixing paints on a palette beforehand.

Source : https://apnews.com/article/jackson-pollock-painting-manganese-blue-1948-4acd29ec34bcbf5b52be4807d65be9b1

After decades of scouring the bottom of Lake Michigan, searchers have finally found the wreckage of a “ghost ship” that sank during a ferocious storm almost 140 years ago off the Wisconsin coastline.

The Wisconsin Historical Society and the Wisconsin Underwater Archeology Association announced Monday that a team led by researcher Brendon Baillod found the wreck of the F.J. King. Baillod said in an email to The Associated Press that the wreckage was discovered on June 28.

According to the announcement, Baillod’s team found the ship off Bailey’s Harbor, a town of about 280 people on Wisconsin’s Door Peninsula, an outcropping of land jutting into Lake Michigan that gives the state its distinctive mitten-thumb shape.

The F. J. King was a 144-foot (43.89 meters), three-masted cargo schooner built in 1867 in Toledo, Ohio, to transport grain and iron ore. According to the historical society and archaeology association’s announcement, the ship ran into a gale off the Door Peninsula on Sept. 15, 1886, while moving iron ore from Escanaba, Michigan, to Chicago.

Waves estimated at 8 to 10 feet (2.4 to 3 meters) ruptured her seams and after several hours of pumping Captain William Griffin ordered his men into the ship’s yawl boat. The schooner finally sank bow-first around 2 a.m., with the ship’s stern deckhouse blowing away in the storm, sending Griffin’s papers 50 feet into the air. A passing schooner picked up the crew and took them to Bailey’s Harbor.

Searchers have been trying to find the F.J. King since the 1970s but conflicting accounts of the ship’s location when it sank stymied their efforts. Griffin reported that the ship went down about 5 miles (8 kilometers) off Bailey’s Harbor but a lighthouse keeper reported seeing a schooner’s masts breaking the surface closer to shore. Commercial fishermen kept claiming to have brought up pieces of the wreckage in their nets, too. Shipwreck hunters scoured the area but came up empty. Over the years F.J. King developed a reputation among shipwreck hunters as a ghost ship.

Baillod believed that Griffin may not have known where he was in the darkness as the ship went down. He drew a 2-square-mile (5.17 square-kilometer) grid around the location the lighthouse keeper gave and proceeded to search it. Side-scan sonar uncovered an object measuring about 140 feet (42.6 meters) long less than half a mile (0.8 kilometers) from the lighthouse keeper’s location. It turned out to be the F.J. King.

“A few of us had to pinch each other,” Baillod said in the announcement. “After all the previous searches, we couldn’t believe we had actually found it, and so quickly.”

He said the hull appears to be intact, surprising searchers who expected to find it in pieces due to the weight of the iron ore the schooner was carrying.

Source : https://apnews.com/article/lake-michigan-schooner-shipwreck-door-county-ccff930d8cd87f3597483938f8fb4fd6

China’s coast guard accused a Philippine ship of deliberately ramming one of its vessels on Tuesday near the disputed Scarborough Shoal in the South China Sea. The Philippines denied it, saying China’s forces used powerful water cannons that damaged its ship and injured a crew member.

A Chinese coast guard statement said more than 10 Philippine government ships coming from various directions entered the waters around the shoal, which is called Huangyan island in Chinese. It said it deployed water cannons against the vessels.

The encounter came six days after China announced it was designating part of Scarborough Shoal as a national nature reserve. The Philippine government, which calls the shoal Bajo de Masinloc, filed a diplomatic protest.

China and the Philippines have clashed repeatedly around outcroppings in the South China Sea, which China claims almost in its entirety. The two countries are among several that have competing claims to territory in the waters, which are of strategic importance and home to valuable fishing grounds.

The Philippine coast guard said two Chinese coast guard ships hit a Filipino fisheries vessel, the BRP Datu Gumbay Piang, with powerful water cannons for nearly 30 minutes “resulting in significant damage,” including in the captain’s cabin and the bridge. A glass window was shattered and injured a personnel while the deluge of water caused a short circuit that affected electrical outlets and five outdoor air-conditioning units, it said.

A Chinese navy warship also broadcast a radio notice “announcing live-fire exercises” at the shoal which caused panic among Filipino fishermen, said the Philippine coast guard.

The Philippine coast guard and fisheries ships were deployed to the shoal on Tuesday to provide fuel, water, ice and other aid to more than 35 fishing boats in the area.

Several friendly countries have backed the Philippines on the nature reserve.

Source : https://apnews.com/article/philippines-south-china-sea-scarborough-shoal-collision-fc31a170189e4747b8314fb605ca7d0c

A U.S. appeals court declined on Monday to allow Donald Trump to fire Federal Reserve Governor Lisa Cook – the first time a president has pursued such action since the central bank’s founding in 1913 – in the latest step in a legal battle that threatens the Fed’s longstanding independence.
The decision by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit means that the administration only has hours to appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court if it hopes to block Cook from attending the Fed’s policy meeting on Tuesday and Wednesday where it is expected to cut U.S. interest rates to shore up a cooling labor market.

The White House on Tuesday said it planned to appeal the ruling to the Supreme Court.
“The President lawfully removed Lisa Cook for cause. The Administration will appeal this decision and looks forward to ultimate victory on the issue,” White House spokesman Kush Desai said.
The D.C. Circuit denied the Justice Department’s request to put on hold a judge’s order temporarily blocking the Republican president from removing Cook, an appointee of Democratic former President Joe Biden.
U.S. District Judge Jia Cobb had ruled on September 9 that Trump’s claims that Cook committed mortgage fraud before taking office, which Cook denies, likely were not sufficient grounds for removal under the law that created the Fed.

The decision was 2-1, with Circuit Judges Bradley Garcia and J. Michelle Childs in the majority, both of whom were appointed by President Joe Biden. Circuit Judge Gregory Katsas, a Trump appointee, dissented.
In an opinion joined by Childs, Garcia wrote that Cook is likely to prevail on her claim that she has been denied due process in violation of the U.S. Constitution’s Fifth Amendment.
“Before this court, the government does not dispute that it provided Cook no meaningful notice or opportunity to respond to the allegations against her,” the judge wrote.
A White House spokesperson did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
The Fed, which had no comment on the ruling, has not made any legal arguments in the case. It has asked the courts for a swift resolution of the matter, and has said it will abide by any court ruling.

Cook’s lawyers did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Separately, the Senate on Monday night narrowly confirmed Trump’s nominee to a recently vacated seat on the Fed board. The largely party-line 48-47 vote means that it is likely that Stephen Miran, currently chair of the Council of Economic Advisers, will also participate in this week’s rate-setting meeting alongside Cook.

FOR CAUSE

In setting up the Fed, Congress included provisions to shield the central bank from political interference. Under the law that created the Fed, its governors may be removed by a president only “for cause,” though the law does not define the term nor establish procedures for removal. No president has ever removed a Fed governor, and the law has never been tested in court.
In Monday’s opinion, Garcia wrote that because Cook’s due process claim was “very likely meritorious”, there was no need for the court to address the meaning of ‘for cause’ at this point in the case.

Cook, the first Black woman to serve as a Fed governor, sued Trump and the Fed in late August. Cook has said the claims did not give Trump the legal authority to remove her and were a pretext to fire her for her monetary policy stance.
The Trump administration has argued that the president has broad discretion to determine when it is necessary to remove a Fed governor, and that courts lack the power to review those decisions.
The case has ramifications for the Fed’s ability to set interest rates without regard to the wishes of politicians, widely seen as critical to any central bank’s ability to function independently to carry out tasks such as keeping inflation under control.
Trump this year has demanded that the Fed cut rates aggressively, berating Fed Chair Jerome Powell for his stewardship over monetary policy. The Fed, focusing on fighting inflation, has not done so, though it is expected this week to make a cut.
The Supreme Court this year has allowed Trump to proceed with the removal of various officials serving on federal agencies that had been established by Congress as independent from direct presidential control.
But in a May order in a case involving Trump’s dismissal of two Democratic members of federal labor boards, the Supreme Court signaled that it views the Fed as distinct from other executive branch agencies. It said the Fed “is a uniquely structured, quasi-private entity” with a singular historical tradition.
Unlike other members of regulatory boards that the Supreme Court allowed Trump to remove, Cook’s protection from at-will removal distinguished her case, Garcia wrote in Monday’s opinion.
The Trump administration in a court filing on Thursday had asked the D.C. Circuit to move quickly so that Trump could remove Cook before the Fed’s policy meeting on Tuesday and Wednesday. Administration lawyers said that allowing the president to fire Cook would “strengthen, not diminish, the Federal Reserve’s integrity.”
Cook’s lawyers in a filing in response said removing Cook ahead of the meeting would impact U.S. and foreign markets, and that the public interest in keeping her in office outweighed Trump’s efforts to take control of the Fed.
In his dissenting opinion, Katsas said there was a greater risk of harm to the Trump administration than there was to Cook in leaving her in her job while the appeal played out.
“Moreover, the Board of Governors no doubt is important, but that only heightens the government’s interest in ensuring that its Governors are competent and capable of projecting confidence into markets,” Katsas wrote.
In blocking Cook’s removal, Cobb had found that the “best reading” of the 1913 law is that it only allows a Fed governor to be removed for misconduct while in office. The mortgage fraud claims against Cook all relate to actions she took prior to her U.S. Senate confirmation in 2022.
Trump and his appointee William Pulte, the Federal Housing Finance Agency director, have claimed that Cook inaccurately described three separate properties on mortgage applications, which could have allowed her to obtain lower interest rates and tax credits.
A loan estimate for an Atlanta home purchased by Cook shows that she had declared the property as a “vacation home,” according to a document reviewed, by Reuters, information that would appear to undercut the allegations against her. And the property tax authority in Ann Arbor, Michigan, said in response to a Reuters inquiry that Cook has not broken rules for tax breaks on a home there that Cook had declared her primary residence.

Source : https://www.reuters.com/legal/government/us-appeals-court-rejects-trump-bid-oust-feds-lisa-cook-2025-09-16/

China on Wednesday called the framework deal reached in Madrid to switch short-video app TikTok to U.S.-controlled ownership a “win-win” and said it would review TikTok’s technology exports and intellectual property licensing, in a state media editorial.
Investors on both sides of the Pacific are now waiting for a call scheduled for Friday between U.S. President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping in which the agreement should be confirmed.

Progress over the popular social media app – which counts 170 million U.S. users – is seen as key to facilitating further talks in the coming months as the world’s two largest economies chart a path beyond their current tariff truce.
Reuters has reported that the deal, transferring TikTok’s U.S. assets to U.S. owners from China’s Bytedance, is similar to an agreement worked out earlier this year, but which was shelved after Trump announced steep tariffs on Chinese goods.
“China reached the relevant consensus with the United States on the TikTok issue because it is based on the principles of mutual respect, peaceful coexistence and win-win cooperation,” the official People’s Daily said in a commentary.

The article was signed “Zhong Sheng” or “Voice of China”, a term the paper of the governing Communist Party uses to express views on foreign policy.
“China will review matters related to TikTok’s technology exports and intellectual property licensing in accordance with the law,” the commentary added.
Source : https://www.reuters.com/world/china/china-says-us-tiktok-deal-win-win-will-review-apps-technology-ip-transfers-2025-09-17/

Pakistan on Tuesday faced fresh embarrassment as Japan has accused it of attempting human trafficking through a fake football team.

Amid the cricket-related handshake controversy with India, Pakistan faced fresh embarrassment on Tuesday as Japan issued a warning over allegations that it had sent a “fake” football team. The bogus football team was deported from Japan after authorities alleged a possible human-trafficking attempt. The group carried forged documents and falsely claimed to be players from a fictitious Sialkot team.
According to the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA), Malik Waqas, a key suspect in the human smuggling scam, registered a football club under the name ‘Golden Football Trial’. According to a report by Pakistani news agency Geo News, Waqas, a human trafficker, received Rs 4 million from each individual to send them abroad via illegal means.
Pakistan’s Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) reported that 22 individuals posing as a football team departed from Sialkot airport for Japan, where authorities discovered their documents were fraudulent and promptly deported them.

According to a PIA spokesperson, the individuals were coached to appear as professional football players. The spokesperson added that Waqas had arranged forged documents, including fake Pakistan Football Federation registrations and counterfeit papers from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Meanwhile, the FIA arrested Waqas and opened an investigation. During questioning, he admitted to previously sending 17 people to Japan in January 2024 using the same scheme.
Pakistan remains in the spotlight over a cricket spat with India following a crushing loss in the ongoing Asia Cup. Tensions between the two nations surfaced on the field when players skipped handshakes before and after their match in Dubai.
According to the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB), match referee Andy Pycroft of Zimbabwe asked both captains — India’s Suryakumar Yadav and Pakistan’s Salman Ali Agha — not to shake hands during the coin toss on Sunday, September 14.
In a late-night statement released in Urdu, the PCB condemned Pycroft’s directive as “against sportsmanship’ and said team manager Naveed Akram Cheema registered a formal protest with the International Cricket Council, which has yet to comment publicly.

Notably, the cricket match was the first between India and Pakistan since the Pahalgam attack in April. In the post-match presentation ceremony, captain Suryakumar Yadav said that he and Team India stand by I the victims of the Pahalgam terror attack and their families. He even dedicated the massive win to the Indian Army.

Source : https://www.timesnownews.com/world/fake-pakistan-football-team-for-fake-tournament-lands-in-japan-deported-islamabad-embarrassed-article-152839205

Leaders of Arab and Islamic nations pushed for an “Arab Nato” in a meeting of over 40 Muslim countries, including Pakistan and Turkey. Egypt, which has the Arab world’s largest army, pitched it as a collective defence shield.

On Monday, scores of leaders from Arab and Islamic nations rushed to Doha, for an emergency meeting to present a united response to Israel’s strike on Hamas leaders in Qatar there last week. Although the leaders differed on the way forward and settled on only minimal action against Israel, a more concrete outcome may be that they have set in motion the emergence of an Arab military alliance.

The proposed alliance, dubbed “Arab Nato” by Egypt, which has the Arab world’s largest army, came at the meeting in Qatar attended by Pakistan and Turkey.

Pakistan, the only nuclear-armed Muslim state, not only attended the emergency summit but also called for a joint task force to “monitor Israeli designs in the region”. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who was also present at the Summit, called for an “economic squeezing of Israel”.

Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed al-Sudani also batted for a Nato-style collective security framework, stressing that “the security and stability of any Arab or Islamic country is an integral part of our collective security”.

The decade-old initiative, launched by Saudi Arabia after the Arab Spring, announced the formation of a 34-nation Islamic alliance against terrorism. That plan is now being fast-tracked following Israel’s airstrike on Doha, as Donald Trump’s US is busy revisiting its security engagement terms with allies worldwide.

ARAB-ISLAMIC NATIONS REVIVING NATO-LIKE DEFENCE SHIELD

It’s the sort of experience you just can’t buy.

The carriages are being polished, the family silver is being laid out, and diamonds are being dusted off as King Charles III prepares to offer a royal welcome to Donald Trump for what will be the highlight of the U.S. president’s unprecedented second state visit to Britain.

Hundreds of soldiers, gardeners and chefs are putting the finishing touches on their preparations to make sure the president and first lady Melania Trump get the full royal treatment. But it’s a spectacle with a purpose: to bolster ties with a world leader known for a love of bling at a time when his America First policies are putting pressure on trade and security arrangements globally.

The second leg of the visit will take place on Thursday, when Trump and British Prime Minister Keir Starmer meet at Chequers, the 16th-century redbrick mansion in the Chiltern Hills northwest of London that serves as the official country estate of British prime ministers. The government hopes a technology deal to be signed during the trip will underline the trans-Atlantic bond remains strong despite differences over Ukraine, the Middle East and the future of NATO.

The backdrop for day one will be Windsor Castle, an almost 1,000-year-old royal residence with gilded interiors, crenelated towers and priceless artworks.

It’s a scene that has seemed to enchant Trump, who ditched his trademark bluster and described the invitation to Windsor as “a great, great honor.”

“I think that also is why he seems so visibly excited about the second meeting, because it isn’t an invitation given to (just) anyone,” said George Gross, an expert on the British monarchy at King’s College London.

Trump said Tuesday after arriving in London that he loved being back in the United Kingdom, calling it a “very special place.” Asked if he had a message for Charles, he said the king was a longtime friend of his and well-respected.

While Britain’s royals long ago gave up real political power, their history, tradition and celebrity give them a cachet that means presidents and prime ministers covet an invitation to join them. That makes the invitations, handed out at the request of the elected government, a powerful tool to reward friends and wring concessions out of reluctant allies.

State banquet
No U.S. president, or any other world leader, has ever had the honor of a second U.K. state visit. That won’t be lost on a president who often describes his actions with superlatives and has made no secret of his fondness for the British royals.

The day will begin when the king and Queen Camilla formally welcome the Trumps to Windsor Castle.

That will be followed by a horse-drawn carriage ride through the estate — 6,400 hectares (15,800 acres) of farms, forest and open space that includes a one-time royal hunting ground which is still home to 500 red deer.

Back at the castle, a military band will play “God Save the King” and “The Star-Spangled Banner” before Trump and the king inspect an honor guard of soldiers in traditional scarlet tunics and tall bearskin hats.

After a private lunch and a visit to an exhibit of documents and artwork illustrating the ties between Britain and the U.S., it will be time for the glitz and glamour of a state banquet.

Tiaras and medals will be on display as up to 160 guests in formal wear gather around a 50-meter long mahogany table set with 200-year-old silver to honor the president. Charles will deliver a speech, then the king and president will offer toasts.

Trump won’t, however, have the chance to address a joint session of Parliament as French President Emmanuel Macron did in July during his state visit, because the House of Commons is in recess. The president also missed out on that honor during his first state visit amid opposition from then-Speaker of the House John Bercow.

Source: https://apnews.com/article/britain-trump-state-visit-king-charles-9e888f6d58da8765ab7e0775d11fb350