Category: World

Christina Haack’s ex-husband Josh Hall scored major wins in their divorce settlement, nearly four months after their separation was finalized.

The businessman was granted a Tennessee home and condo, California property, furniture and several cars, including a Hondo Motorcycle, a 1970 Chevelle, a DeLorean from the 1980s and a 1940s Dodge, Us Weekly reported Thursday.

He’s also entitled to his company’s interests and will not have to pay back Haack the $100,000 she gave him during their divorce proceedings

Hall will maintain the full rights to his bank account and receive a $300,000 one-time payment from Haack.

The exes, however, both waived their rights to spousal support.

Haack, meanwhile, was granted her Newport Beach, Calif., mansion, several properties in Tennessee, the full rights to her business and her bank accounts.

Meghan Markle experienced an awkward exchange with a guest on Season 2 of her Netflix show, “With Love, Meghan,” when he bluntly let her know he wasn’t a fan of her show, “Suits.”

The Duchess of Sussex had mixologist Payman Bahmani-Bailey on her lifestyle show to teach her how to make different cocktails, and he shared that he actually used to be a lawyer in New York.

When Markle interjected and asked if he watched her legal drama “Suits,” he chuckled and replied, “No, no.”

“I don’t watch basic cable,” he continued, as Markle laughed.

Bahmani-Bailey further noted, “I like shows with curse words and stuff.”

Markle took the shade in stride, replying, “Great, I love it!”

Markle, 44, played Rachel Zane on USA Network’s “Suits” from 2011-2018. The show experienced a resurgence in popularity in 2023 when it was released on Netflix, becoming one of the streaming giant’s most-watched shows.

Although Season 2 of “With Love, Meghan” has received brutal reviews, the mother of two recently hit back at the haters. She surmised that people who criticize the show might actually like it.

“I think oftentimes, the negative voices are saying negative things, and then secretly going home and making single-skillet spaghetti? Possibly,” she quipped during her appearance on “The Circuit With Emily Chang.”

“And that’s all right. They’re trying to pay their bills, and that’s for them to sort out if they’re comfortable doing it at someone else’s detriment,” she added.

Source : https://pagesix.com/2025/08/28/royal-family/meghan-markle-humiliated-as-with-love-meghan-guest-shades-suits-as-a-basic-cable-show

Shortly after meeting Vladimir Putin in Moscow on August 6, U.S. special envoy Steve Witkoff delivered major news to Donald Trump: The Russian president was prepared to offer significant territorial concessions to end his war in Ukraine.
Following Witkoff’s readout to the U.S. president, described by two people briefed on the matter, Trump hailed his emissary’s “great progress” and agreed to hold a historic summit with Putin, indicating that a land swap was on the table.

But the diplomatic drive soon descended into confusion.
On an August 7 call with several European leaders, Witkoff indicated that Putin was willing to withdraw from the Ukrainian regions of Zaporizhzhia and Kherson in return for Kyiv ceding Donetsk and Luhansk, according to a source familiar with the exchange.
The proposal startled many of those on the call, since it departed sharply from their own assessments of Putin’s position, said four people with knowledge of the discussions, including U.S and European officials who requested anonymity to discuss sensitive matters.
Witkoff appeared to change his account the next day. In a call convened by U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio with European national security advisers, the envoy said Putin was not in fact offering to withdraw from the two territories in question, according to one of the sources.

Instead, U.S. officials indicated on the call Putin had signaled lesser concessions to Washington, including that he would not demand the West formally recognize Zaporizhzhia and Kherson as Russian, said a separate U.S. official.
Reuters couldn’t independently determine what was said in the Moscow meeting.
Witkoff, a real estate magnate with no background in diplomacy, broke with standard protocol by going to the meeting without a State Department notetaker and thus left without a record of Putin’s precise proposals, said one source with knowledge of internal administration dynamics.
Interviews with more than a dozen U.S. and European officials flesh out the Trump administration’s latest push to end the war in Ukraine, which culminated in the anti-climactic Trump-Putin summit in Alaska on August 15 that saw the leaders exchange warm words but no peace agreement.

The picture that emerges from the interviews is of an American president willing to move quickly on some foreign policy decisions, relying more on confidants and instinct than the traditional diplomatic channels and deliberative process typical of most prior administrations.
Trump’s supporters say his approach has yielded breakthroughs unimaginable under his predecessor, variously citing the opening of U.S. relations with the new Syrian government, the bombing of Iran’s nuclear facilities and the establishment of a direct line to Putin that could end a war that has killed hundreds of thousands of people.
Yet his seat-of-the-pants style has also created confusion within the administration and among allies, critics argue.
And despite the summit, the Ukrainian war is no closer to a conclusion, said Kurt Volker, a former U.S. ambassador to NATO who served as U.S. special representative for Ukraine in Trump’s first term.

“We are just exactly where we were before Trump took office,” Volker added. “Russia has not changed its position one iota. The war is raging on… We don’t have a clear strategy of how to get Putin to stop the war.”
The White House, which did not address specific episodes described in this story, defended Trump’s broad foreign policy and compared his record favorably to his predecessor.
“Joe Biden’s weak administration didn’t understand foreign policy and his ‘traditional process’ allowed Russia to invade Ukraine,” said Anna Kelly, a White House spokeswoman.
“In contrast, world leaders have affirmed that President Trump made more progress towards peace in two weeks than Joe Biden did in three-and-a-half years.”
A Russian missile and drone onslaught across Ukraine early on Thursday, which included the second-biggest bombardment of Kyiv of the war with those weapons, drove home the lack of progress in Trump’s peace drive. His special envoy to Ukraine, Keith Kellogg, denounced the attacks as “egregious” in a post on X and said they “threaten the peace” the president is pursuing.
Some U.S. officials, including Kellogg, had been frustrated that Witkoff after his Moscow meeting had introduced conflicting new information into the discussion at a time when the U.S. was finally adopting a firmer line on Russia, said a U.S. official and the source familiar with administration dynamics.
Before the Moscow meeting, the Trump administration had indicated the president would hit Russia with new sanctions or tariffs on August 8 if Putin did not agree to end his war in Ukraine, a deadline that came and went.
The State Department, which handles public affairs for Rubio, Witkoff and Kellogg, said those three officials were in “lockstep” in implementing Trump’s America First foreign policy.
“Any claim otherwise is untrue and unproductive,” said Tommy Pigott, the department’s principal deputy spokesperson.
A separate spokesman for Kellogg reiterated that position, saying he and Witkoff have a close working relationship and were in regular contact.
The Ukrainian and Russian embassies in Washington did not respond to requests for comment.

TRANSATLANTIC CONFUSION REIGNS

Trump’s reliance on trusted advisers like Witkoff has been accompanied by an aggressive purge of the U.S. national security establishment and the firing or reassignment of Russia and Ukraine experts at the Pentagon, State Department and National Security Council.
Witkoff, a close of friend of Trump’s, has won praise for his work ethic. But some U.S. and European officials worry that the Russians are taking advantage of his lack of experience at the negotiating table, Reuters has previously reported.
In the hours following Witkoff’s August 6 Moscow meeting, both he and Trump indicated they believed a breakthrough occurred. The next day, Trump said he could soon meet with the Russian leader, while later saying that a swapping of territories would be needed to end the war.
This alarmed European officials, who fear that a more lenient U.S. policy toward Putin under Trump could force the Ukrainians to make painful concessions to end the conflict that began with Russia’s seizure of Crimea in 2014 and intensified with its full-scale invasion in 2022.
The Europeans spent the following days trying to determine from their American counterparts precisely what Putin said to Witkoff, according to several U.S. and European officials.
Some senior U.S. officials, including Kellogg and Rubio, were also initially in the dark about some details of the Witkoff meeting, according to a U.S. official and the source familiar with administration dynamics, who did not provide additional details.
Even as some European officials publicly praised Trump for his diplomatic efforts, many were privately concerned.
Ukrainian officials told senior German officials on August 13 that their intelligence indicated Putin planned to use the summit with Trump to play for time ahead of a potential Russian offensive in October or November, according to a German source with knowledge of the warning.
The German government declined to provide additional details.

‘TRUMP WILL BE LEFT WITH NO CHOICE’

Trump’s August 15 summit with Putin in Anchorage yielded no obvious advances. He had already lowered expectations in the days leading up to the meeting, portraying it as one step in a diplomatic process rather than an opportunity to strike a deal.
The U.S. president didn’t make any territorial concessions on Ukraine’s behalf, though came out of the meeting saying a temporary ceasefire was not a precondition for a lasting peace – a position held by Putin but not by most European leaders.
European allies immediately began strategizing how to influence Trump’s next move.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy, who was due to meet Trump in Washington on August 18, asked European leaders over the weekend to join him, according to a German government spokesperson.
The leaders debated whether to go with Zelenskiy in an effort to avert a fiasco like the Oval Office showdown in February, where Trump and Vice President JD Vance berated the Ukrainian leader, according to two European sources.
Ultimately, the August 18 meeting, was a success, signaling renewed U.S.-European cooperation, several European diplomats told Reuters. Just last year, on the campaign trail, Trump had encouraged Russia to attack NATO allies that did not pay their fair share on defense.
The most material agreement: Trump and European leaders agreed to formally draft the contours of future security guarantees for Ukraine. In recent days, foreign ministers and military officials have held calls to determine the role each country would play in that effort.

Source : https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/land-swap-that-wasnt-inside-trumps-frantic-dash-ukraine-peace-2025-08-28/

CDC Director Susan Monarez was fired on Wednesday after resisting changes to vaccine policy that were advanced by Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and that she believed contradicted scientific evidence, a close associate said on Thursday.
The revelation and interviews with top officials who resigned in the wake of the director’s firing underscored the growing division over the U.S. approach to public health and the upheaval at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which protects U.S. health and has played a global role in eradicating smallpox, reducing polio, and controlling HIV/AIDS.

Fellow CDC employees cheered the three departing officials as they left the Atlanta campus on Thursday in a show of defiance toward Kennedy and his unscientific claims about vaccines.
Richard Besser, former acting director of the CDC, told reporters that he spoke with Monarez on Wednesday.
“She said that there were two things she would never do in the job. One was anything that was deemed illegal, and the second was anything that she felt flew in the face of science, and she said she was asked to do both of those,” Besser said. He added that Monarez refused to dismiss her leadership team without cause.

The three top CDC officials who quit after Monarez’s dismissal told Reuters on Thursday they too had resigned over anti-vaccine policies and misinformation pushed by Kennedy and his team.
Kennedy has made sweeping changes to vaccine policies since taking office this year, including firing its entire expert vaccine advisory panel and replacing them with like-minded anti-vaccine activists and other hand-picked advisers.
The White House named Jim O’Neill, currently deputy secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services, as interim leader of the CDC, an administration official said.
“(Monarez) was not aligned with the president’s mission to Make America Healthy Again, and the secretary asked her to resign. She said she would, and then she said she wouldn’t, so the president fired her,” White House spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt said on Thursday.

ESCORTED OFF CAMPUS

The trio of departed officials – Chief Medical Officer Debra Houry, National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases Director Demetre Daskalakis and National Center for Emerging and Zoonotic Infectious Diseases Director Daniel Jernigan – were escorted from the CDC’s Atlanta headquarters campus on Thursday, according to four sources familiar with the situation.

CDC staffers, many wearing green shirts and ribbons as a symbol of support for public health scientists, clapped, hugged and cheered them outside the gates. The site was just steps away from where a gunman had sprayed hundreds of rounds of bullets into the building on August 8, killing a police officer before turning the gun on himself.
Houry and Daskalakis cited a rise in health misinformation, particularly on vaccines, attacks on science, the weaponization of public health, and attempts to cut the agency’s budget in their resignation letters reviewed by Reuters.
“I’m a doctor. I took the Hippocratic oath that said, ‘First, do no harm.’ I believe harm is going to happen, and so I can’t be a part of it,” Daskalakis said in an interview.
HHS did not respond to a request for comment.
Since taking office in January, Trump has wrested control over U.S. government agencies long seen as independent from presidential politics as they oversee such matters as elections, stock markets and labor unrest. Monarez is one of at least three Senate-confirmed regulatory officials Trump has moved to fire in recent days, including Federal Reserve Governor Lisa Cook and Surface Transportation Board member Robert Primus.
Kennedy declined to comment during a Thursday interview on the specifics of the departures.
“The agency is in trouble, and we need to fix it and we are fixing it. And it may be that some people should not be working there anymore,” he told Fox News’ “Fox and Friends” program.
Besser said Kennedy insisted Monarez accept all of the revamped vaccine committee’s future recommendations. The CDC director traditionally has the final say on vaccine policy and can accept or reject committee recommendations.
The CDC has been heavily criticized by health experts in recent months for dropping its recommendation that pregnant women be vaccinated against COVID and for narrowing its backing of the shots for children with health complications.

Source : https://www.reuters.com/legal/litigation/fired-cdc-director-clashed-with-kennedy-on-vaccine-policy-2025-08-28/

A 10-year-old acted like a human shield to protect a younger schoolmate. An eighth-grader prayed while hiding under a pew. A frightened 11-year-old asked her father to lock the doors and draw the curtains when she arrived home.
These were just a handful of stories of courage and fear that have emerged a day after Wednesday’s horrific shooting at a Minneapolis church during a Mass for Catholic school children.

One of the students at Annunciation Catholic Church during the deadly morning attack took a shotgun blast to his back after putting his body in the line of fire trying to protect another child, county health officials said.
“There’s a lot of maybe unrecognized heroes in this event, along with the children that were protecting other children,” said Martin Scheerer, a director at Hennepin Emergency Medical Services. “The teachers were getting shot at. They were protecting the kids.”
The shooter killed two children and wounded 18 teachers and children, including a child taken to hospital in critical condition. The shooter was found dead from a self-inflicted gunshot wound, and the FBI is investigating the attack as domestic terrorism.

In the U.S., deadly gun violence has grown more common at schools, churches and other settings once considered safe, despite efforts to beef up security and identify potential perpetrators before they can act.
The shooter, armed with a rifle, a pistol and a shotgun, fired through the stained glass windows at students from Annunciation Catholic School at a service to celebrate the new school year.
Chloe Francoual, 11, was among the students who were terrified and traumatized by the flying bullets and shattered glass.
“She thought she was going to die with her friends,” her father, Vincent Francoual, said in an interview.
After father and daughter were reunited in the school gym after the attack, the pair burst into tears, he said. Later, Chloe wanted all the doors in the house locked and the curtains drawn, and implored her father not to walk the dog for fear of dangers outside.

“She’s just a little girl,” her father said. “She’s feeling all this guilt that she is OK, but her friends aren’t.”
Young survivors and witnesses of such violence often experience a range of symptoms in the first few weeks after the event, according to Dr. Gail Saltz, a clinical associate professor of psychiatry at the New York-Presbyterian Hospital and Weill Cornell Medical College.
As part of an “acute stress reaction” they may have separation anxiety, trouble sleeping or experience a temporary regression of developmental steps such as a return to bed-wetting, Saltz said.

The shooter, identified as Robin Westman, 23, shared a suicide note in a video posted to YouTube. Westman described struggles with anger and depression and a belief that death was near because of a vaping habit. Westman also made reference to other deadly U.S. school shootings.

DEBATE OVER ACCESS TO GUNS AND MENTAL HEALTHCARE

State and federal authorities said the shooter was driven by hatred, a fascination with U.S. mass shootings and a desire for notoriety.
“The shooter was obsessed with the idea of killing children,” said Joe Thompson, acting U.S. Attorney for Minnesota, who cited writings the shooter left behind. “The shooter wanted to watch children suffer.”
In a country that has grown accustomed to mass shootings, each new attack stirs a long-running national debate over the causes: easy access to guns versus treatment of mental illness in a country with expensive, privatized healthcare.
U.S. Health Secretary Robert Kennedy, Jr. said his agency was investigating whether antidepressants and other drugs prescribed to some transgender people were a factor in the sort of deadly violence seen at the Annunciation Church.
The vast majority of U.S. mass shootings are done by teenage boys and young men. Westman was a transgender woman, according to court records marking her name change as a teenager.
FBI Director Kash Patel said agents had evidence the shooting was an “act of domestic terrorism motivated by a hate-filled ideology.” Westman’s writings included anti-Catholic prejudice and a call for the killing of U.S. President Donald Trump, a Republican, Patel said.
Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey, a Democrat, was joined by several gun-control advocacy groups to call for a ban on certain high-capacity semi-automatic rifles, sometimes called assault weapons. A 2008 U.S. Supreme Court ruling reaffirmed the right of individual Americans to own guns.
The mayor took issue with the view of many conservatives who say the prevalence of gun violence in the U.S. is a mental health issue, unrelated to access to firearms.
“People who say, ‘This is not about guns,’ you gotta be kidding me: this is about guns,” Frey said on Thursday in an interview with ABC News.
“A 10-year-old boy had more courage hiding in a church pew while his friend shielded him with his body than I have seen from far too many lawmakers more beholden to a gun lobby than a child,” said Angela Ferrell-Zabala, executive director of Moms Demand Action, a gun violence prevention group.

Source : https://www.reuters.com/world/us/minneapolis-children-revealed-courage-absorbed-fear-during-church-shooting-2025-08-28/

Donna Kelce marked the occasion by changing her Facebook cover photo to side-by-side childhood pictures of her son and Swift.

Travis Kelce’s mother has publicly shown her support for his engagement to Taylor Swift.

The NFL star and the singer, both 35, revealed the engagement news on Tuesday (Aug 26) when they both shared images of the proposal in a flower garden with the caption: “Your English teacher and your gym teacher are getting married.”

And Travis Kelce’s mum, Donna Kelce, 72, has now marked the occasion by changing her Facebook cover photo to side-by-side childhood pictures of her son and Swift.

The couple’s engagement post went viral in seconds. It followed months of speculation about the couple, who first went public in September 2023 when Swift appeared with Donna Kelce in a private box at a Chiefs game.

The following month, Donna Kelce spoke about the experience on the Got It From My Momma podcast. She said: “I feel like I’m in an alternate universe, because it’s something I’ve never been involved with before.”

Two days before the engagement was announced, Donna Kelce hinted at the news when asked about her son’s state of mind.

She told People: “I think his mind is settled. That’s about all I can tell you.”

Travis Kelce’s father, Ed Kelce, 73, also spoke about the engagement in an interview with News 5 Cleveland. Asked by reporter John Kosich whether he would be paying for the rehearsal dinner, Ed Kelce said: “I think he’ll help me out on that one.”

Ed Kelce added that Travis proposed to Swift almost two weeks before it was announced, at his home in Lee’s Summit, Missouri.

He said: “He got her out there, they were about to go out to dinner, and he said, ‘Let’s go out and have a glass of wine’… they got out there, and that’s when he asked her, and it was beautiful.

“They started FaceTiming me and their mother and her folks to make sure everybody knew. So, to see them together is great.”

Ed Kelce also revealed his advice to his son ahead of the proposal. He said: “I told him repeatedly, you could do it on the side of the road, do it any place that makes it a special event… when you get down on one knee and ask her to marry you.”

Swift’s engagement ring – an oval-cut diamond set in yellow gold – drew huge attention online, with fans noting its vintage style and hidden details, including a small ‘T’ on one side of the stone.

Some speculated there might be a matching initial on the opposite side to represent Taylor and Travis.

Source : https://cnalifestyle.channelnewsasia.com/entertainment/travis-kelce-taylor-swift-donna-kelce-470411

Alphabet-owned YouTube and Fox said on Thursday they have reached an agreement that will keep Fox News, Fox Sports and other Fox channels available to YouTube TV subscribers.

The companies did not disclose the financial terms of the agreement.

Earlier this week YouTube had been in negotiations with Fox, with the media company asking for payments above those received by partners providing comparable content.

On Wednesday, YouTube said it reached a short-term agreement with Fox that would buy time for the parties to reach a new distribution agreement.

In February, YouTube TV reached a deal with media giant Paramount Global to keep channels like CBS, Comedy Central and Nickelodeon available, after failed negotiations for a new contract had briefly left the future of the streaming partnership in limbo.

The carriage dispute caught the attention of Federal Communications Commission Chairman Brendan Carr, who said that the company removing Fox channels from its YouTube TV would be “a terrible outcome”.

Source : https://www.channelnewsasia.com/business/youtube-reaches-agreement-fox-prevent-disruption-5321446

Another weak earthquake struck the Malaysian state of Johor on Thursday (Aug 28), registering a magnitude of 2.5.

The Malaysian Meteorological Department (MetMalaysia) said the quake occurred at about 8pm, 13km north of the town of Segamat and at a depth of 10km.

The agency added that tremors were felt in Johor and that it would continue to monitor the situation.

It also called on members of the public who experienced the tremors to fill in an online form with key information, such as their address, contact details, as well as the time and duration of the tremor.

Respondents could also indicate if they heard a loud sound or if they noticed any structural damage.

Malaysian Minister of Federal Territories Dr Zaliha Mustafa urged Segamat residents to remain calm, monitor official information from MetMalaysia and not be swayed by unverified news.

“This is the fourth incident recorded … so far, no injuries or property damage have been reported,” she said in a post on X.

A resident told Harian Metro that he had been sitting on a chair when he felt the tremor, which lasted several seconds.

SERIES OF QUAKES

Some residents in Johor were jolted by a 4.1-magnitude earthquake early on Sunday that occurred 5km west of Segamat. Tremors were also felt in Negeri Sembilan, Melaka and southern Pahang.

It sparked panic among some Segamat residents, who also described hearing a loud sound. Footage of the moment captured on closed-circuit television cameras showed vehicles shaking briefly and car alarms going off.

A second, milder 2.8-magnitude quake struck several hours later, with an epicentre 28km northwest of the Johor town of Kluang.

Reports of minor damage later surfaced on social media and in local media reports.

A third earthquake hit Johor on Wednesday, with tremors felt across the state and in the south of Pahang.

It had a magnitude of 3.2 and struck 18km south of Segamat, at a depth of 10km.

Source : https://www.channelnewsasia.com/asia/malaysia-earthquake-johor-segamat-tremors-5320326

Britain summoned Russia’s ambassador on Thursday (Aug 28) after a wave of Russian missile and drone strikes pounded Ukraine overnight, killing at least 21 people and damaging buildings including the British Council office and the European Union Delegation in Kyiv.

“(Russian President Vladimir) Putin’s strikes last night killed civilians, destroyed homes and damaged buildings, including the British Council and EU Delegation in Kyiv,” UK Foreign Secretary David Lammy said on X. “We have summoned the Russian ambassador. The killing and destruction must stop.”

DEADLY STRIKES

Kyiv officials said the overnight assault, one of the biggest in recent months, also injured at least 63 people. The strikes hit residential areas as well as diplomatic and commercial sites, damaging the British Council, the EU Delegation, a Turkish enterprise and the Azerbaijan embassy.

“This was Moscow’s answer to diplomatic efforts to end the war,” Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said. He called for new sanctions on Russia, saying: “Russia chooses ballistics instead of the negotiating table. It chooses to continue killing instead of ending the war.”

Ukraine’s military said Russian forces launched 31 missiles and nearly 600 drones nationwide. It claimed to have downed 26 missiles and 563 drones, though energy facilities were struck, triggering power cuts.

Russia’s Defence Ministry said it targeted military industrial facilities and air bases. Moscow has regularly denied striking civilians.

WHITE HOUSE REACTS

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said President Donald Trump “was not happy about this news, but he was also not surprised,” adding he would make a further statement later on Thursday.

“These are two countries that have been at war for a very long time,” she said. “The president wants it to end but perhaps both sides are not ready to end it themselves.”

The strikes came less than two weeks after Trump hosted Putin in Alaska, a meeting the US leader hoped would advance peace efforts.

GLOBAL CONDEMNATION

EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen called the assault “another grim reminder of what is at stake”, saying it showed the Kremlin “will stop at nothing to terrorise Ukraine, blindly killing civilians and even targeting the European Union”.

She said two missiles landed within 20 seconds of each other near the EU office in Kyiv. EU countries are preparing a 19th package of sanctions and continuing work on how to use frozen Russian assets to aid Ukraine.

Source : https://www.channelnewsasia.com/world/uk-summons-russian-envoy-after-missile-strikes-kyiv-kill-least-21-5320951

DETAILS into Barron Trump’s college life have been revealed, from dating rumors to his next plans.

Seldom information has come out since Barron’s last public appearance with the president, which was his dad’s inauguration in January.

But the first son, 19, captured the nation’s attention last year when he started at New York University for a business degree.

A source told People that the incoming sophomore is more focused on his own business ventures than the whirlwind of other priorities for a typical college student.

“Barron has been actively working on his own financial interests and has spent time with others who he is involved with in that area,” the person said of how Barron has spent his summer.

“Still, he has spent a great deal of time with his family.

“I don’t think that’s a big deal in his life right now,” the source told People, speaking of dating rumors.

“He has more school, a family who dotes on him and a career of his own he is launching.”

His dad had once commented on the teenager’s love life, when one month into Barron’s first semester, Donald Trump said on a podcast that he didn’t “think he’s had a girlfriend yet.”

But rumors popped up on his romantic endeavors in May, when an unnamed source told NewsNation that he had a girlfriend.

“Barron has a really nice girlfriend and hangs out with her a lot,” the person told the outlet, although it remains unconfirmed if he actually had a girlfriend at the time.

Barron is looking to put his newly learned business tactics to use, however, following the same path as his dad.

“He is interested in business in general, developing properties, making money, and being involved in successful projects,” the person said.

“He has his own ideas and understands what people of his age are looking for.”

The source called Barron “quite entrepreneurial, bright, and not shy about getting his own career in gear.”

He’s set to begin his fall semester at NYU, located in Manhattan, on September 3.

Barron has notoriously stayed out of the spotlight since his father began his political career for the 2016 election.

But he is one of the main people that his dad has credited with his 2024 presidential win.

“He knew the youth vote,” Trump said at his inauguration in January.

Source : https://www.the-sun.com/news/15069548/barron-trump-dating-life-girlfriend-rumors-donald-trump/

 

THE two victims of the Minneapolis Catholic school shooting have been named as Fletcher Merkel and Harper Moyski.

Eight-year-old Fletcher and 10-year-old Harper were both killed during mass at Annunciation Catholic School on Wednesday with their families now paying heartbreaking tributes.

In a heartbreaking statement, Fletcher’s dad Jessie said: “Fletcher loved his family, friends, fishing, cooking, and any sports that he was allowed to play.

“While the hole in our hearts and lives will never be filled, I hope that in time, our family can find healing.”

The devastated father added that Fletcher was “on the path to becoming to a wonderful young man”.

Jessie didn’t say Robin’s name as spoke today but instead referred to him as a “coward”.

He blamed him for taking away his ability to “hold him, talk to him, play with him, and watch him grow”.

Fletcher’s grieving father also asked the public to remember his little boy “for the person he was and not the act that ended his life”.

Harper Moyski’s parents also announced their daughter was killed in the shooting on Thursday as they called her a “bright, joyful and deeply-loved 10 year old whose laughter, kindness and spirit touched everyone who knew her.”

They added the family “are shattered and words cannot capture the depth of our pain.”

Their tribute continued: “Our hearts are broken, not only as parents, but also for Harper’s sister, who adored her big sister and is grieving an unimaginable loss.:

The grief-stricken parents then called for action on gun laws, insisting their daughter’s memory should “fuel action”.

They said: “We urge our leaders and communities to take meaningful steps to address gun violence and the mental health crisis in this country.

“Change is possible and it is necessary – so that Harper’s story does not become yet another in a long line of tragedies.”

Sick lone gunman Robin Westman, 23, fired 116 bullets at defenseless kids and teachers in the horror attack.

Another 18 people were injured, including children aged between six and 15 as well as three adults in their 80s.

They were all said to be sat in pews inside the church as Westman, dressed in all black and carrying three guns, opened fire with a rifle through the stained glass windows.

The killer then turned the gun on himself in the parking lot before police could arrive.

Minneapolis’s main trauma hospital Hennepin Healthcare is still caring for nine patients injured in the shooting.

This includes one child who remains in a critical condition, according to the hospital’s interim CEO Thomas Klemond.

Children’s Minnesota Hospital also has three children still in its care.

The Annunciation Catholic School was starting only its first week back and was holding the first mass of the year when the children were attacked.

Although a motive hasn’t been officially released, the shooter posted a disturbing video with what appeared to be a manifesto, apologizing to his family members.

The footage then showed multiple guns scribbled with offensive phrases as Westman displayed a great deal of bullets and writings.

In the 11-minute clip seen by The U.S. Sun before it was taken down, the stash of guns shown had several disturbing phrases scrawled on the sides.

The shooter also apologized to family members of the victims, but expressed disdain for the innocent children targeted in the deadly attack.

A rifle, shotgun, and pistol were all on Westman during the sick attack.

He fired off 116 rounds with a rifle, 3 shotgun bullets, and attempted to shoot the pistol, but it got stuck, according to police.

All of the weapons were purchased legally by the shooter soon before the crime, cops confirmed.

Survivors have recalled the chaos that unfolded inside the church as fifth grader Weston Halsne told CNN he and his pal hid under the pews as shots were fired.

Halsne’s pal shielded him, blocking him from being hit.

“First I was like, ‘What is that?’” he told the NBC affiliate WSNS-TV.

“Then I heard again, I just ran under the pew, and then I covered my head.”

“My friend Victor like saved me, though, because he laid on top of me, but he got hit.”

Halsne, 10, said he felt what he thought was gunpowder on his neck.

The shooting has reignited a fierce debate over gun laws in the US.

Minneapolis mayor Jacob Frey has now called for a statewide and federal ban on assault weapons.

In a powerful message, Frey said: “Thoughts and prayers are not going to cut it. It’s on all of us to see this through.

Source : https://www.the-sun.com/news/15070775/minneapolis-school-shooting-victim-pictured/

Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni and European MP Alessandra Moretti were among the high-profile Italian women whose images were subject to lewd and violent content.

An explicit content platform in Italy was forced to close on Thursday, after it was discovered that users had displayed photos of high-profile women without their consent.

The content on the site included images of Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni and European Parliament member Alessandra Moretti, opposition leader Elly Schlein and influencer Chiara Ferragni.

The online forum, dubbed Phica, derived its name from Italian slang for female genitalia, and has been around for at least two decades.

Some 200,000 users frequented the site and displayed pictures identified by names or certain themes.

The images of the women appeared to have been lifted from TV or social media profiles.

Obscene and explicit posts were tagged to the content, including idealized violence against women.

Sexism with ‘impunity’

Backlash grew over the site’s activities when Moretti formally lodged a complaint with police after finding her photo on the site displayed without her permission.

“They have been stealing photos and clips from TV shows I’ve appeared on for years, then altering them and feeding them to thousands of users,” Moretti said.

The EU MP said the site was just one among many in Italy that operate “with impunity,” despite numerous complaints filed against them.

“This type of site, which incites rape and violence, must be shut down and banned,” she said.

The platform’s administrators posted statement on Thursday saying that the site would be shut down “with great regret” due to “toxic behaviors” and a “wrong use of the platform, which damaged its original spirit.”

Italy’s struggle with gender-based violence

It all comes after a similar case involving the Italian Facebook group “Mia Moglie” (“My Wife”) also drew condemnation across the country.

In the online group of more than 30,000 men, users uploaded photos of their partners without their consent and shared them, where the images also drew obscene comments.

Source : https://www.dw.com/en/italian-platforms-sexist-content-targets-meloni-and-others/a-73801917

The French president and German chancellor are meeting in Toulon, where it’s hoped they will get the successor to the Eurofighter jet back on track. Berlin has accused the French arms industry of blocking negotiations.

It’s the most expensive single defense project in Europe, with a projected cost of at least €100 billion ($116.6 billion). From 2040, the Future Combat Air System (FCAS) aims to combine a new European fighter jet with fleets of drones controlled via a European defense cloud.

“It’s more like a flying combat system,” Christian Mölling, a German security expert, told DW. The goal is to reduce European dependence on the United States and the F-35 fighter jets, equipped with stealth technology, that the US produces.

However, the two companies involved — Dassault in France, and Airbus in Germany and Spain — are embroiled in a dispute, primarily about the manufacture of the plane itself.

Pressure from the French manufacturer Dassault

This row has now escalated to the point that the big bosses have had to step in. The French president, Emmanuel Macron, and the German chancellor, Friedrich Merz, unexpectedly announced that they would be attending the Franco-German Defense and Security Council meeting in the French city of Toulon on Friday. The council meets twice a year, usually without attracting much attention from the general public.

In recent months, however, Eric Trappier, the CEO of the French fighter jet manufacturer Dassault, has been piling on the pressure. His company makes key components for France’s nuclear deterrent, which is a fundamental part of the country’s military independence.

In April, Trappier played the national card before the defense committee in the French parliament. Some people, he said, were of the opinion that the “weakening of this independence,” which the FCAS project would bring about, “was not that damaging” as the mutual dependence of the European partners would compensate for it. Trappier, however, argued that “once you take this step, there’s no going back.”

Airbus Germany insists on a share of production

France must, therefore, weigh up very carefully “what we would be ceding to our allies,” said Trappier. To proponents of a pan-European arms industry, these are provocative words.

Political leaders will have to decide with whom France is to build the next-generation fighter jet.

The European aircraft manufacturer Airbus also insists that it must have a say. Airbus Germany manufactures the Eurofighter, the fighter jet currently used by the German air force, and doesn’t want to lose this business.

“It is something Germany does very well, and Germany would like to maintain that,” the armaments expert Emil Archambault, from the Berlin think tank the German Council on Foreign Relations (DGAP), told DW.

Contract negotiations for phase two

The Franco-German row has now escalated because the contracts for the next phase of the project are currently under negotiation. This second phase involves the construction of the first prototype of the plane that will be at the heart of the new system. Dassault is demanding even greater decision-making power in this phase than it already has.

Archambault pointed out that the precise distribution could be changed: “For example, so that France builds a larger part of the plane,” while boosting production of other elements in Germany and Spain. “But that can also be very complicated. Because it’s not only the main companies that are involved; there are the medium-sized suppliers as well. It’s a question of who exactly does what, and who coordinates it.” In an online ad campaign, Airbus certainly wants to convey the impression that it is the technological leader.

Political signal expected in Toulon

Archambault didn’t expect the meeting of the French and German leaders in Toulon to yield much more than a “political signal” that their two countries would continue to collaborate on the project. He pointed out that they could hardly go into contractual details when the third partner in the enterprise — Spain — was absent.

But they are running out of time. During Macron’s visit to Berlin in July, he and Merz agreed that their defense ministers would present a definitive solution by autumn. If they don’t, it will no longer be realistic for the second phase of the project to begin next year.

Right now, though, the German chancellor probably has the better arguments — and above all, more money. France is deeply in debt, and its government may be about to collapse if it doesn’t get majority backing for its budget.

“What’s unusual is that Germany is in the unique position of not currently having to prioritize between short-term and long-term armament projects, because defense spending has been exempted from the debt brake,” said security expert Mölling.

Rapid rearmament more important than future-oriented projects?

Mölling added that, in light of the threat from Russia and Moscow’s war in Ukraine, Germany currently had “a very short-term armaments agenda, which is to buy more of what we already have, and what works. Then there are future-oriented projects like FCAS: They’re not as important right now.” Mölling thought that it was not out of the question that the FCAS project would be slimmed down, or the timeline extended.

However, he imagined that a change of perspective could also help to deescalate the row with the French manufacturer Dassault.

“Even if some people don’t like to hear it,” he explained, with a nod to France’s pride in its fighter jet production, “the jet — that is, the airframe — is by no means the most important technology” involved in FCAS. In Mölling’s view, the drones, the “so-called carriers,” were far more important, while the “Combat Cloud,” the software that links all the combat systems together, was perhaps more important still.

Source : https://www.dw.com/en/merz-and-macron-to-focus-on-new-european-fighter-jet/a-73801497

Nvidia (NVDA.O), shares dipped on Wednesday as the fate of its China business hung in the balance, caught up in the trade war between Washington and Beijing.
CEO Jensen Huang expects permission to restart selling Nvidia’s chips to China after striking a deal with U.S. President Donald Trump to pay commissions to the U.S. government. But with no formal U.S. rules in place and questions about whether Chinese regulators will discourage purchases of Nvidia chips, the AI market bellwether excluded potential China sales from the forecast for the current quarter.

That left only a lukewarm outlook that, while still huge in absolute dollar terms and slightly above analyst estimates, disappointed investors accustomed to blowout results and sent shares down 3.2% in after-hours trading. The stock dip clipped about $110 billion from Nvidia’s $4.4 trillion market capitalization.
“Nvidia’s biggest bottleneck isn’t silicon, it’s diplomacy,” said Michael Ashley Schulman, chief investment officer at Running Point Capital. He added that Nvidia’s growth curve was “still impressive, but not as exponential.”
The chipmaker expects revenue of $54 billion, plus or minus 2%, in the third quarter, compared with analysts’ average estimate of $53.14 billion, according to data compiled by LSEG. But its fiscal second-quarter results came up short of some analyst expectations in its important data center segment, with some analysts suggesting cloud computing providers may be more cautious about spending.

Nvidia also said it has not assumed any shipments of its H20 chips to China in its outlook, despite having earlier this month received some licenses to sell them. If geopolitical issues subside and it gets more orders, Nvidia said it could add $2 billion to $5 billion in H20 revenue in the third quarter.
While Nvidia’s forecast came in a bit softer than expectations, any sales to China next quarter would be added to the outlook, said Ben Bajarin, CEO of technology consulting firm Creative Strategies. “That is a big question mark to watch.”
Still, demand has surged for Nvidia’s advanced chips that can speedily process the large amounts of data used by generative AI applications as businesses race each other to dominate the new technology.
Chief Financial Officer Colette Kress said the company’s “sovereign AI” efforts – a push to sell AI chips and software to governments around the world – are on track to generate $20 billion in revenue this year. Kress also said AI efforts are on track to spur $600 billion in spending by cloud and enterprise customers this year alone and could generate $3 trillion to $4 trillion in infrastructure spending by the end of the decade.

Big Tech companies including Meta Platforms (META.O), and Microsoft (MSFT.O), have been spending liberally to support their AI ambitions, and Nvidia is the biggest beneficiary, with a significant chunk of this spending funneled toward its chips.
The company said that about half of its $41 billion in data center revenue came from large cloud service providers during the latest quarter.
That was slightly below estimates of $41.42 billion, according to data from Visible Alpha. Nvidia also forecast adjusted gross margins of 73.5% for the current quarter, only slightly above analyst estimates of 73.3%, according to LSEG data.
“The data center results, while massive, showed hints that hyperscaler spending could tighten at the margins if near-term returns from AI applications remain difficult to quantify,” said eMarketer analyst Jacob Bourne.

Shares of Advanced Micro Devices (AMD.O), which is developing AI servers to rival Nvidia’s, were also down 1.4% after Nvidia’s results.
Enthusiasm for AI stocks, centered around Nvidia as Wall Street engaged in picks-and-shovels trading, has been the dominating force behind the rally of the S&P 500 Index over the last two years.
“This is the smallest reaction to an earnings report in Nvidia’s AI incarnation,” said Jake Behan, head of capital markets at Direxion in New York. “While it may not have been a blowout, it’s not a miss.”
Nvidia had in May expected the curbs to shave off $8 billion in sales from the July quarter. The company reported revenue of $46.74 billion for the second quarter, beating estimates of $46.06 billion.

Source : https://www.reuters.com/world/china/nvidia-still-growing-china-uncertainty-clouds-outlook-2025-08-27/

FORD has issued an urgent recall of its most popular truck, and more than 355,000 vehicles are affected, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration said.

The cars had a dangerous issue that could leave drivers literally in the dark – even in the middle of the day.

Several Ford models were found to have issues with the instrument panel display, the administration announced on Wednesday.

The affected 2025-2026 models include the F-550 SC, F-450 SD, F-350 SD, F-250 SD, and the 2025 F-150.

The instrument panel cluster shows key information like speed, fuel levels, and navigation, and flashes safety-related telltales.

So any drivers who have one of the affected trucks should take them straight to the dealership as they’re at higher risk of a crash, the administration said.

The panel has been reported to fail when the engine starts, and Ford believes this stems from a software issue related to the sleep function.

Affected drivers can get software help at dealerships or can get over-the-phone help to walk through an update, the brand told The U.S. Sun.

At least 95 warranty claims have been filed related to this issue, but no one has reported any accidents or injuries, according to Ford.

“Owners will be notified by mail and instructed to take their vehicle to a Ford or Lincoln dealer to have the IPC module software updated or through software over-the-air to disable the memory protection feature, free of charge,” a Ford spokesperson said.

The product recall comes just days after 103,000 other Ford trucks were immediately pulled from roads.

The American brand warned drivers that there were faulty axle hub splines on thousands of F-150s.

The defective parts could cause the vehicle to roll away when the parking brake isn’t applied or cause the driver to lose control.

“Both of these conditions can increase the risk of a crash,” the NHTSA wrote in a recall notice on August 15.

A spokesperson for the brand said that no accidents had been reported due to the malfunction, according to CBS News.

Any driver who starts to hear a rattling noise in their F-150 should immediately head to the dealership, as this could be an indication that he axle is failing.

Affected vehicles included any truck that was purchased between January 2, 2023, and May 21, 2025.

RECORD-BREAKING RECALLS

As of July, Ford has issued record-breaking recalls this year, according to the Wall Street Journal.

The outlet reported in July that the brand announced 88 safety recalls, which surpassed all other brands.

The worrying achievement came after the iconic American name confirmed that 700,000 vehicles were at risk of fuel leaks thanks to cracked fuel injectors.

Source : https://www.the-sun.com/motors/15057405/ford-recall-trucks-f150-panel-failure/

Germany’s chancellor says Russia wants to lure Moldova back into its “sphere of influence.” The visit of top EU leaders comes weeks ahead of crucial Moldovan elections.

Many Moldovans are sick of hearing these familiar descriptions of their country: a small ex-Soviet state, one of Europe’s poorest nations, a place caught between Russia and the West.

That’s not because these statements are untrue, but because, over the past few years, Moldova’s government has been throwing all its weight behind efforts to update that image. Officials say that, first and foremost, Moldova — which sits between Ukraine and EU and NATO state Romania — is a future member of the European Union, firmly oriented toward the West.

In a way, that proposition never looked more solid than on Wednesday when three top EU leaders — German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, French President Emmanuel Macron and Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk — showed up in the capital, Chisinau, to mark Moldova’s independence day alongside its leader, Maia Sandu.

“The alternative to Europe does not exist. Without the EU, Moldova remains blocked in the past,” Sandu told citizens.

“We feel this with each bomb dropped on the country next door. Russia’s war in Ukraine shows on a daily basis that Europe means freedom and peace. Putin’s Russia means war and death.”

Election stress test

But the leaders’ visit is also testament to just how fragile Moldova’s pro-Europe pivot feels now, a few weeks out from crucial parliamentary elections which will test the governing party and may weaken its influence.

Germany’s Merz told Moldovans that the fact that the country has chosen a path toward the EU cannot be “taken for granted.”

“Things could still take a different turn,” he said, pointing to the potentially “decisive” vote on the horizon.

The challenge facing Moldova’s pro-Western government is partly due to the regular ups and downs of democracy, like citizen frustration as the country deals with the economic fallout of the war next door.

Though Sandu’s pro-Europe party is still topping polls, some regions of Moldova consistently back Moscow-friendly candidates as part of the regular political process. The pro-Russian breakaway region where Russian troops still patrol is also, by now, a known quantity in Moldovan politics.

But there are also less predictable powers at play in the bid to sway Moldovan voters: Like the fugitive pro-Russian tycoon Ilan Shor who is offering up to $3,000 a month to people who attend anti-government protests, according to the news agency Reuters.

Shor, who fled Moldova while appealing a conviction on bank fraud charges back in 2019, publicized the cash payment offer in an online video.

President Maia Sandu listed off a series of other threats to Moldovan democracy on Wednesday: Election interference, illegal financing, disinformation campaigns, cyber attacks, sabotage at overseas polling stations, and efforts to sow hate between communities.

Tense weeks ahead

Moscow denies involvement in election meddling in Moldova, but the EU leaders gathered in Chisinau don’t buy it.

“Russia has been relentlessly trying to undermine freedom, prosperity and peace in Moldova,” Germany’s Merz said on Wednesday, warning that Russian President Vladimir Putin wants to draw Moldova into Moscow’s “sphere of influence.”

Victoria Olari, who monitors disinformation and online trends for Atlantic Council’s Digital Forensic Research Lab, told DW in a phone conversation she expects meddling attempts to step up over the next few weeks.

Olari, who lives in Chisinau, described the atmosphere there as “charged.” But she said there’s also a feeling of “cautious optimism mixed with tension” ahead of the elections.

“There’s a palpable sense of determination among Moldovans to safeguard their sovereignty,” she said, adding that the visit by top EU leaders “underscores the European support that many here see as a lifeline.”

EU dream, interrupted?

But that European solidarity also seems somewhat bittersweet — because Moldova’s path toward joining the EU has, for now, hit a Hungary-sized roadblock.

Moldova and Ukraine both applied to join the EU back in 2022 soon after Russia’s full scale invasion. The countries’ membership bids were synchronized as they began similar reforms to become eligible, like beefing up laws and institutions aimed at curbing corruption. Macron, Merz and Tusk all praised Moldova’s progress in their speeches on Wednesday.

But now the connection with Kyiv is proving problematic for Moldova. EU member Hungary is a longstanding critic of Ukraine and regularly rails against EU support for the country.

With Budapest vetoing any progress on Ukraine’s accession to the EU, Moldova is stuck too and officials are unable to commit to a concrete timeline for next steps.

“The door to the European Union is open,” Merz said in a message of reassurance on Wednesday. “We will do whatever we can” to advance membership talks in the autumn, he added.

But this also presents a political dilemma for EU leaders.

Source : https://www.dw.com/en/stay-west-eu-leaders-urge-moldova-to-steer-clear-of-russia/a-73787358

Details are yet to emerge from the meeting on postwar plans for Gaza that US President Donald Trump chaired on Wednesday. Meanwhile, Israel has continued its Gaza City offensive, warning of “inevitable” displacement.

US President Donald Trump on Wednesday (Aug 27) said billionaire financier and Democratic donor George Soros and his son should be charged under federal racketeering laws, but he gave no evidence to support the allegations.

Trump has increasingly turned to lawsuits, executive power and public threats against political opponents, critics say in a campaign that allies describe as holding the powerful accountable.

Soros, a 95-year-old Holocaust survivor, has long been a target of Trump and his conservative supporters. His philanthropic organisation, Open Society Foundations, funds human rights, education, health and governance projects around the world.

“George Soros, and his wonderful Radical Left son, should be charged with RICO because of their support of Violent Protests, and much more, all throughout the United States of America,” Trump wrote on Truth Social.

“That includes his Crazy, West Coast friends. Be careful, we’re watching you!”

NO EVIDENCE PROVIDED

Trump did not provide proof of any wrongdoing by Soros or his son.

A spokesperson for Open Society Foundations called the accusations “outrageous and false”.

“The Open Society Foundations do not support or fund Violent Protests. Our mission is to advance human rights, justice and democratic principles at home and around the world,” the spokesperson said.

Source : https://www.channelnewsasia.com/world/trump-says-democratic-donor-soros-and-son-should-be-charged-corruption-offers-no-evidence-5317966

The toughest but most vital thing for parents to do is to help their children discern the right and wrong uses of generative AI, says NTU lecturer Ian Yong Hoe Tan.

By now, it is clear that artificial intelligence (AI) is not going anywhere. In fact, judging from Prime Minister Lawrence Wong’s recent National Day Rally speech, it will only become more entrenched in how Singapore works, learns and lives.

While he acknowledged concerns that have been raised over the use of AI by students, such as over-reliance, loss of critical thinking skills and the temptation to take shortcuts, Mr Wong also urged educators and parents to remain open to its potential.

The challenge, he noted, is to strike the right balance: empowering young people to fully exploit the benefits of technology while protecting them from potential harms.

But what does that look like in practice, especially for parents?

A recent CNA Talking Point survey of 500 students found that 84 per cent of those in secondary school already use AI for their homework at least weekly.

You will not find an official survey of students under 13, because of ChatGPT’s age restrictions. However, I know many parents who let their primary school children use ChatGPT because it has become so ubiquitous – ChatGPT has amassed over 800 million weekly users in less than three years.

Yet, the same parents are worried about generative AI’s ability to stimulate or stifle learning.

A few months ago, I organised a Gen AI webinar for 100 parents, and their questions were revealing: “How do we nurture our children to use generative AI responsibly?”; “How do I help children discern true images from fake images?”; “How do I keep my kids safe from AI while also taking advantage of AI for their studies?”

I have also been conducting Gen AI workshops for secondary school teachers. They are equally worried and struggle to keep pace with Gen AI’s advancements. For example, the latest version of Google Gemini allows users to create instant web apps and webpages with just a few prompts, fuelling a new trend called “vibe coding” among non-STEM folks.

As an educator, parent and Gen AI coach, I believe that we adults play a critical role in guiding our children even as we go through a massive technological shift. We must arm ourselves and our children with three things: AI literacy, a clear understanding of the learning process and deep human values.

PARENTS MUST BECOME AI-LITERATE

I am sure parents will groan when I say that we must all become AI-literate. It is already a chore for us to figure out today’s school subjects, and now we have another subject to “learn”.

The good news is that there is no thick AI textbook to buy, you just need to start using Gen AI in your daily work to become AI-literate.

Try using Gen AI apps like ChatGPT or Google Gemini for everyday tasks – checking grammar, generating images for presentations, doing online research, or analysing data – to get a feel for the technology’s strengths and flaws. Such constant practice will also let you discover how Gen AI can “hallucinate” (produce wrong information) and be unable to do tasks it was not trained on.

Try this fun exercise with your children: generate an image of an analogue clock in ChatGPT or any Gen AI image generator. You will discover the clock hands are often stuck at 10:10 no matter what time you ask the AI to generate. This is because most of the clock face images that Gen AI was trained on were watch ads set at 10:10 for the brand logo to be clearly seen.

Once you become familiar with the mind of the machine, you’ll be better prepared to guide your children.

UNDERSTANDING THE LEARNING PROCESS

In the first two years of ChatGPT, many tools were launched to detect the use of Gen AI in student assignments. There were also news stories about disputes between teachers and students on whether Gen AI was used in assignments.

Today, many educators have learned that no AI-detection tool can guarantee 100 per cent accuracy.

In the CNA story, National University of Singapore (NUS) lecturer Jonathan Sim demonstrated how the same piece of work was flagged as 74 per cent AI-generated by one tool, and fully human-created by another.

If you ask me, since many people are already using Gen AI, it is more constructive to learn how people learn, and determine when to keep technology out of the learning process.

For example, in primary school, the learning of multiplication tables still requires rote memorisation, or we will not be able to do mental sums as adults. Surely, we should not rely on ChatGPT to tell us the answer to “50 x 50”?

In the area of essay writing, one can get started with AI-generated points, but the essay must be written manually so the brain is put to work in synthesising ideas and concepts. Gen AI can be applied later to evaluate the essay and check for typos.

This probably means a return to pen and paper scenarios … and many aching hands.

At Nanyang Technological University (NTU) where I teach, I have begun shifting towards more oral assessments instead of traditional written assessments. During their oral presentations, undergraduates have to articulate their thought process and be ready to answer my questions. It is very time-consuming but this is a time-tested method of teaching and learning, handed down from Greek philosopher Socrates over 2000 years ago.

Do talk to your child’s teacher about their AI usage policy and learn how AI can help or hinder in specific subjects.

CULTIVATING HUMAN VALUES

The toughest but most vital thing for parents to do is to help their children discern the right and wrong uses of Gen AI, especially since we are being drowned by a deluge of AI-generated content.

How does one do this, now that deepfakes and misinformation are so difficult to distinguish from reality?

My view is that we need to double down on instilling values such as mindfulness and integrity.

As WIRED co-founder and author Kevin Kelly wrote: “It’s hard to cheat an honest person.”

The mindful person with high integrity will pay close attention to what he or she sees, and not take everything at face value.

We need to teach children how to verify information sources, to remember that the machine has no morals, and know the consequences of not actually learning anything in school.

Source : https://www.channelnewsasia.com/commentary/ndr2025-lawrence-wong-artificial-intelligence-ai-students-education-schools-parents-5317046

For cross-border ride-hailing services between Malaysia and Singapore to become a reality, a slew of regulatory and cost differences as well as enforcement mechanisms will have to be worked out, say experts and operators.

These include the potential impact on licensed cross-border taxis and the upcoming Rapid Transit System (RTS) Link between Singapore and Johor Bahru, which is set to start operations at the end of next year, they added.

Cross-border ride-hailing services will also have an impact on congestion at land checkpoints, with analysts highlighting that such services will not solve the “fundamental Causeway bottleneck” even as demand for more seamless travel is set to rise with projects such as the Johor-Singapore Special Economic Zone (JSSEZ).

In view of these complex regulatory considerations and hurdles, cross-border ride-hailing services are unlikely to take off soon, analysts told CNA.

Their comments came in the wake of Malaysia Transport Minister Anthony Loke saying on Aug 18 that his country hopes to introduce cross-border ride-hailing with Singapore to increase connectivity. He said it is something both parties must agree on in order to be implemented.

Loke’s response in parliament to Tebrau Member of Parliament Jimmy Puah’s question on cross-border traffic congestion and ride-hailing drivers follows that of Johor Chief Minister Onn Hafiz Ghazi earlier this month.

Onn Hafiz said the issue was among the topics he discussed in a recent meeting with Singapore’s Acting Transport Minister Jeffrey Siow.

Cross-border ride-hailing services would be a “catalyst” for a more user-friendly, safe and competitive transport system while strengthening integration of both countries’ public transport networks, Onn Hafiz said on Facebook on Aug 1.

In response to CNA queries on Loke’s comments, Singapore’s Ministry of Transport said the issue of allowing cross-border ride-hailing was raised when Singaporeans and Malaysian officials met to discuss cross-border service arrangements, but “no decision was made at that point”.

“We are currently reviewing improvements to the Cross-Border Taxi Scheme to address the growing demand for more convenient cross-border point-to-point services,” a ministry spokesperson said.

“It is illegal for Malaysia-registered private cars or private-hire cars to provide cross-border or ride-hail services within Singapore,” the ministry spokesperson added.

Singapore’s Land Transport Authority (LTA) had said on Aug 3 that while it is open to ideas to improve the cross-border commuting experience, “we would like to clarify that LTA has no plans to fully liberalise cross-border point-to-point transport via ride-hail services”.

Instead, it is considering the use of ride-hailing apps to book cross-border trips on licensed taxis and increasing the number of boarding and alighting points in Singapore and Malaysia.

“COMPLEX” AND “DELICATE” ISSUES

Any cross-border ride-hailing model must comply with both countries’ laws, permits and insurance requirements, said Nor Aziati Abdul Hamid, an associate professor and senior researcher at the Universiti Tun Hussein Onn’s Centre of Excellence for Rail Industry in Malaysia.

Drivers’ background checks and training must meet both jurisdictions’ standards, for example, she said.

There will need to be mutual recognition of each other’s private-hire licences, something that does not exist today, said Rosli Azad Khan, managing director MDS Consultancy in Malaysia.

Rules in areas such as transport licensing, insurance, taxation and enforcement must be agreed on, he said.

“Introducing ride-hailing apps to operate cross-border would require bilateral agreements that harmonise these regulatory areas, which is politically and administratively complex,” Rosli said.

Enforcement and dispute resolution mechanisms must also be made clear to address any offences committed by Malaysian drivers in Singapore and vice versa, he said.

In addition, some concerns may weigh more heavily on Singapore, experts told CNA.

There are “significant differences in costs of providing ride-hailing services” in both countries, said Timothy Wong, a senior lecturer at the National University of Singapore’s department of economics.

“Cars are much cheaper to purchase in Malaysia than in Singapore, likewise with petrol and vehicle maintenance costs. The cost of living is also lower in Malaysia so drivers are willing to accept lower wages,” said Wong.

This means Malaysian point-to-point drivers will be able to provide cross-border services at lower prices and thus “dominate the market”, Wong said. “Liberalising the market benefits Malaysian ride-hail drivers more than it does Singaporean ride-hail drivers.”

If such services come to pass, besides agreeing to create a degree of parity in terms of vehicle and driver safety standards, the Singapore government “may also want to introduce price regulations to ensure prices are not too low”, Wong said.

There are “a lot of delicate considerations”, agreed Terence Fan, an assistant professor of strategy and entrepreneurship at the Singapore Management University.

One issue is that once Malaysian ride-hailing services enter Singapore, “it’s much harder to regulate” whether they are also picking up and dropping off people within Singapore, which is not allowed, he said.

“You could potentially be flooding a bit of the Singapore roadways with these vehicles,” Fan told the programme CNA938 Rewind.

“It’s not really in line with our principles here that we have high (Certificates of Entitlement (COEs) for vehicles, we limit the vehicles and we want to make sure our roads are not that congested as well,” he said.

Singapore’s COE system is a key lever in controlling the growth of the vehicle population, according to its Ministry of Transport’s website. Motorists are required to bid for a COE through an online open auction, which gives them the right to own the vehicle for 10 years.

Ride-hailing services also have the potential to add to traffic jams regularly seen at the Causeway, analysts noted.

Unlike buses, trains and the future RTS Link, ride-hailing caters to individual convenience, not mass mobility, said Rosli.

“The big problem is that ride-hailing does not solve the fundamental Causeway bottleneck,” he said. “It may even worsen congestion if thousands of additional e-hailing cars join the daily queue at checkpoints.”

About 300,000 people cross the Causeway daily by vehicle, train or on foot.

Singapore’s Immigration and Checkpoints Authority said in January last year that more than 400,000 people are expected to use the Causeway daily by 2050.

CROSS-BORDER RIDE-HAILING SHOULD “COMPLEMENT” RTS

In spite of the multiple differences that need ironing out and the potential to worsen traffic jams, cross-border ride-hailing can benefit commuters if it is geared towards complementing the Johor-Singapore RTS and rolled out under a phased approach, analysts said.

The service should ideally complement the RTS by serving commuters’ first- and last-mile needs or off-peak journeys, rather than acting as a substitute for the mass transportation network, Nor Aziati said.

The 4km RTS Link, scheduled to begin operations in December next year, aims to ease congestion at the Causeway by ferrying up to 10,000 passengers an hour each way on trips that take about five minutes.

The Singapore authorities would want to “wait” and gauge the public’s response to the RTS when it begins operations, making it unlikely for Singapore to agree to major transport-related policy changes in the meantime, said Fan.

“If you think about it, any Singaporean or traveller from Singapore can just take the RTS to go to Johor Bahru and take a taxi there to get anywhere,” said Fan.

“Once you have a new transport mode like that, it takes time for people to realise, ‘Oh, I can do that. You know, it’s not (as) difficult as I had imagined’,” he said.

Nor Aziati suggested a phased approach to cross-border ride-hailing, starting with an initial pilot area only covering Johor due to “clear demand”, ongoing RTS integration and active state and federal backing.

The initial pilot should only include licensed cross-border taxis that can be booked using apps, and not private-hire vehicles, she said.

This is because introducing large-scale ride-hailing could disrupt the livelihoods of licensed cross-border taxi drivers, she said. A phased integration model, possibly starting with app-based booking of such taxis, may be “a more sustainable first step”.

Under the current cross-border taxi scheme, up to 400 taxis from Singapore and Malaysia are licensed to pick up and drop off passengers only at a single designated point in the other’s country – Larkin Sentral in Johor Bahru for Singapore taxis and Ban San Street Terminal in Singapore for Malaysian taxis.

However, the scheme is underutilised with a total of about 300 licensed cross-border taxi drivers across Singapore and Malaysia as of early August, according to Singapore’s LTA.

A key reason for the under-utilisation is the lack of a door-to-door service, which has made unlicensed taxi services more appealing as they tend to offer flexible pick-up and drop-off points, CNA reported recently.

The authorities clamped down on unlicensed services this month, with drivers caught at Gardens by the Bay, Changi Airport and a land checkpoint in Singapore on Aug 5, and Malaysia’s Road Transport Department detaining and seizing four private-hire vehicles driven by Singaporean individuals on Aug 13.

Licensed cabbies from both sides have expressed concerns about the implications of liberalising ride-hailing and extending cross-border travel to private-hire cars.

Nor Aziati suggested if key indicators for waiting time, safety, number of complaints and price volatility are met for 12 to 18 months under her proposed pilot, the next phase could be to expand it to the Tuas Second Link catchment area.

In response to CNA’s queries, ride-hailing platforms Grab and Ryde said they were open to engaging authorities from both sides.

Providing cross-border ride-hailing services would involve complex regulatory considerations spanning transport policies, safety standards and bilateral arrangements, they said.

Any potential service would require clear guidance and approval from Singapore’s LTA and the relevant Malaysian authorities, said Ryde, which currently only operates in Singapore. “We remain open to engaging constructively with the authorities should a formal regulatory framework be established.”

Grab said it has been engaging both sides’ authorities “to explore safe, legal and equitable solutions” to address the continued demand for cross-border services while reducing reliance on unlicensed operators.

Source : https://www.channelnewsasia.com/asia/malaysia-singapore-johor-cross-border-ride-hailing-5316606

United States President Donald Trump’s 50 percent tariff on Indian goods, which is expected to impact trade worth billions of dollars and risk thousands of jobs in the world’s most populous nation, took effect on Wednesday.

The US first slapped a 25 percent tariff on India on July 30 and a week later imposed an additional 25 percent, citing New Delhi’s purchase of Russian oil.

The new 50 percent rate, one of the US’s highest tariffs, will now apply to a range of goods from gems and jewellery, garments, footwear and furniture to industrial chemicals.

The crushing tariff rate will put India at a disadvantage in export competitiveness against China, and will undermine the economic ambitions of Prime Minister Narendra Modi to transform the country into a major manufacturing hub. Until recently, the US was India’s largest trading partner with annual bilateral trade worth $212bn.

So which industries will be hit the hardest and how will it affect US-India relations?

Which sectors will be worst hit?

The Global Trade Research Initiative (GTRI), a New Delhi-based think tank, told The Financial Times newspaper that Indian exports to the US could fall from $86.5bn this year to about $50bn in 2026 as a result of today’s announcement.

The GTRI said that textiles, gems, jewellery, shrimp and carpets would be worst affected, with the sectors bracing for a 70 percent collapse in exports, “endangering hundreds of thousands of jobs”.

“There will be a huge impact,” MK Venu, founding editor of The Wire news site, told Al Jazeera.

North Korea’s leader Kim Jong Un will attend a military parade in Beijing next week alongside Russia’s Vladimir Putin, China has said, in what will be a landmark visit.

This is Kim’s first multilateral international meeting, making the event a diplomatic win for China’s Xi Jinping who has been pushing for a new Beijing-led world order.

It allows Xi to signal his influence – although limited – on both Putin and Kim at a time when Washington is attempting to make a deal with Moscow to end the war in Ukraine.

US President Donald Trump is not attending but said earlier this week that he wanted to meet Kim, whose growing nuclear arsenal and support for Russia have rattled the West.

China’s “Victory Day” parade will mark the 80th anniversary of Japan’s surrender in World War Two and the end of the conflict.

Putin and Kim will be among 26 other heads of state who are expected to attend the parade. This is the first time a North Korean leader has attended a Chinese military parade since 1959.

China is likely to display its latest weaponry, including hundreds of aircraft, tanks and anti-drone systems. This will be the first time its military’s new force structure is being fully showcased in a parade.

The highly choreographed event will see tens of thousands of military personnel march in formation through the historic Tiananmen Square, with troops from 45 of the so-called echelons of China’s military as well as war veterans.

The 70-minute parade, which will be surveyed by Xi, is expected to be closely watched by analysts and western powers.

In a press conference given by China’s foreign ministry on Thursday, Beijing – one of Pyongyang’s closest allies – praised its neighbour for their decades-long “traditional friendship” and said the two countries will continue to collaborate on “regional peace and stability”.

Kim’s attendance is an upgrade from China’s last Victory Day parade in 2015, when Pyongyang sent one of its top officials, Choe Ryong-hae.

The North Korean leader rarely travels abroad. His recent contact with world leaders has been limited to Vladmir Putin, who he’s met twice since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

Now this international pariah has the opportunity to appear on an international stage – while also strengthening his ties with China.

Kim generally likes to balance his relationship between Moscow and Beijing – so he’s not too reliant on either – but he hasn’t seen the Chinese leader for six years.

This year’s event will be significant because it means Xi can walk into any summit with Trump with more confidence, having been fully briefed by both leaders.

Next week’s meeting is also weeks before a possible visit by Trump to Asia, which the White House has hinted at but not confirmed. It has, however, said the US President is open to meeting Xi to finalise a tariffs deal, among other things.

It’s been six years since Kim visited Beijing – he last attended an event to mark the 70th anniversary of diplomatic ties between the two countries in 2019.

He also visited Beijing three times in 2018, a particularly busy year for international trips given his reluctance to travel abroad.

Most Western leaders are not expected to attend the parade, due to their opposition to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, which has driven the sanctions against Putin’s regime.

Beijing, however, has not criticised Putin’s war and has been accused by the US and its allies of even aiding it – which it denies. Kim, on the other hand, has supplied both weapons and troops to the Russian invasion.

The list of leaders attending the parade also reflects China’s rise and its changing relationship with the world.

The Indonesia president and Malaysian prime minister will be there, which is further proof of Beijing’s concerted efforts to ramp up ties with neighbouring South East Asia. Others like Singapore are sending lower- level representatives.

Myanmar’s military ruler Min Aung Hliang, an international pariah who is hugely dependent on Chinese trade and aid, will also be attending.

There will be fewer European Union officials, with just one EU leader attending – Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico – while Bulgaria and Hungary will send representatives.

Source : https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c17njr88ge4o

SICK footage has surfaced of shooter Robin Westman giggling hours before killing two children at a Minneapolis school on Wednesday.

Westman uploaded a video showing off multiple weapons, bullets, and disturbing writings before shooting through stained glass windows at the Catholic school during Mass before dying by suicide.

Two students, aged 8 and 10, were killed in the shooting at Annunciation Church in southern Minneapolis, which started during the worship service at around 8:30 am, police said.

Officials said 14 other kids were hurt in the attack, while three people in their 80s were also injured.

Children rushed out of the building in their school uniforms before being reunited with their families in heartbreaking scenes.

The shooting is now being investigated as an act of domestic terrorism and a hate crime targeting Catholics, FBI Director Kash Patel said.

Police identified the shooter as 23-year-old Robin Westman, who was found dead by a self-inflicted gunshot wound in the parking lot behind the church.

Court records show that Westman’s mom, Mary Grace, applied to change her child’s name in 2019 from Robert Paul Westman to Robin M. Westman, according to the Minnesota Star Tribune.

The name change was approved in 2020.

• Two children, ages 8 and 10, were killed while praying in pews
• 17 others were injured, including 14 children, and a local hospital is currently treating nine pediatric patients
• The suspect has been identified as Robin Westman, 23, whose mother worked at the school until 2021, who died at the scene from a self-inflicted gunshot
• The shooter’s neighbors broke their silence on the tragedy
• Westman uploaded a sick video manically laughing minutes before the shooting showing off disturbing messages written across multiple guns, including a rifle, a shotgun, and a pistol with several magazines
• Sobbing children were evacuated from the church to reunite with their worried parents, with one boy overheard telling his dad, “I don’t feel safe”
• Minnesota Governor Tim Walz said he was briefed and is “praying for our kids and teachers”
• President Donald Trump has been briefed on the situation and ordered flags at half-staff to mourn the victims

Westman was connected to the Annunciation Church through Mary Grace, who retired from working there in 2021.

The shooter, who was armed with a rifle, pistol, and handgun, fired shots into the auditorium and reportedly tried to block the doors with a two-by-four, according to police.

All of the guns were purchased legally, authorities said.

Now, investigators are looking into a sick 11-minute video uploaded to YouTube in the hours before the murders, as it appears to be Westman’s manifesto.

HORRIFYING VIDEO

The video was scheduled ahead of time to upload at the time of the shooting, police said at a press briefing on Wednesday.

Westman could be heard maniacally giggling while muttering all alone and showing off writings addressed to loved ones, as well as guns with disturbing messages on them.

One of the guns had “Rupnow” written on it, which is likely a reference to Nashville school shooter Natalie Rupnow, who killed two and hurt six at her Christian school last December.

Other guns had the names of other mass killers, including Unabomber Ted Kaczynski and Pittsburgh synagogue shooter Robert Bowers, who murdered 11 in a place of worship in 2018.

The word Waco was on one of the rifles, referencing the 1993 standoff between extremist David Koresh, his followers, and the FBI that left 76 dead.

Westman wrote “kill Donald Trump” on one gun, “kiss me” on another, and displayed multiple antisemitic phrases on the weapons.

The video also showed the two-by-four plank of wood with the words “no escape!” written on it.

The killer also shared hopes for YouTuber and Texas congressional candidate Brandon Herrera to be president and bragged about meeting him at an event last year.

Herrera is a Second Amendment activist who has been criticized for inflammatory and antisemitic rhetoric.

The candidate’s campaign told The U.S. Sun, “I’m horrified by this clearly hate motivated attack on innocent children and disgusted that my name came out of this demon’s mouth.”

Westman’s handwritten letters to his friends and families included a chilling message telling readers to “pray for the victims and their families.”

“I love you all. I will remember you,” Westman wrote.

The writings reference suicide, “extremely violent thoughts and ideas,” and a sketch of a church’s layout, according to NBC News.

It’s unclear if the church depicted is Annunciation Church.

At the end of the video, Westman said, “This will just look like another video on the day that catches you all up.”

Police haven’t publicly identified a motive for the shooting.

Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O’Hara said Westman, who was dressed in all black, was targeting students in a “deliberate act of violence.”

The Minnesota Police Department didn’t immediately return The U.S. Sun’s request for comment.

“Children are dead,” Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey said at a press briefing on Wednesday.

Source : https://www.the-sun.com/news/15060475/minneapolis-mass-shooting-robin-westman-annunciation-church/

A mass Russian drone and missile attack on Ukraine’s capital, including a rare strike in the center of the city, early Thursday killed at least 10 people and wounded 48, local authorities said.

It was the first major Russian combined attack on Kyiv in weeks as U.S.-led peace efforts to end the three-year war struggled to gain traction. Russia launched 598 strike drones and decoys and 31 missiles of different types across the country, according to Ukraine’s Air Force, making it one of the war’s biggest air attacks.

Among the dead were two children, Interior Minister Ihor Klymenko said, citing preliminary information. The numbers are expected to rise. Rescue teams were on site to pull people trapped underneath the rubble.

“Russia chooses ballistics instead of the negotiating table,” Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said in a post on X following the attack. “We expect a response from everyone in the world who has called for peace but now more often stays silent rather than taking principled positions.”

Russia strikes central Kyiv in a rare attack

Russia launched decoy drones, cruise missiles and ballistic missiles, said Tymur Tkachenko, the head of Kyiv’s city administration.

At least 20 locations across seven districts of Kyiv had impacts. Nearly 100 buildings were damaged, including a shopping mall in the city center, and thousands of windows were shattered, he said.

Ukrainian forces shot down and neutralized 563 drones and decoys and 26 missiles across the country, its Air Force said.

Russian strikes hit the central part of Kyiv, one of the few times Russian attacks have reached the heart of the Ukrainian capital since the start of the full-scale invasion. Residents cleared shattered glass and debris from damaged buildings.

Sophia Akylina said her home was damaged.

“It’s never happened before that they attacked so close,” the 21-year old said. “Negotiations haven’t yielded anything yet, unfortunately people are suffering.”

Pope Leo XIV demanded Wednesday that Israel stop the “collective punishment” and forced displacement of Palestinians in Gaza as he pleaded for an immediate and permanent ceasefire in the besieged territory amid preparations by Israel for a new military offensive.

Leo was interrupted twice by applause as he read aloud his latest appeal for an end to the 22-month war during his weekly general audience attended by thousands of people in the Vatican’s auditorium.

History’s first American pope also called for the release of hostages taken by Hamas in southern Israel — 50 of them remain in Gaza — and for both sides and international powers to end the war “which has caused so much terror, destruction and death.”

“I beg for a permanent ceasefire to be reached, the safe entry of humanitarian aid to be facilitated and humanitarian law to be fully respected,” Leo said. He cited international law requiring the obligation to protect civilians and “the prohibition of collective punishment, indiscriminate use of force and the forced displacement of the population.”

Palestinians in Gaza are bracing for an expanded offensive promised by Israel in some of the territory’s most populated areas including Gaza City, where famine has been documented and declared.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said Israel will launch its Gaza City offensive while simultaneously pursuing a ceasefire, though Israel has yet to send a negotiating team to discuss a proposal on the table. He has said the offensive is the best way to weaken Hamas and return hostages, but hostages’ families and their supporters have pushed back, saying it will further endanger them.

Hamas took 251 hostages on Oct. 7, 2023, in the attack that also killed about 1,200 people and triggered the war. Most hostages have been released during previous ceasefires or other deals. Israel has rescued eight hostages alive. Of the 50 still in Gaza, Israeli officials believe around 20 are still alive.

Leo drew attention to a joint statement by the Latin and Greek Orthodox patriarchs of Jerusalem, who announced that the priests and nuns in the two Christian churches in Gaza City would stay put, despite Israeli evacuation orders ahead of the Gaza City offensive. They said the people sheltering in the churches were too weak and malnourished to move and that doing so would be a “death sentence.”

The Holy Family Catholic church and the Saint Porphyrius Orthodox church have sheltered hundreds of Palestinian civilians during the war, including elderly people, women and children as well as people with disabilities. Pope Francis, even during his final days in the hospital, stayed in daily touch with the parish priest of Holy Family to offer his solidarity and support to the people there, cared for by the nuns of Mother Teresa’s Sisters of Charity religious order.

In their joint statement, Catholic Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa and Orthodox Patriarch Theophilos III noted that just last weekend, Leo issued a strong statement about the rights of people to remain in their homelands and not be forced to move.

“All peoples, even the smallest and weakest, must be respected by the powerful in their identity and rights, especially the right to live in their own lands; and no one can force them into exile,” Leo said in comments Saturday to a group of forced refugees from the Indian Ocean archipelago Chagos that were clearly destined for a broader audience.

Source : https://apnews.com/article/vatican-gaza-pope-palestinians-israel-0b1c1d5eb2c8d257248638ff231e9c2f

YouTube TV says it’s reached a “short-term extension” in its contract dispute with Fox, meaning subscribers of the Google-owned streamer won’t see immediate disruptions of Fox channels on the platform.

The current carriage agreement between YouTube TV and Fox originally faced a Wednesday afternoon deadline — with YouTube previously warning that networks like Fox Sports, Business and News would become unavailable on its streaming platform if the two sides didn’t reach a new deal by 5 p.m. ET.

That would have left YouTube TV customers without Week 1 of some college football games and other broadcast programming from Fox. But shortly after the clock hit 5 p.m. ET on Wednesday, YouTube said it was able to “prevent disruption” as it continues to work towards a new agreement.

“We are committed to advocating on behalf of our subscribers as we work toward a fair deal and will keep you updated on our progress,” YouTube said in a brief update announcing the extension.

A spokesperson for Fox had no additional comment, but confirmed that the broadcast giant had agreed to the short-term extension. It was not immediately clear how long the extension would be.

In a statement earlier Wednesday, Fox said that it was “disappointed that Google continually exploits its outsized influence by proposing terms that are out of step with the marketplace.” Fox also directed subscribers to a site called keepfox.com for more information and to call on YouTube to come to an agreement.

In addition to Fox Sports, Business and News, keepfox.com notes that YouTube TV may no longer carry FS1 and the Big Ten Network (which is majority-owned by Fox) if a deal isn’t reached.

Meanwhile, in blog post earlier this week, YouTube said Fox was “asking for payments that are far higher than what partners with comparable content offerings receive.” The company added that it hoped to reach a deal that’s “fair for both sides” without “passing on additional costs to our subscribers.”

If Fox content becomes unavailable on YouTube TV “for an extended period of time,” YouTube also noted it would provide members with a $10 credit. YouTube TV’s base plan — which currently boasts access to over 100 live channels — costs $82.99 a month.

Brendan Carr, chairman of the Federal Communications Commission, also chimed in on the dispute leading up to Wednesday’s deadline — while appearing to target Google particularly. He called on the tech company to “get a deal done” in a post on social media.

“Google removing Fox channels from YouTube TV would be a terrible outcome,” Carr wrote in a Tuesday post on X. “Millions of Americans are relying on YouTube to resolve this dispute so they can keep watching the news and sports they want—including this week’s Big Game: Texas @ Ohio State.”

From sports events to awards shows, live programming that was once reserved for broadcast has increasingly made its way into the streaming world over the years — as more and more consumers ditch traditional cable or satellite TV subscriptions for content they can get online. But renewing carriage agreements can also mean tense contract negotiations — at times resulting in service disruptions.

Source : https://nypost.com/2025/08/27/media/fox-youtube-tv-avoid-blackout-with-short-term-extension-before-carriage-deal-expires/

The Trump administration has proposed fixed visa terms for students, cultural exchange visitors, and foreign journalists, replacing open-ended stays with strict limits to increase oversight, reviving a measure first introduced in 2020.

The Trump administration has proposed new rules to restrict the duration of visas for international students, cultural exchange visitors, and foreign journalists, a move officials say is designed to tighten oversight and reduce misuse.

The proposed rule, announced Wednesday, would replace the current “duration of status” system – in place since 1978 – with fixed visa terms.

Currently, student (F visa) and exchange (J visa) holders are admitted for an open-ended period tied to their enrolment or program, allowing them to remain in the country indefinitely without fresh vetting.

Administration officials argue that this has enabled some to become “forever students”, perpetually extending their stays.

Under the new framework, student and exchange visas would be capped at four years, while foreign journalists (I visas) would be limited to 240 days, with options for extension. For Chinese nationals on journalist visas, the cap would be even stricter at 90 days.

Any visa holder seeking to remain beyond their initial term would need to apply for an extension with US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), giving the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) a greater opportunity for review.

“For too long, past administrations have allowed foreign students and other visa holders to remain in the US virtually indefinitely, posing safety risks, costing untold amounts of taxpayer dollars, and disadvantaging US citizens,” a DHS spokesperson said.

“This new proposed rule would end that abuse once and for all by limiting the amount of time certain visa holders are allowed to remain in the US, easing the burden on the federal government to properly oversee foreign students and their history.”

According to government data, there were about 1.6 million F visa students in the US in 2024, along with 355,000 exchange visitors and 13,000 foreign journalists.

Officials argue that tighter controls are needed to ensure these groups are properly vetted. DHS says the fixed-term system would enhance monitoring through the Student and Exchange Visitor Program (SEVP) and the Student and Exchange Visitor Information System (SEVIS), making oversight more effective.

The administration insists the change is necessary to “ease the burden” on federal agencies tasked with monitoring visa holders, but critics argue it risks discouraging international students and undermining America’s higher education system.

A similar proposal was floated in 2020 during Trump’s first term but was later scrapped by the Biden administration in 2021 following opposition from universities, international education groups, and business leaders.

The new plan adds to a string of Trump-era measures targeting even legal immigration programs. The administration has tightened scrutiny on student visas, revoked green cards on ideological grounds, stripped legal protections from hundreds of thousands of migrants, and recently ordered USCIS to resume neighbourhood checks on naturalisation applicants to verify residency and “commitment to American ideals.”

Source : https://www.indiatoday.in/world/us-news/story/us-visa-proposal-4-year-student-visas-240-day-limit-for-foreign-journalists-glbs-2777897-2025-08-28

Videos released hours before the attack, reportedly show Minneapolis shooter Robin Westman’s gun magazines carrying antisemitic and anti-Trump messages.

Robin Westman, identified as the suspect behind the deadly shooting at the Annunciation Catholic School in Minneapolis on Wednesday, had texts like ‘Nuke India’, ‘Kill Donald Trump’ and ‘Israel must fall’ written on his ammunition and gun magazines, a viral video claimed.

He reportedly released a series of videos showing his guns and other ammunition, which are now being investigated by the police.

In the viral videos, Westman is seen showing a gun magazine with phrases “for the children”, “kill Donald Trump”, “Where is your God?” and “Nuke India”.

According to New York Post, the purported videos were released just hours before the attack and showed the shooter’s gun magazines and a manifesto.

In one of the videos, a cache of weapons can be seen, including a semi-automatic rifle and a shotgun. The magazine of the gun can be seen with writings “for the children” and “kill Donald Trump” written over it.

See more

🚨BREAKING: The Minnesota Catholic church shooter has been revealed as Robin Westman.

Reports say he identified as a transgender male.

His magazine read: “Kill Donald Trump.” pic.twitter.com/OiMuWPsUPi

— Benny Johnson (@bennyjohnson) August 27, 2025

In another video, Westman’s gun magazine can be seen with the names of Adam Lanza and other mass shooters.

In 2012, Adam Lanza opened fire at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Connecticut, killing 26 people, including 20 children. His admiration for mass shooters, including Lanza and Sandy Hook, can also be noticed when he flips through his journal in which he has written, “I have deep fascination with one man in particular: Adam Lanza,” the New York Post reported.

The videos also highlight Weston’s antisemitic ideology with antisemitic messages written over his equipment and “Israel must fall” written on one of his guns, according to reports. According to CNN, several messages and racial and religious slurs were inscribed on the weapons, including phrases like “psycho killer” and “burn Israel”. The videos also show several entries with antisemitic messages, including “If I carry out a racially motivated attack, it would be most likely against filthy Zionist jews,” and calling Jewish people “entitled”.

The shooting that took place when children were celebrating Mass, killed two children and injured 17 others. Westman died at the scene from a self-inflicted gunshot, as he was armed with a rifle, shotgun and a handgun at the time.

Source : https://www.hindustantimes.com/world-news/minneapolis-school-shooter-robin-westman-gun-magazines-anti-trump-israel-messages-101756341720061.html

 

The new regulation, published in the Official Gazette, exempts Indian passport holders from obtaining an Argentine visa or Electronic Travel Authorization (AVE) if they possess a current tourist visa for the United States.

In a move aimed at enhancing inbound tourism and strengthening bilateral ties, the Argentine government has announced eased entry requirements for Indian citizens holding valid US visas.

The new regulation, published in the Official Gazette, exempts Indian passport holders from obtaining an Argentine visa or Electronic Travel Authorization (AVE) if they possess a current tourist visa for the United States.

According to the official text, this exemption applies to ordinary passport holders, with the National Immigration Directorate tasked with verifying each case through coordination with relevant authorities prior to granting entry.

This reciprocal gesture highlights India’s existing Electronic Travel Authorisation (ETA) system, which Argentine citizens already access free of charge for tourism purposes.

The policy builds on similar initiatives implemented just one month ago, when Argentina waived visa and AVE requirements for citizens of China and the Dominican Republic under the same condition of holding a valid US visa.

These measures reflect a broader strategy to attract international visitors and invigorate the tourism sector amid economic recovery efforts. Argentine Tourism Secretary Daniel Scioli praised the decision on X (formerly Twitter), stating that it seeks to “facilitate inbound tourism and support Argentine sports”.

Scioli’s advocacy underscores the potential for increased cultural and economic exchanges between the two nations. Deregulation Minister Federico Sturzennegger elaborated on the rationale in a post on X, declaring: “Indian citizens will be able to enter Argentina without a visa or AVE, without paying any fees, if they have a valid US visa.”

He corrected a potential misunderstanding by emphasising that entry facilitation means “they will no longer be required to apply” for additional permissions.

Sturzennegger highlighted key statistics: “Some 2.2 million Indians travelled to the US in 2024, and the US grants more than a million visas per year to India. So this change should help facilitate tourism in our country, a request that the Secretary of Tourism, Sports, and Environment Daniel Osvaldo Scioli has been insistently urging.”

The minister also referenced a diplomatic nudge from Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi during his meeting with Argentine President Javier Milei in Buenos Aires in early July.

“It’s impossible to improve tourism if we don’t make it easier for them to come!” Sturzennegger added, echoing the sentiment that streamlined processes are essential for growth.

Argentine Ambassador to India, Mariano Caucino, reinforced the priority, assuring that “promoting tourism to our country is a top priority of our government, and for this reason, we seek to facilitate the mechanisms so that more and more Indians visit Argentina”.

With India’s burgeoning middle class and rising outbound travel, experts anticipate a surge in visitors to Argentina’s iconic destinations like Patagonia, Iguazu Falls, and Buenos Aires.

This development aligns with Argentina’s deregulation agenda under President Milei, aiming to reduce bureaucratic hurdles and stimulate economic activity.

Bilateral trade between Argentina and India, currently valued at around $6 billion annually, could see further boosts through enhanced people-to-people connections.

As global travel rebounds post-pandemic, such visa relaxations position Argentina as an accessible hub for Asian tourists, potentially adding millions to the tourism revenue, which contributes over 5 per cent to the nation’s GDP.

Source : https://www.ndtv.com/world-news/indians-with-us-visas-can-now-travel-argentina-read-details-9171399

An Israeli airstrike on a Gaza hospital complex has killed at least 20 people, including four journalists and multiple ambulance and civil defence crews attempting to rescue victims of a prior strike.

The blast was captured on video, showing ambulance and civil defence teams rushing to the rooftop and upper floors of Nasser Medical Complex, Khan Younis, to help victims of an earlier attack. The explosion struck the building, sending grey smoke and debris into the air. People were seen screaming and scrambling to flee the scene.

The strike employed a “double-tap” tactic, where an initial missile is followed shortly by a second strike targeting first responders and rescuers, CNN reported.

Mariam Abu Daqa (Associated Press), Mohammed Salama (Al Jazeera), Hossam al-Masri (Reuters), Moaz Abu Taha, and Ahmed Abu Aziz were the journalists killed by the Israeli strike. Reuters photographer Hatem Khaled was also injured.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called it a “tragic mishap”, saying, “Israel deeply regrets the tragic mishap that occurred today at the Nasser Hospital in Gaza. Israel values the work of journalists, medical staff, and all civilians.”

The Foreign Press Association condemned the attack, calling it one of the deadliest for international journalists since the war in Gaza began nearly two years ago, as per the BBC.

In March, Israeli forces fired on several rescue vehicles, including five ambulances, a fire truck, and a UN vehicle, in southern Rafah, killing at least 15 aid workers, including eight members of the Palestine Red Crescent Society, five civil defence personnel, and one UN employee. Human rights organisations, including Amnesty International, have called for independent investigations into these incidents, citing serious violations of international law.

 

Source: https://www.ndtv.com/world-news/video-israeli-airstrike-on-gaza-hospital-kills-journalists-and-rescue-crews-9159824

US President Donald Trump said on Tuesday (Aug 26) that the federal government will begin seeking the death penalty in homicide cases in Washington DC, expanding his law-and-order push and federal control over the capital.

“If somebody kills somebody in the capital, Washington DC, we’re going to be seeking the death penalty, and that’s a very strong preventative,” Trump said at a White House cabinet meeting. “We have no choice.”

Until the 1980s people roamed the mountains of Shennongjia in central China hunting monkeys for their meat and fur.

Poor farmers were still clearing vast areas of trees, and as their environment collapsed around them, so did the local population of golden snubbed-nosed monkeys, dropping below 500 in the wild.

This was the situation when new graduate Yang Jingyuan arrived in 1991, still in his early 20s.

“The monkeys’ home was being destroyed by logging so their numbers were going down fast,” he says. “Now it’s being protected, and the monkey figures are really improving.”

These days Professor Yang is the director of the Shennongjia National Park Scientific Research Institute and probably no one knows this species better than he does.

Prof Yang, 55, has spent his entire working life trying to understand and protect this endangered sub-species of snub-nosed monkeys, which exist only in these mountains in Hubei province, and he took us into the forest to meet them.

I asked if it was true that he now understood what many of their noises meant.

“Yes,” he said. “Yeeee is telling others the area is safe. They can come over. Wu-ka means it’s dangerous. Be careful.”

And, sure enough, there he was making various noises as the monkeys came down out of the trees, holding our hands, touching us and checking out the humans.

As we sat down on the ground to put them at ease, he said that these animals have a very complex social structure.

With baby monkeys jumping into my lap and crawling over us to see what was going on, Prof Yang explained how their groups break down.

One male head of a family group might have three to five wives, plus their children. Then families come together to form a larger band that could be more than a hundred.

Bachelor males form their own groups, which at times stand guard. Females have “affairs” behind their husband’s backs, causing tension and fights break out not only when a male takes control of a family from an existing male head but when an entire “tribe” of monkeys battles with another for control of territory.

Six-year-old females know when it is time to leave their family and join another so as to prevent inbreeding and the animals – which live until around 24 years old – also know when it is time for them to die.

Near the end of their lives, we were told, they find a quiet place by themselves and go out alone. The rangers said the spots were so secluded that, over decades, they had never been able to find a monkey’s body after this had happened.

That these unique animals can now exist in this way over an area of 400 square kilometres (155 square miles) is very different to how it was.

Though the national park was created in 1982, one 49-year-old ranger who grew up in the area, Fang Jixi, said that it took many more years for struggling farmers to stop destroying this environment.

“People were very poor in these mountains and hunger was a real concern. There was no concept of protecting wild animals,” he said.

“Even after logging was banned there were still people illegally felling timber. If they didn’t cut down trees, how would they have money? There were also people secretly hunting here to survive. It was only after a long period of building awareness that the consciousness of local farmers changed.”

Part of this awareness was bringing these farmers on board to become protectors of the forest rather than wreckers of it.

“When the change occurred it was the scientists who told us you can actually come and work with us. You can have a job here to help the animals,” Mr Fang said.

Now he is part of a team that patrols the hills, keeping an eye out for poachers and, most importantly, looking for where the monkeys are so that researchers can study how and where they sleep, forage and give birth.

Finding them can be difficult because the animals can cover an area through the treetops in minutes that a human would need an hour to walk.

What’s more, these fascinating primates are not naturally so open to human interaction, especially given how dangerous such contact could have been in the past.

Source: https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cp370l4370ko

You can see a haboob’s wall of dust coming from a distance but by the time it reaches you, it’s too late to seek shelter – especially if you’re behind the wheel of a vehicle.

A towering wall of dust, known meteorologically as a haboob, swallowed parts of metro Phoenix Monday evening, plunging the city into near-zero visibility. The dust storm was quickly followed by severe thunderstorms that tore through the city, leaving behind downed trees, wind damage and widespread power outages. At Phoenix Sky Harbor Airport, a connector bridge was shredded by 70 mph wind gusts.

The National Weather Service in Phoenix issued both dust storm and severe thunderstorm warnings as the system pushed into Maricopa County Monday evening. The weather service warned drivers of dangerously low visibility and urged people to “pull aside stay alive.”

The Arizona Department of Transportation echoed that warning, saying there was significantly reduced visibility on I-10 and I-17 due to the dust storm and flooding on roadways, urging drivers to proceed with caution.

After the storms swept through, more than 60,000 customers in Arizona were left without power, with the majority of outages concentrated in Maricopa County, according to PowerOutage.us.

For about an hour, the Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport had a ground stop preventing any planes from leaving or landing as a cloud of dust seemed ready to swallow up the facility. The airport was experiencing up to 30 minute delays late Monday night while crews assessed any damage or roof leaks, airport spokesperson Gregory E. Roybal said.

In Gilbert, Arizona – about 22 miles southeast of Phoenix – there are “traffic light outages and downed trees across town,” police said, urging residents to avoid travel due to dangerous conditions.

Dust storms are nothing new in Arizona’s monsoon season, but this storm packed extra punch. A thunderstorm collapsed, and its winds blasted outward, scooping up desert soil and building it into a rolling wall of dust. These walls can climb thousands of feet high and stretch for miles, cutting off the horizon in seconds, similar to a blizzard in winter.

You can see a haboob’s wall of dust coming from a distance but by the time it reaches you, it’s too late to seek shelter – especially if you’re behind the wheel of a vehicle. It’s nearly impossible to see more than a few feet in front of you in the worst of these storms as the dust chokes out light.

The haboob in Phoenix comes after a weekend dust storm in Nevada blew through Burning Man, an annual arts gathering in Black Rock City, about 120 miles from Reno.

As attendees began arriving at the remote desert location Saturday, strong thunderstorm winds kicked up a dust plume, closing access roads and sending vendors scrambling to secure their tents.

“We had to take our sign down. We weren’t expecting that,” vendor Mike Chuda told CNN affiliate KTVN. “The wind was in such a perfect angle that it was bending our booth forward. So that was pretty wild.”

Source: https://www.accuweather.com/en/weather-news/phoenix-arizona-haboob/1809188

It’s the end of the Southampton girls weekend.

Tony Southampton has banned short-term home rentals after crabby locals complained that weekend warriors’ all-night “ragers” were keeping them up too late and making the ritzy beachside village unbearable.

The measure — passed 4-1 by the village board of trustees on Aug. 19 — sets a new two-week minimum for home rentals across the ritzy beachside locale, effectively banning weekend trips for anyone who can’t shell out for a hotel or fork over thousands of dollars typically required to hold a house for 14 days.

That means Hamptons trips — which already cost between $900 and $2,000 for a weekend stay — could now cost anything from $10,000 to $15,000 and up for a two-week rental.

“All those girls and bridesmaids weekends are out of luck now,” one local real estate broker told The Post.

But Southampton mayor Bill Manger says it’s short-term renters’ own fault for partying too hard and losing their weekend privileges.

“We have been getting complaints from people in the village that the house next door is having lots of different renters coming in every weekend, and causing a disruption to the peace and harmony,” Manger told The Post, explaining locals have been calling cops with relentless noise complaints “every weekend” for months.

“They came to me as the mayor and asked, ‘Can’t you do something about this?’” Manger said.

He looked at Southampton’s neighboring communities on Long Island’s South Fork and realized almost everywhere else had already banned weekend rentals over similar complaints, and made the proposal for the village.

“We were the only outlier so it seemed to make sense to put something in place,” he said.

Word of the new law — which covers the heart of the Southampton beach community, but not the wider township’s other villages — has been slow to disseminate across the sleepy but well-heeled enclave, and some fear it will only serve to keep people out and hurt local business owners.

“It’s over. This ends my Airbnb business. That’s it,” said 55-year-old Joel Perez, who divides his time between Long Island and Miami and rents out his Southampton home when he’s in Florida.

“Nobody can afford to be out here for two weeks. What happens to people who just want a weekend getaway?” he said. “It’s really about catering to the rich and keeping people from the middle class down and out of the Hamptons.”

And he thinks the parties will only continue — but harder.

“The people who can afford to book those whole houses and throw ragers will still do it — they’ll just rent for two weeks, throw more than one party,” he said.

An Airbnb spokesperson said the company has banned parties for the last five years, but is committed to working with Southampton leaders to make sure the village is equipped to deal with violators.

“Airbnb has had a ban on parties since 2020, and while they remain extremely rare with fewer than 0.06% of reservations on Airbnb in New York resulting in an allegation of a party in 2024,” the spokesperson said.

Zach Erdem, a Southampton restaurateur and star of HBO Max’s “Serving the Hamptons,” said he was “shocked” when the law passed.

“The rich want the Hamptons to be more exclusive. It’s been the same issue for many years, but in the end, cutting short term rentals will stop people from coming,” he said.

“They want to know how to get people to come here, but they are keeping it for only the 1% to enjoy the Hamptons. They are stabbing us all in the back,” Erdem added.

The new law comes in effect at the end of a Hamptons summer where rentals were down 30%, according to reports, which some attributed to pandemic-era buyers pumping their prices to break-even paying off their mortgages.

And some real-estate agents have even lamented that the old-fashioned long-term rental market that once sustained the Hamptons is long gone — and not coming back, no matter what laws are passed.

Despite the criticisms, some have said the new rule is a sensible step in the right direction for homeowners who are in Southampton full time.

“There are too many damn people out here. That’s the problem. There’s too many people for one day or one night. There’s no consistency,” said Paul Brennan, a longtime Hamptons real estate broker with Douglas Elliman.

“Hopefully this will prevent the practice of one or two day rentals that drive everyone crazy. They pack the houses and don’t take care of them. Landlords go crazy,” he added.

Source: https://nypost.com/2025/08/26/us-news/southampton-bans-short-term-rentals-in-move-that-officially-cancels-weekend-trips-to-hamptons-out-of-luck/

Federal Reserve Gov. Lisa Cook will sue President Donald Trump’s administration to try to prevent him from firing her, her lawyer said Tuesday.

The announcement makes it more likely that a high-stakes legal battle will ensue that will probably end up at the Supreme Court, and could redefine the limits of the president’s legal authority over the central bank. Increasingly at issue is the Fed’s independence from day-to-day politics, which most economists consider a key factor in keeping long-term inflation and interest rates low.

“President Trump has no authority to remove Federal Reserve Governor Lisa Cook,” said Abbe Lowell, Cook’s lawyer and a longtime Washington figure who has represented prominent people from both major political parties. “His attempt to fire her, based solely on a referral letter, lacks any factual or legal basis. We will be filing a lawsuit challenging this illegal action.”

Trump, meanwhile, underscored in remarks at the White House that his goal is to seize more power over the Fed to get it to lower interest rates. He has previously said he would only appoint people to the Fed’s board who will support lower borrowing costs.

“We’ll have a majority very shortly, so that’ll be good,” Trump said, referring to the Fed’s governing board. “Once we have a majority, housing will swing,” he added, blaming slow housing sales on high mortgage rates.

Trump has criticized Fed Chair Jerome Powell for months because the Fed has left its key short-term interest rate unchanged at about 4.3% — relatively high compared with its level during the COVID-19 pandemic, when it was nearly zero.

But now Trump has turned his attention to the broader Federal Reserve system. The committee that sets interest rates has 12 voting members, with seven coming from the board and the other five drawn from the presidents of the 12 regional Fed banks.

The Fed exercises expansive power over the U.S. economy by adjusting a short-term interest rate that can influence broader borrowing costs for things like mortgages, auto loans and business loans.

Also Tuesday, the Fed itself weighed in for the first time on the firing, saying it would “abide by any court decision.”

The Fed also defended its longtime independence from politics: “Congress, through the Federal Reserve Act, directs that governors serve in long, fixed terms and may be removed by the president only ‘for cause,’” the central bank said. “Long tenures and removal protections for governors serve as a vital safeguard, ensuring that monetary policy decisions are based on data, economic analysis, and the long-term interests of the American people.”

A spokesperson said the Fed has deferred any decision on Cook’s working status and added that there is no official business before the board this week.

But the Fed’s statement did not explicitly criticize Trump’s decision to fire her.

If Trump succeeds in removing Cook from the Fed’s board of governors, it would likely erode the Fed’s political independence, which enables it to take unpopular steps like raising interest rates. A less-independent Fed could leave Americans paying higher rates, because investors would demand a higher yield to own bonds to offset potentially greater inflation in the future, pushing up borrowing costs throughout the economy.

Who’s on the board?
Trump appointed two members of the board, Christopher Waller and Michelle Bowman, in his first term and has named Steven Miran, a top White House economist, to replace Gov. Adriana Kugler, who stepped down unexpectedly Aug. 1. If Miran’s nomination is approved by the Senate and Trump is able to replace Cook, he would have a 4-3 majority on the Fed’s board.

For now, Miran would just be on the board until Kugler’s term was set to end in January. Trump said Tuesday at a Cabinet meeting that he could instead nominate Miran to complete Cook’s term, , which lasts until 2038, if he succeeds in firing her.

Legal experts say the Republican president’s claim that he can fire Cook, who was appointed by Democratic President Joe Biden in 2022, is on shaky ground. But it’s an unprecedented move that hasn’t played out in the courts before, and the Supreme Court this year has been much more willing to let the president remove agency officials than in the past.

“It’s an illegal firing, but the president’s going to argue, ‘The Constitution lets me do it,’” said Lev Menand, a law professor at Columbia University and author of a book about the Fed. “And that argument’s worked in a few other cases so far this year.”

Menand said the Supreme Court construes the Constitution’s meaning, and “it can make new constitutional law in this case.”

Trump on Tuesday acknowledged there would likely be a court fight.

“You always have legal fights,” he said. “She seems to have had an infraction, and you can’t have an infraction,” he added of Cook.

Allegations against Cook
Bill Pulte, a Trump appointee to the agency that regulates mortgage giants Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, alleged last week that Cook had claimed two primary residences — in Ann Arbor, Michigan, and in Atlanta — in 2021 to get better mortgage terms. Mortgage rates are often higher on second homes or those bought to rent.

Trump said in a letter posted on his Truth Social platform late Monday that he was removing Cook effective immediately because of allegations she committed mortgage fraud.

Cook says she won’t resign
Cook said Monday night that she would not step down. “President Trump purported to fire me ‘for cause’ when no cause exists under the law, and he has no authority to do so,” she said in an emailed statement. “I will not resign.”

The courts have allowed the Trump administration to remove commissioners at the National Labor Relations Board, the Merit System Protection Board and other independent agencies. Yet Cook’s case is different.

Those dismissals were based on the idea that the president needs no reason to remove agency heads because they exercise executive power on his behalf, the Supreme Court wrote in an unsigned order in May.

In that same order, the court suggested that Trump did not have the same freedom at the Fed, which the court called a “uniquely structured, quasi-private entity.”

Source: https://apnews.com/article/cook-trump-federal-reserve-d7b3d05bcb5d6a80aacff913bf7bff96

A lawyer asked Katy Perry on Tuesday whether she stood to gain money or anything else from a trial in a long legal fight over a California mansion.

“Justice” was the one-word answer from the singing superstar, former “American Idol” judge and recent astronaut, part of an hour of remote testimony she gave in a Los Angeles courtroom.

In her tense, careful testimony, Perry wouldn’t concede directly that she stood to gain money if she won, but did say, “I stand to lose money if it doesn’t work in my favor.”

She spoke during the second trial in a dispute over a $15 million mansion in upscale Montecito near Santa Barbara that she and former partner Orlando Bloom bought in 2020.

The seller, 85-year-old Carl Westcott, said he was not mentally competent to make the deal and sued to undo it.

Perry’s side — technically the defendant was her business manager, Bernie Gudvi — prevailed in the first trial in 2023. Then Gudvi, representing Perry, countersued over lost rental income brought on by the legal fight and millions in maintenance the house allegedly required. That brought on the current sequel trial.

Westcott’s lawyer, Andrew J. Thomas, often tried to steer the conversation toward Bloom. Superior Court Judge Joseph Lipner ruled that the “Pirates of the Caribbean” and “Lord of the Rings” actor does not have to testify because it would be redundant and unnecessary, even though the house is officially owned by a company he set up.

Asked if she had any role in a remodel of the house Bloom oversaw, Perry replied that she acted as “partner and adviser.”

The couple, who split up in July, have a daughter together whose fifth birthday was Tuesday.

When asked about the nature of their partnership, Perry replied, “We’re family for life.”

Perry’s attorney, Eric Rowen, objected to nearly every question by Thomas as irrelevant, including most of the queries about Bloom, which Lipner kept to a minimum.

Rowen objected especially angrily when Perry was asked if she knew that Westcott had entered a mental institution earlier in the legal fight, apparently suggesting the question was an attack for the sake of the media present.

“This is, I don’t want to say unethical, but this is simply an effort to drive a narrative to parties outside this courtroom,” Rowen said. The judge sustained his objection and the question was not allowed.

The judge and lawyers referred to Perry as “Miss Hudson.” Her legal name is Katheryn Elizabeth Hudson.

She’s currently in the middle of an international tour, and has recently been tied to former Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. It wasn’t clear where she was during Tuesday’s questioning.

Thomas asked Perry repeatedly whether she had had enough cash on hand to buy the $15 million mansion outright.

“I could have,” she eventually said, “but I wanted to do a mortgage instead.”

Perry conceded that in the previous trial, she said she intended to live in the mansion, not to rent it out. But renters including the family of actor Chris Pratt are central to this trial. There was discussion of having Pratt testify, but he was not on the final witness list.

There was one light moment at the end of Perry’s testimony when she described some dealings with Westcott and said, “I was pregnant at the time.”

She couldn’t be heard clearly and Lipner said he had heard, “It was private.”

“No, pregnant!” Perry said with a laugh.

Perry’s own lawyer declined to cross-examine her and the judge excused her.

Like the previous trial, this one has no jury, and Lipner will decide the outcome. Perry’s testimony came on the fourth day of proceedings that are expected to go on for two more days.

It’s not the first long public fight Perry has had over a property. She previously sparred in court with an order of nuns who fought to stop the sale of a convent she had bought. She prevailed in that case.

She also testified in a lawsuit that alleged she and her co-writers had stolen key elements of her hit song “Dark Horse” from a Christian musician. She lost at trial, but won on appeal.

 

Source: https://apnews.com/article/katy-perry-mansion-trial-cbaffada5e05757f2ae5ff57a8a6abec

Menopause can usher in a host of disruptive symptoms like hot flashes, night sweats and sleep problems. Hormone therapy promises relief.

But many women wonder about taking it. That’s because the treatment, subject of a recent expert panel convened by the Food and Drug Administration, has long been shrouded in uncertainty.

It was once used routinely. But in 2002, research testing one type was stopped early because of concerns about increased risks of breast cancer and blood clots. Concerns lingered even though later studies showed the benefits of today’s hormone therapies outweigh the risks for many women.

“There is still a lot of confusion and a lot of fear,” said Grayson Leverenz, a 50-year-old from Durham, North Carolina, who hesitated to take it but is glad she did.

Others increasingly are also giving hormone therapy a second look. But experts continue to disagree about how to present the treatment’s pros and cons. The FDA-assembled panel stressed the benefits and suggested health warnings be removed from at least some versions — prompting dozens of experts to call for more input before making any changes.

Doctors say hormone therapy is a great option for many, but not all, menopausal women — and it’s important to understand the nuanced reality of these treatments before deciding what’s best.

How hormone therapy works
It treats symptoms that can arise when menstruation winds down and ends, causing levels of estrogen and progesterone to drop very low.

One type is low-dose vaginal estrogen therapy. Because it’s applied into the vagina, very little circulates in the blood and the risks are far lower. Doctors say it’s a good option for women whose biggest complaint is vaginal dryness.

Whole-body therapy includes pills, patches, sprays, gels or a vaginal ring that deliver doses of hormones into the bloodstream at levels high enough to have significant effects on symptoms like hot flashes. Such systemic hormones include estrogens and progestogens.

 

Jennifer Zwink, a nurse in Castle Rock, Colorado, began using an estrogen patch more than a year ago and also has an IUD, which gives her progesterone. The treatment has relieved her hot flashes, improved her sleep and eased her joint pain and bloating.

“It’s not like a 100% magic wand,” she said. “But it definitely has made a significant difference.”

The Menopause Society says hormone therapy can lower the risk of cardiovascular disease if started within 10 years of reaching menopause. It may also reduce the risk of Type 2 diabetes and maintain bone density for longer.

“They might have a drop in their bone density at age 60″ instead of at age 50, said Dr. MargEva Morris Cole, an OB-GYN with Duke University.

Hormone therapy carries some risks
When Leverenz was first prescribed hormone therapy last year, she kept worrying about the risks she’d heard about — then finally decided: “I can’t live like this anymore.”

With a combination of three medications, her anxiety lifted, her sleep improved, her joint pain and hot flashes went away.

“I just feel like myself again,” she said.

Doctors say many patients hesitate to try hormones, and they try to reassure them.

Women can use estrogen therapy for seven years – and estrogen-progestogen therapy for three to five years – before breast cancer risk goes up, according to the Menopause Society.

The group says both estrogen therapy and estrogen-progestogen therapy increase the risk of stroke, which goes away soon after stopping hormones. The risk of blood clots rises if you take hormones by mouth, but may be lower if you use a patch, gel or spray.

“A lot of these risks are small,” said Dr. Nanette Santoro, an OB-GYN at the University of Colorado. “And they have to be weighed against the benefit of symptom relief.”

Age, medical history and how long women stay on the hormones are also considerations. Many women take them for around five years, and those who’ve had a stroke or certain other conditions may be advised against using them at all.

Debate on changing warnings on hormone medications
Doctors are divided over whether there should be changes in “black box” health warnings on some hormone treatments. All estrogen drugs still carry boxed warnings about the higher rates of stroke, blood clots and cognitive problems among women taking the medications.

Most of the physicians at the recent expert panel meeting convened by the FDA prescribe the hormones or are involved with a pharmaceutical industry campaign opposing the warning label. A letter signed by 76 doctors and researchers argues that “removing label warnings without adequate scientific assessment puts patients at risk,” and asked the agency to hold an advisory committee meeting with a public hearing before making any changes.

In the meantime, doctors urge people to be wary of misinformation, like false claims on social media posts that hormones will prevent dementia and ensure a healthy old age.

“We can’t say that you are going to live a longer, healthier life because you took hormones,” Duke’s Cole said. “I don’t want the pendulum to go so far that people feel that it is promising health for the next 30 to 40 years.”

Source: https://apnews.com/article/hormone-therapy-estrogen-hot-flashes-fda-5b1f29a73553c142f67b1f88b6656428

Typhoon Kajiki killed at least three people and left over 1.6 million without electricity in Vietnam. Strong winds uprooted trees, roofs, and power poles.

Parts of Southeast Asia faced heavy rainfall on Tuesday as Typhoon Kajiki made landfall in Vietnam, bringing floods and devastation to Hanoi.

Rainwater flooded the streets of the capital, with people pushing their motorbikes through water ranging from ankle-deep to car-high.

On Tuesday, authorities reported that the storm had killed at least three people and injured at least 10 others in Vietnam. They warned that the heavy rains could trigger flash floods and landslides.

The typhoon hit central Vietnam with winds of up to 130km/h (80 mph) tearing roofs off thousands of homes and leaving over 1.6 million people without power.

Vietnam clears up after the typhoon
The news agency AFP reported that soldiers and rescue workers were using cutting equipment to clear roads blocked by fallen trees and roof panels.

“A huge steel roof was blown down from the eighth floor of a building, landing right in the middle of the street,” one resident told AFP. “It was so lucky that no one was hurt. This typhoon was absolutely terrifying,” he added.

State media reported that more than 16,500 soldiers and 107,000 paramilitary workers were assisting with evacuations.

Airports in Vietnam’s Thanh Hoa and Quang Binh provinces have been closed since Monday, halting all flights.

Source : https://www.dw.com/en/deadly-typhoon-kajiki-makes-landfall-in-vietnam/a-73765244

The rise of infant deaths has been occurring most commonly during the child’s first 28 days of life

AN ALARMING number of infant deaths has led to one state declaring a public health emergency.

The state’s Department of Health reported that its infant mortality rate has risen to its highest level in over a decade.

Mississippi reported 9.7 infants died for every 1,000 born, which is almost double the national average of 5.6 deaths, according to the Department of Health.

Since 2014, 3,527 babies have died before turning a year old.

“Too many Mississippi families are losing their babies before their first birthday,” State Health Officer Dr. Dan Edney said in a press release.

Edney said the issue is close to his heart, as he’s a father and a grandfather.

“Declaring this a public health emergency is more than a policy decision; it is an urgent commitment to save lives,” he continued.

“Mississippi has the knowledge, the resources and the resilience to change this story.

“It will take all of us — policymakers, healthcare providers, communities and families — working together to give every child the chance to live, thrive and celebrate their first birthday.”

The leading cause of death for infants, which includes those under the age of one, is congenital malformations, preterm birth, low birth weight, and Sudden Infant Death Syndrome.

The rise of infant deaths has been occurring most commonly during the child’s first 28 days of life.

“Improving maternal health is the best way to reduce infant mortality,” Dr. Edney added.

“That means better access to prenatal and postpartum care, stronger community support and more resources for moms and babies.

“Healthy women of childbearing age are more likely to have healthy pregnancies, which in turn lead to healthier babies.”

Almost half of the counties in Mississippi are deemed maternity care deserts, leaving expecting mothers with little help during pregnancy, according to March of Dimes.

“The Mississippi Department of Health’s declaration of a public health emergency in response to infant mortality is a painful reminder of the maternal and infant health crisis facing our nation,” Cindy Rahman, the president and CEO of March of Dimes, said in a statement.

Source: https://www.the-sun.com/health/15052691/mississippi-infant-deaths-state-of-emergency/

The tennis icon was moved after reflecting on her journey

VENUS WILLIAMS fought back tears in an emotional press conference after being knocked out of the US Open.

The legendary 45-year-old looked in incredible form and shape despite a first-round defeat on Monday night.

She was at her explosive best despite a 3-6, 6-2, 1-6 defeat to Czech No11 seed Karolina Muchova.

Seven-time Grand Slam winner Williams has now been tipped to continue her iconic trophy-laden career.

She also played at the Mubadala Citi DC Open in Washington and the Cincinnati Open this year.

Her return to the court came after 16 months out.

And Williams was visibly moved after her exit on Arthur Ashe at Flushing Meadows in Queens, New York.

She was reflecting on her journey back to her home Grand Slam.

“What did I prove to myself?,” a teary two-time US Open champion said afterwards.

“I think for me getting back on the court was about giving myself a chance to play more healthy.

“When you play unhealthy, it’s in your mind. It’s not just how you feel.

“You get stuck in your mind too. It was nice to be freer.”

Williams has suffered from Sjogren’s syndrome for more than a decade.

It is an energy-draining auto-immune disease that can cause pain in the joints.

And the veteran has insisted she does not want to travel too far away from the United States if she does carry on her career.

“Are there any tournaments in the States? Can someone move a tournament here?,” she added.

Source: https://www.the-sun.com/sport/15050845/venus-williams-tears-emotional-press-conference-us-open-tennis/

At McDonald’s outlets in South India, a 30-cent burger topping has been selling out fast. It’s not extra cheese or a fancy salsa dip, but a vegetarian protein slice developed with Indian government food scientists — the brand’s first such offering globally.
McDonald’s (MCD.N), has joined India’s biggest dairy Amul, a slew of startups and a company backed by Bollywood superstar Ranveer Singh to unleash a marketing blitz with celebrity chefs and cricketers promoting protein as a daily nutrition need for young and old, not just a gym fad.

Ordering kiosks at the Golden Arches do not mention calories but lure consumers by flashing the high protein in burgers, tapping into a sudden craze in a nation with the world’s highest number of vegetarians and low meat consumption.
“The protein addition makes this easier to eat without much guilt,” said 53-year-old Baiju C.T., as he added the five-gram protein slice to his $3 Chicken Maharaja — described as India’s answer to McDonald’s signature beef burger Big Mac.
The nutrition push is not only about $50 whey powder packs. Protein has been infused into cottage cheese – a vegetarian favourite – as well as ice creams, water, chips and 60-cent tiny bottles of blueberry milkshakes. Indian flatbreads are next.

U.S. and other markets have seen similar protein booms, but in India it is being driven by the country’s distinct cereal-heavy dietary profile. Nearly 30% of India’s 1.4 billion people are vegetarian and the government estimates 73% of the population is protein-deficient.
Religious sensitivities mean beef is banned in most states, and while chicken is popular, it remains costly for many low-income households. Meat supplies in India stood at a mere 6.6 kg (14 pounds) per person a year – among the lowest globally, compared with 123 kg in the United States, and 70.5 kg in China, U.N. data from 2022 showed.
In July, McDonald’s sold 32,000 pieces of its soy- and pea-protein slice within 24 hours of launch. Most of its over 400 stores ran out of stock quickly and were replenished a month later, according to Westlife Foodworld (WEST.NS), its sole franchisee for south and west India.

The slice is “inspired by consumer insights showing growing interest in protein,” Westlife CEO Akshay Jatia told Reuters.

‘SAVE OUR POPULATION’

India’s high-protein dairy market grew 9.4% over a year to touch $1.5 billion in 2024. This year, it’s likely to grow by another 12%, Euromonitor estimates.
Google Trends data from India shows the terms “protein chips” and “protein bar” recorded their highest interest in five years in June and August, with the highest search interest from New Delhi, an urban hotspot.
Rural India is plagued by low protein consumption. A research survey published in February found 80% of 785 households in semi-arid tropics consumed less protein than needed, even though they had access to protein-rich foods.
Aashitosh Inamdar, a chief scientist at the government’s Central Food Technological Research Institute, said it took them six months to refine McDonald’s protein slice in their labs as earlier prototypes received from the brand were “too chewy” and “powdery” for Indian tastes.

The government lab last year partnered with billionaire Mukesh Ambani’s Reliance to develop protein-enriched cookies. It is currently also developing local sweets and spices to make their taste appeal to more Indians, though much like McDonald’s, protein products largely remain an urban phenomenon.
“To save our population, we need to put it (protein) into something which is more edible,” said Inamdar.

BOLLYWOOD AND CRICKET

Movie star Singh and co-founder Nikunj Biyani’s startup, SuperYou, has sold more than 10 million protein wafers since November, with sales hitting a record monthly high in July.
Singh has 47 million Instagram followers and is promoting the brand himself. In one reel, he touted that SuperYou baked chips contain 10 grams of protein, while mocking regular “guilty potato” chips.
But they are pricey. SuperYou chips cost 100 rupees ($1.14) per 100 grams, more than double Pepsi’s (PEP.O) popular Lay’s potato chips.

SuperYou plans to launch biscuits and cereals and target smaller towns, said Biyani, who calls protein a “knight in shining armour.”
Cricketers are also endorsing the protein craze.
In April, Amul sponsored several teams in the world’s richest cricket league, the IPL, and used the partnership to make Instagram reels featuring dancing Indian and international cricketers to promote its protein offerings. Some reels generated millions of views.

Source : https://www.reuters.com/world/india/protein-deficient-india-mcdonalds-bollywood-cricket-fuel-wellness-craze-2025-08-26/

From K-pop trainee to songwriter and now a leading singer in “KPop Demon Hunters,” South Korean artist EJAE poured everything she knew about popular Korean music into the Netflix (NFLX.O), project.
The animated film that has become a cultural phenomenon includes the chart-topping hit “Golden,” which EJAE performs.

“I just love how ‘Golden’ is a very hopeful song, so not just America, but globally, everyone’s resonating with it,” the singer told Reuters.

“It feels like we’re all like connecting together,” she added.
The 33-year-old was signed by South Korea’s SM Entertainment when she was in her teens as a trainee, learning singing, dancing and performing in anticipation of launching a career as a K-pop artist.
Instead of singing, she initially became a songwriter and producer who worked with popular groups such as Aespa, Twice, Red Velvet, Nmixx and others to capture the authentic sound of the genre.
“KPop Demon Hunters” debuted on the streaming platform on June 20, quickly garnering global praise from critics and audiences.
The story follows a trio of demon hunters that perform K-pop music to both impress fans and combat demons.

A sing-along version of “KPop Demon Hunters” topped the domestic box office over the weekend, in what appears to be a historic first for streaming giant Netflix.
The movie brought in an estimated $18 million from U.S. and Canada box offices, according to IMDb’s Box Office Mojo, surpassing the $15.6 million for horror movie “Weapons.”
“KPop Demon Hunters” centers on Rumi, the lead singer of the group, with musical vocals provided by EJAE and a speaking voice from Arden Cho.
Rumi struggles with her identity and fears that her two best friends, Mira, voiced by May Hong, and Zoey, voiced by Ji-young Yoo, won’t accept her for who she really is.
The film was produced by Sony Pictures Animation.
While the fictional K-pop girl group called HUNTR/X has achieved enormous real-life success, Cho has been surprised by some of the audience reactions to the movie’s music.

“Someone was saying that HUNTR/X voices were A.I. (artificial intelligence) because it’s so good,” Cho said.
“It’s so good that they were like, ‘Oh, those singers must be AI. ’‘No, we’re real. We’re here,’ she added.
The movie’s soundtrack has dominated the charts this summer, boasting over 3 billion global streams to date, with breakout hit “Golden” hitting #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart, Netflix reports.

Source : https://www.reuters.com/business/media-telecom/kpop-demon-hunters-movie-holds-its-own-atop-music-movie-charts-2025-08-25/

Port Royal, a secluded corner of Naples, Florida, is fast becoming one of the country’s most exclusive neighborhoods to live — where pastel-toned mansions line man-made peninsulas and sales are setting records on par with Palm Beach and Malibu.

In February, a bayfront property with new construction traded for $85 million, the highest sum ever paid for a non-beachfront house in Collier County. Businessman and philanthropist David Hoffmann was the buyer.

That same month, a three-parcel compound on 15 acres sold off-market for a stratospheric $225 million, securing the most expensive residential deal in Florida history and second place nationally. The seller is tied to the billionaire DeGroote family of Canada, but the buyer still remains unknown.

Those transactions cemented Port Royal’s status as one of the few enclaves capable of producing nine-figure sales, according to Mansion Global.

The neighborhood traces its origins to the 1950s, when advertising executive-turned-developer John Glenn Sample envisioned a luxury waterfront community carved out of swampland.

“When Sample first laid eyes on the swamplands, he saw potential. Others saw mangroves and mosquitoes,” Maggie Ives, a global real estate adviser at Premier Sotheby’s International Realty, told Mansion Global.

What he built, she added, was more than a neighborhood.

“He was creating a statement, a sanctuary for those who shared his drive to do what others thought impossible.”

Today, Port Royal counts roughly 500 to 600 custom homes, many in British West Indies or Island Colonial styles.

The setting, with manicured grounds and native palms, “is like a private friendly botanical retreat,” Ives said.

Properties typically include private boat docks, resort pools, outdoor pavilions and wine cellars, among other amenities.

The median sale price stood at a cool $16.4 million in June.

Ives said that waterfront residences often range from $10 million to $30 million, while the larger estates can reach $50 million or more.

According to Compass agent Joe Belz, “The sweet spot for new builds is $20 million to $45 million.”

Prices have accelerated sharply in recent years.

“Unique lots and homesites will yield a higher demand and price,” Lauren Brooker, a principal of Brooker McMurray Group at Compass, told Mansion Global. She noted that beachfront parcels continue to command premium pricing.

Ives said she expects Port Royal values to climb at least 4% to 5% annually through 2026, with gains potentially as high as 6% to 7%.

The scheduled reopening of the Port Royal Club in 2026 could drive an additional 5% to 10% boost between late 2025 and mid-2026.

Although fewer than 40 properties are usually for sale at one time, supply has loosened slightly.

Ives said that “many listings have seen price adjustments, particularly those above $25 million or without gulf access,” and that average marketing time now runs about six months. Even so, the overall trajectory remains upward.

Source : https://nypost.com/2025/08/25/real-estate/port-royal-is-floridas-next-spot-for-wealthy-buyers/

Israeli airstrikes on a hospital in southern Gaza on Monday killed five journalists, according to health officials. Among them was Mariam Dagga, a 33-year-old visual journalist who had recently reported for The Associated Press on malnourished children being treated at the same hospital.

Dagga, who freelanced for AP and other outlets during the conflict, was remembered by the organisation in a statement expressing deep shock and sorrow over her death and the loss of the other journalists.

According to medical officials, two airstrikes hit Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis in rapid succession. Videos from the scene show journalists and rescue workers responding to the first blast when a second, much larger explosion struck an exterior staircase frequently used by members of the press.

Zaher al-Waheidi, head of the Gaza Health Ministry’s records department, reported that 20 people were killed in total.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office described the incident as a “tragic mishap” and stated that the military is investigating the strike. “Israel values the work of journalists, medical staff, and all civilians,” his office said in a statement

Journalists in Gaza

Many journalists working in Gaza face the same struggles to find food for themselves and their families as the people they cover. Dagga’s 13-year-old son was evacuated from Gaza earlier in the war, and she herself was displaced multiple times.

Al Jazeera confirmed that its journalist, Mohammed Salama was also among those who were killed in the Nasser strikes. Middle East Eye, a U.K.-based media outlet, said Salama had also contributed to its coverage. Reuters reported that its contractor cameraman, Hussam al-Masri and Moaz Abu Taha, a freelancer who worked occasionally for the organisation, were killed. The agency’s contractor photographer, Hatem Khaled, was wounded.

Ahmad Abu Aziz was also killed, according to Health Ministry official al-Waheidi. He had worked as a freelancer for Middle East Eye, the organisation said, as reported by AP.

Dagga frequently based herself at Nasser, most recently reporting on the hospital’s struggle to save children from starvation, including making a series of searing images. Independent Arabia, the Arabic language version of the British Independent, said Dagga also worked with the organization.

She often shared short, somber Facebook posts, reflecting on her life in Gaza. In one of her last, on Sunday, she wrote: “When you see the soil covering the most precious thing you have, only then will you realize how trivial life is.”

Rising fears for journalists in Gaza

Thibaut Bruttin, Director General of Reporters Without Borders, said that press freedom advocates have never witnessed such a severe setback for journalists’ safety. He pointed out that reporters have been killed not only in indiscriminate attacks but also in targeted strikes that the Israeli military has admitted to conducting.

“They are doing everything they can to silence independent voices that are trying to report on Gaza,” Bruttin said.

According to the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ), the deadliest day for journalists in the Gaza war occurred two weeks ago, when six journalists were killed, including Al Jazeera correspondent Anas al-Sharif. With Monday’s hospital strike, Al Jazeera reported that 10 of its journalists have now been killed in Gaza since the war began.

In response, Reporters Without Borders has called for an emergency meeting of the U.N. Security Council to address what it described as Israel’s failure to uphold a U.N. resolution that protects independent journalists during armed conflicts.

Source : https://www.livemint.com/news/world/royal-family-not-focused-on-meghan-markle-s-new-netflix-series-they-have-far-bigger-priorities-11756217607990.html

Donald Trump said that seven jets were shot down during the military conflict between India and Pakistan, but this is not the number he earlier claimed.

US President Donald Trump on Monday again repeated his claim of brokering a ceasefire between India and Pakistan back in May, adding that seven jets were shot down during the military conflict.

However, this is not the number of jets he said were shot down earlier. Last month, the Republican said five planes were downed during the conflict as “two serious nuclear countries” hit each other.

Like last time, this time too, Trump did not specify which country shot down how many jets. His fresh remarks on the subject come weeks after Air Chief Marshal Amar Preet Singh confirmed that India shot down five Pakistani fighter jets during Operation Sindoor, the military action targeting terrorist infrastructure in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir.

The Air Chief Marshal had said that the jets were shot down by the S-400 air defence systems, and called it the largest ever recorded surface-to-air kill.

Apart from the five jets, one large Airborne Early Warning and Control (AEW&C) or early warning aircraft was also destroyed, he had said.

‘Was going to be a nuclear war’

Further, repeating his claim of brokering a ceasefire between India and Pakistan and “stopping” a nuclear war, Donald Trump said on Monday, “The war with India and Pakistan was the next level that was going to be a nuclear war… They already shot down 7 jets – that was raging.”

See more

#WATCH | Washington DC | “… I have stopped all of these wars. A big one would have been India and Pakistan…”, says US President Donald Trump.

He also says, “The war with India and Pakistan was the next level that was going to be a nuclear war… They already shot down 7 jets… pic.twitter.com/9O0tcYsmwk

— ANI (@ANI) August 25, 2025

He again linked the truce between the two bordering nations to trade, saying he gave both countries 24 hours to settle the fight, threatening the US would withhold trade if they didn’t stop. “I said, ‘You want to trade? We are not doing any trade or anything with you if you keep fighting, you’ve got 24 hours to settle it’. They said, ‘Well, there’s no more war going on. ‘ I used that on numerous occasions. I used trade and whatever I had to use…” the Republican said.

Trump’s remarks on the India-Pak conflict are the latest in a series of such claims repeated multiple times, ever since the two countries reached an agreement on cessation of hostilities on May 10.

The truce was declared days after the launch of Operation Sindoor, launched to avenge the killing of 26 civilians in a terrorist attack in Jammu and Kashmir’s Pahalgam on April 22.

Source : https://www.hindustantimes.com/india-news/donald-trump-changes-claim-on-planes-downed-during-india-pak-conflict-operation-sindoor-101756171109936.html

 

Lee hailed Trump as a “peacemaker,” with the US president also reminding everyone of his “very good relationship” with North Korea’s Kim Jong Un. Trade and the US military’s presence in South Korea were also brought up.

Donald Trump met with South Korean President Lee Jae Myung at the White House on Monday, with the topic of North Korea at the forefront of discussions as the US president said he’d like to meet with Kim Jong Un “this year.”

Trump ‘looks forward’ to seeing North Korea’s Kim

“I have very good relationships with Kim Jong Un and North Korea,” Trump told reporters as he sat alongside Lee. He even suggested that he had a better relationship with Kim than almost anyone but Kim’s powerful sister, Kim Yo Jong.

“A lot of people would say, ‘That’s terrible.’ No it’s good,” Trump added, recalling meeting with North Korea’s leader during his first term.

“In fact, some day, I’ll see him,” Trump said of a possible second- term meeting with Kim. “I look forward to seeing him.”

South Korea’s recently elected president told Trump he hoped to expand cooperation on shipbuilding and other manufacturing sectors. Trump said he would have serious discussions with Lee on the US-South Korean trade relationship.

Trump wants US ownership of military base land in South Korea

Meanwhile, Trump also said he wanted the US to take ownership of the land where American bases are located in South Korea. The US president pressed the ally to pay more to host some 28,500 American troops.

“We spent a lot of money building a fort, and there was a contribution made by South Korea, but I would like to see if we could get rid of the lease and get ownership of the land where we have a massive military base,” Trump said.

Relations between the two leaders in front of the media appeared friendly, particularly when Lee heaped praise on Trump for his peace efforts.

Trump chides South Korea ahead of meeting with Lee

But hours before meeting Lee, Trump had struck a very different tone, as he took to social media to launch a surprise attack.

“WHAT IS GOING ON IN SOUTH KOREA? Seems like a Purge or Revolution. We can’t have that and do business there,” Trump posted on his Truth Social platform.

Trump did not elaborate on what he was referring to.

Asked later by a reporter at the White House for clarification, Trump said: “Well, I heard that there were raids on churches over the last few days.”

“Very vicious raids on churches by the new government in South Korea, that they even went into our military base and got information. They probably shouldn’t have done that,” he said.

“I heard bad things. I don’t know if it’s true or not. I’ll be finding out.”

The US president did not explain further but South Korea last month conducted raids on locations connected to the Unification Church.

Source : https://www.dw.com/en/trump-hosts-south-koreas-lee-discuss-north-korea-and-trade/a-73763812

A NOTORIOUS Mexican cartel kingpin and former accomplice to El Chapo has admitted flooding the US with cocaine over fifty years – and said: “I’m sorry.”

Ismael “El Mayo” Zambada, 77, pleaded guilty to drugs trafficking charges after one of the most prolific organised crime careers in history.

El Mayo was the co-founder of the Sinaloa Cartel – the most powerful criminal organization in Mexico with immeasurable reach around the world.

The cartel drove a booming supply of cocaine, heroin and other drugs in the US and brought rank violence upon Mexico.

El Mayo told the Brooklyn federal court: “I apologise for all of it, and I take responsibility for my actions.”

He also apologized to anyone who has “suffered or been affected by my actions”.

Zambada founded the cartel in the late 1980s alongside Joaqun “El Chapo” Guzman – and under their ruthless leadership it evolved into the world’s biggest player in the drugs trade, according to prosecutors.

Through his guilty plea, the aging druglord has finally admitted the staggering scale of criminality that he oversaw in the Sinaloa cartel.

Its members forged relationships with cocaine producers in Colombia, imported it into Mexico and then smuggled it across the border into the States.

El Mayo acknowledged that Mexican police and military commanders were bribed by his henchmen so the drugs could flow freely.

US Attorney General Pam Bondi celebrated Zambada’s guilty plea as a “landmark victory” and said he will die in jail, “where he belongs”.

El Mayo was finally snared in a daring FBI sting in Texas last year while landing in a private jet on El Paso airstrip.

The wanted mastermind had been lured into the trap by El Chapo’s son, Juaquin Guzman Lopez, who reportedly blamed El Mayo for his father’s arrest in 2019.

Zambada has claimed he was “kidnapped” in Mexico and taken against his will to the US.

The guilty plea comes two weeks after prosecutors promised they wouldn’t seek the death penalty for El Mayo.

Zambada’s lawyer, Frank Perez, stressed after court that the plea agreement doesn’t oblige him to co-operate with government investigators.

The attorney said his client never really wanted to go to trial, and that once the death penalty was off the table his focus shifted to accepting responsibility and moving forward.

El Mayo is due to be sentenced on January 13 to life in prison.

He also faces billions of dollars in financial penalties.

During an eight-minute address to court, Zambada outlined his role in the drugs trade – all the way back to his teenage years.

He recalled planting marijuana after leaving school with a sixth-grade education in 1969.

He said he went on to sell heroin and other drugs, but especially cocaine.

From 1980 until last year, he and his cartel were responsible for transporting at least 1.5 million kilograms of cocaine, most of which went to the United States, he said.

Prosecutors said in his indictment that he and the cartel also trafficked in fentanyl and methamphetamine.

Considered a good negotiator, Zambada was seen as the cartel’s strategist and dealmaker.

Source : https://www.the-sun.com/news/15044593/el-chapo-sinaloa-cartel-kingpin-el-mayo-prison/

DAMNING evidence was unveiled on the 9/11 terror attacks, 24 years after the nation was rocked by one of the most devastating mass-casualty events in US history.

Footage has emerged as part of an ongoing lawsuit filed by victim families against the Saudi Arabian government in connection with the 2001 attacks.

The video, recorded in 1999, was turned in to the FBI weeks after September 11, 2001, but field agents did not have access to it, according to a report by 60 Minutes.

The forgotten footage zooms in on the doors to the Capitol, security checkpoints, and a small replica of the building, while also recording other monuments in the city.

Saudi Arabian national Omar al-Bayoumi, the person in the video, was filmed in Washington, D.C. at the US Capitol.

“I am transmitting these scenes to you from the heart of the American capital, Washington,” Omar al-Bayoumi says as a passerby films him.

A plane that crashed in a Pennsylvania field on September 11 was believed to be headed to the US Capitol, but passengers aboard the flight stopped it.

Bayoumi, dressed up in a suit and tie in the clip, may have provided support to two of the hijackers, according to a federal report.

The FBI also claimed that they had received tips “alleging that al-Bayoumi may be a Saudi intelligence officer,” according to government documents.

The footage had been found in his UK apartment just days after 9/11. About 80 other tapes had been seized, too.

“The airport is not far away,” he says on camera, zooming in on a flight.

“Here is the airplane taking off from there.”

In one part, he talks about a “plan,” although he doesn’t specify what he is referring to.

“I think he’s talking to the al Qaeda planners who tasked him to take the pre-operational surveillance video of the intended target,” Richard Lambert, a consultant on the lawsuit, said to 60 Minutes.

Gina Bennett, a former senior official at the CIA, said that the video was important to the federal investigation – and yet, field officers have claimed not to have seen the unearthed evidence.

“We didn’t expect that this was a ‘one and done.’ We expected al Qaeda to continue to try,” Bennett said on the show.

“Resources were going entirely to trying to undermine any additional plotting.”

Bayoumi was ultimately never charged and moved back to Saudi Arabia.

“My conclusion is that Bayoumi was an al Qaeda facilitator. He had sympathies with al Qaeda–I mean ideologically–and that he provided substantial support to these two individuals, these two hijackers, without which they may very well have been caught,” Bennett said.

Source : https://www.the-sun.com/news/15043547/new-911-video-evidence-unearthed-capitol-saudi-arabia/

 

A FLESH-EATING freeloader has found its way into the United States.

A rare human case of the parasite was found in Maryland after the person had traveled to El Salvador, according to officials.

New World screwworms are an infection of fly larvae, otherwise known as maggots, located inside human tissue.

The parasite has been known to have catastrophic effects on livestock numbers, but can affect all warm-blooded animals.

Maryland’s Department of Health said that the patient had recovered, and, after an investigation, found no transmission.

“This is the first human case of travel-associated New World screwworm myiasis (parasitic infestation of fly larvae) from an outbreak-affected country identified in the United States,” Emily Hilliard, a spokesperson for the Health and Human Services department, said.

“The risk to public health in the United States from this introduction is very low.”

Catching NWS

Females lay eggs in wounds, and its hatched larvae then eat their way through flesh, killing their host if the parasite is left untreated.

After the maggots eat, they fall off and go into the ground.

They come out as adult screwworm flies, ready to start the process all over again.

The CDC has detailed the symptoms of the parasite, which include feeling larvae inside of a wound and seeing maggots around lesions.

This summer, the United States unveiled plans to attack screwworms due to their risk to the meat industry.

The idea?

Dumping billions of sterile flies to kill them.

“It is not only a threat to our ranching community — but it is a threat to our food supply and our national security,” the United States Department of Agriculture said in a statement.

Cases are usually located in South America or the Caribbean, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

But in May, the US fearfully closed its exports to Mexico for livestock after cases had spread throughout its neighboring country.

After reopening in July, another case was reported in Mexico, the US then closing its border again to livestock.

“The United States has promised to be vigilant — and after detecting this new NWS case, we are pausing the planned port reopening’s to further quarantine and target this deadly pest in Mexico,” U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Brooke L. Rollins said.

“We must see additional progress combatting NWS in Veracruz and other nearby Mexican states in order to reopen livestock ports along the Southern border.”

The agency now plans on opening a “sterile fly production facility” in Texas due to its proximity to the border.

Source : https://www.the-sun.com/health/15044306/first-human-case-flesh-eating-parasite-new-world-screwworm/

Typhoon Kajiki killed at least three people and injured 10 others in Vietnam, authorities said on Tuesday (Aug 26) as they warned that heavy rains could cause flooding and landslides.

The storm damaged nearly 7,000 homes, inundated 28,800 hectares of rice plantings and felled 18,000 trees, the government said in a statement. It also brought down 331 electricity poles, causing widespread blackouts in Thanh Hoa, Nghe An, Ha Tinh, Thai Nguyen and Phu Tho provinces.

Photos on state media showed streets in the capital Hanoi were severely flooded as heavy rains fell on Tuesday morning.

After making landfall on Vietnam’s north central coast on Monday afternoon, Kajiki has since weakened to a tropical depression as it moved across to Laos on Tuesday morning, the national weather agency said.

The agency warned that rain will continue in several parts of northern Vietnam, with some areas likely to get up to 150mm of rain in six hours, potentially causing flash floods and landslides.

Source : https://www.channelnewsasia.com/asia/vietnam-typhoon-kajiki-kills-floods-hanoi-5314111

Kim Kardashian was called out by fans for allowing her daughter North West to step out in a corset and a miniskirt while vacationing in Rome.

The 12-year-old towered over the SKIMS founder in platform boots while they left dinner at Pierluigi on Saturday night.

West sported blue ombre hair styled in pigtails and glasses.

While some fans took to social media to claim the TikToker “look[ed] cute,” others expressed their concern, with one writing, “Not a fan of a bustier on a 12 year old. Love Kim and North but it would have been a no ma’am for me.”

“So inappropriate kim,” another added, as a third wrote, “OK, Kim, she’s 12 …”

Another claimed that Kardashian, 44, should “preserve her [daughter’s] innocence and be more mindful about her wardrobe.”

“The skirt and boots are fine, but corset on a 12-year-old is a little out of hand,” a fourth chimed in. “And this is coming from a fashion designer who designs for exotic dancers.”

One fan defended the “Kardashian” star, saying, “The judgment is wild, wild, y’all need to look at yourselves and stop worrying about her.”

Reps for the TV personality weren’t immediately available to Page Six for comment.

Kardashian shares North, along with Saint, 9, Chicago, 7, and Psalm, 6, with her ex-husband Kanye West, with whom she was married from 2014 to 2022.

The Grammy winner has previously alleged that the “Kardashian mob” had taken his rights away in choosing what his kids wear, go to school and who they hang out with.

“DONT WANT TO JUST ‘SEE’ MY KIDS. I NEED TO RAISE THEM. I NEED TO HAVE SAY,” he wrote via X in March. “MY DAUGHTERS WEAR LIPSTICK AND PERFUME.”

Source : https://pagesix.com/2025/08/25/celebrity-news/kim-kardashian-slammed-for-letting-north-west-12-wear-a-corset/

Look at her now!

Selena Gomez showed off her fit frame while relaxing on a yacht with friends in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico, Sunday.

The “Love On” singer, 33, wore a hip-hugging black one-piece swimsuit while partying with her besties aboard the luxury vessel.

Gomez’s cheeky bathing suit showed off her behind and also featured a keyhole detail on the chest.

The pop star wore her hair in a messy low bun, and she appeared to be going make-up free.

At one point, she covered up with flowy white linen pants to protect herself from the hot sun.

Gomez was seen partying with several of her close girlfriends on the boat. She and her crew were spotted dancing, sipping cocktails and snapping silly selfies together.

The fun festivities sparked speculation that Gomez was celebrating her bachelorette party — though her rep did not immediately respond to Page Six’s request for comment on the reason behind her getaway.

While Gomez was enjoying her weekend with the gals, Page Six has learned that her fiancé Benny Blanco spent the weekend at the luxurious, $25,000-a-night Chairman Villa at Resorts World Las Vegas.

The Rare Beauty founder and Blanco are in the midst of planning their impending nuptials.

She and the music producer, 37, got engaged in December 2024 after a year and a half of dating.

Blanco presented Gomez with a marquise diamond engagement ring as a call-back to their 2015 song collaboration, “Good For You,” in which she sings the lyrics, “I’m on my marquise diamonds / I’m a marquise diamond, Could even make that Tiffany jealous.”

The “Only Murders in the Building” actress and Blanco are allegedly planning on saying “I Do” this September in California.

“Selena and Benny’s wedding is going to be a two-day event in Montecito in September,” a source told Daily Mail last month.

The wedding will reportedly only be attended by the couple’s family and close friends — including Gomez’s bestie Taylor Swift and her boyfriend Travis Kelce.

Invitations have reportedly already been mailed out.

“Everyone invited has been asked to bring overnight bags to stay for the weekend,” the insider claimed earlier this month.

The source continued, “Although it’s for friends and family only, many on the friends list are huge celebrities, including Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce, Selena’s co-stars from ‘Only Murders In The Building,’ and music superstars who are Benny’s friends and some he’s also worked with.”

Gomez and Blanco reportedly picked their wedding date to align with Swift’s busy schedule.

Source : https://pagesix.com/2025/08/25/celebrity-news/selena-gomez-flaunts-her-figure-during-girls-yacht-trip-to-cabo/

At number three is a Portuguese passport. The influencer mentioned that the country changes the design of its passport every 5-10 years.

A passport is more than just a travel document. It is a powerful symbol of who we are and where we belong. While every passport around the world serves the same basic purpose, some countries turn theirs into works of art. From UV-glowing patterns and holograms to animated graphics, nations have found creative ways to merge security with design. Recently, a video went viral on social media in which an influencer ranked the top five most beautiful passports in the world. Unfortunately, India’s passport didn’t make the list, as its design remains simple and classic, with a navy blue cover embossed with the golden Ashoka emblem.

Hong Kong Passport

India fears a planned Chinese mega-dam in Tibet will reduce water flows on a major river by up to 85% during the dry season, according to four sources familiar with the matter and a government analysis seen by Reuters, prompting Delhi to fast-track plans for its own dam to mitigate the effects.
The Indian government has been considering projects since the early 2000s to control the flow of water from Tibet’s Angsi Glacier, which sustains more than 100 million people downstream in China, India and Bangladesh. But the plans have been hindered by fierce and occasionally violent resistance from residents of the border state of Arunachal Pradesh, who fear their villages will be submerged and way of life destroyed by any dam.

Then in December, China announced that it would build the world’s largest hydropower dam in a border county just before the Yarlung Zangbo river crosses into India. That triggered fears in New Delhi that its longtime strategic rival – which has some territorial claims in Arunachal Pradesh – could weaponize its control of the river, which originates in the Angsi Glacier and is known as the Siang and Brahmaputra in India.
India’s largest hydropower company in May moved survey materials under armed police protection near a prospective site of the Upper Siang Multipurpose Storage Dam, which would be the country’s biggest dam, if completed. Senior Indian officials have also been holding meetings about accelerating construction this year, including one organized in July by Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s office, according to two of the sources, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive government matters.

Delhi’s concerns were described in the undated Indian government analysis of the Chinese dam’s impact, the specifics of which Reuters corroborated with four sources and is reporting for the first time.
Beijing hasn’t released detailed plans about the dam’s construction, but the analysis drew on past work conducted by Indian government-affiliated institutions like the Central Water Commission and accounted for the expected size of the Chinese project, which broke ground in July and will cost nearly $170 billion.
Delhi estimates the Chinese dam will allow Beijing to divert as much as 40 billion cubic meters of water, or just over a third of what is received annually at a key border point, according to the sources and the document. The impact would be especially acute in the non-monsoon months, when temperatures rise and lands become barren across swathes of India.

The Upper Siang project would alleviate that with its projected 14 BCM of storage capacity, allowing India to release water during the dry season. That could mean the major regional city of Guwahati, which is dependent on water-intensive industry and farming, would see a reduction in supply of 11%, according to the sources and the document, as opposed to 25% if the Indian dam isn’t built.
The project could also mitigate any move by Beijing to release devastating torrents of water downstream, the sources said.
If the dam is at its minimum drawdown level – where water is stored at less than 50% of its height – it would be able to fully absorb any excess water released from a breach in Chinese infrastructure, according to the document and the sources. India is considering a proposal to keep 30% of its dam empty at any time in order to account for unexpected surges, two of the sources said.

A spokesperson for China’s foreign ministry said in response to Reuters’ questions that the hydropower projects “have undergone rigorous scientific research on safety and environmental protection, and will not adversely impact the water resources, ecology, or geology of downstream countries.”
“China has always maintained a responsible attitude toward the development and utilization of transboundary rivers, and has maintained long-term communication and cooperation with downstream countries such as India and Bangladesh,” the spokesperson added.
Modi’s office and the Indian ministries responsible for water and external affairs did not respond to Reuters’ questions. State-owned hydropower major NHPC also did not return a request for comment.
India’s foreign ministry has said that top diplomat S. Jaishankar raised concerns about the dam during a meeting with his Chinese counterpart on Aug. 18. A Jaishankar deputy also told lawmakers in August that the government was implementing measures to safeguard the lives and livelihoods of citizens in downstream areas, including building the dam.
India has itself been accused by Pakistan, a Chinese ally that it briefly clashed with in May, of weaponizing water. Delhi this year suspended its participation in a 1960 water-sharing treaty with Islamabad and is considering diverting flows from another crucial river away from its downstream neighbour.
An international tribunal has ruled that India must adhere to the agreement but Delhi says the panel lacks jurisdiction.

DEVELOPMENT OR DESTRUCTION?

When NHPC workers moved surveying materials near the village of Parong in May, angry locals damaged their machinery, destroyed a nearby bridge and looted the tents of police sent to guard the operation.
Many of them are members of Arunachal’s Adi community, who live off paddy, orange and sweet lime farms in the mist-shrouded hills and valleys nourished by the Siang.
The villagers have set up makeshift watch posts on regional roads to deny access to NHPC workers. That has forced security personnel to trek miles, often under cover of night, to reach a prospective site of the dam.
At least 16 Adi villages are likely to be lost to the storage area of the dam, directly affecting an estimated 10,000 people, according to two of the sources. Community leaders say more than 100,000 people will be impacted overall.
“The cardamom, paddy, jackfruit and pear we grow on this land help educate our children and support our family,” said Odoni Palo Pabin, an Adi grocer and mother of two. “We will fight the dam to death.”
The dam has the support of Arunachal’s chief minister, who is a member of Modi’s party and has called the Chinese project an existential threat.
The project will “ensure water security and provide flood moderation to counter any potential water surges,” the state government said in a statement, adding that it decided in June to engage in detailed compensation discussions with families that could be affected by the dam.
Lawmaker Alo Libang, an Adi who represents an area that would be submerged by the Indian project, said he believed locals could be convinced to move if they received generous compensation.
NHPC has plans to spend more than $3 million on education and emergency infrastructure to incentivize the villagers to move elsewhere, three of the sources said, citing instructions from Modi’s office.
In one sign of progress, three villages in the area recently agreed to let NHPC officials carry out dam-related work, according to the Arunachal government and dozens of locals.
India has a history of activist movements against large dams, which have sometimes slowed these projects by years or forced them to scale down.
Even if the Upper Siang dam gets the go-ahead, it could take a decade to build after breaking ground, according to four of the sources. That means the project would likely be completed after China’s project, which Beijing expects to start generating power by the early-to-mid 2030s.
The delay means an Indian project would be vulnerable during construction if Beijing suddenly releases water during the monsoon season, triggering a surge that could wash away temporary dams, two of the sources said.
International experts and Adi activists have also warned that building large dams in seismically active Tibet and Arunachal could heighten risks for downstream communities.

Source : https://www.reuters.com/sustainability/land-use-biodiversity/chinas-new-mega-dam-triggers-fears-water-war-india-2025-08-25/

The survivors are believed to have come from an attack on a mosque in Katsina state last week. The military is now using precision airstrikes in its fight against militias.

Local authorities in Nigeria’s northwestern state of Katsina have confirmed that a military operation had rescued some 76 hostages, many of them children, who were being held by “bandits.”

The group were freed after a series of precision airstrikes on group’s camp.

Nasir Mu’azu, state commissioner for internal security, said airstrikes are now “part of a broader strategy to dismantle criminal hideouts, weaken their networks and put an end to the cycle of killings, kidnappings, and extortion that have plagued innocent citizens.”

Uptick in clashes

Gangs of “bandits” and Islamist extremist militias have plagued remote parts of Nigeria for years, despite efforts by President Bola Tinubu and his predecessors to curb the attacks.

The group rescued on Saturday were believed to be part of a group taken in an assault on a mosque in Unguwan Mantau last week, which killed 50 people.

Source : https://www.dw.com/en/nigeria-dozens-of-kidnap-victims-rescued-from-bandit-camp/a-73746040

The streets of west London have been filled with colour and sound for the first day of the annual Notting Hill Carnival.

Musicians and dancers in bright costumes took to the tarmac for the children’s parade, as the largest street party in Europe got under way.

The day began with an explosion of colour as revellers met for J’ouvert at 06:00 BST ahead of the children’s parade, with the streets awash with bright paint and powder.

J’ouvert, which means “daybreak” or “opening of the day” in French Creole, marks the start of the Carnival celebrations across the Bank Holiday weekend.

Fast-paced drumming could be heard and felt before the first parade arrived, decorating the street with flutes, brass instruments, steel drums, dancers and costumes including giant colourful wings.

A mixture of adults and children adorned in jewels, glittery wings, belts and headdress danced and leapt down the street followed by floats pumping out bass and music.

Along the side streets were rows of food and drink stalls serving fragrant jerk chicken, curry goat, Jamaican beer and rum punch cocktails.

On other roads, towering sound systems and stages, including one for BBC Radio 1 Xtra, were playing reggae, dub, and drum and bass, with groups of friends, some in costume and others wearing their country’s flag, dancing around them.

More than a million people are expected to attend Carnival over the weekend.

The Met Police said it had made 140 arrests in total, including 15 for assaulting an officer and 21 for suspected possession of an offensive weapon.

Among those enjoying the festivities was EastEnders star Rudolph Walker who told BBC London it was “great to see the youngsters enjoying themselves – they are all fantastic”.

Walker, who plays Patrick Trueman in the BBC soap, said coming to Carnival made him want to live for each future event.

“I come every year, it’s my tradition, I grew up in Trinidad with carnival and I know what it does for my soul, my body, my peace of mind,” he said.

“The most important thing is to see people together, young and old, having fun.”

TV chef and personality Big Zuu, who was partying with his friends, said he had been coming to Carnival since he was one, and had previously taken part in the floats.

When asked what he liked about Carnival, he said: “This is the best celebration of multiculturalism in the country.”

Claudette Sparen, 61, said she had attended Notting Hill Carnival over the last 25 years and that this year was her eighth.

Originally from Curacao but now living in Holland, the medical worker said she loved everything about the festivities.

“The people are so nice, so polite, so happy – they are the best people I have ever met,” she said. “We love to be here.”

As Carnival began on Sunday morning, the event’s chairman Ian Comfort told the crowd he was pleased it was happening after its future was put in jeopardy because of funding challenges earlier this year.

He welcomed the representatives from other world carnivals including Berlin, Miami and Tenerife who were in attendance.

The mayor of Kensington and Chelsea, Tom Bennett, also welcomed “friends” from across the Caribbean.

“It’s one of the greatest street parties in the world… celebrating today Caribbean culture – from dancing, music, costumes but also everything the Caribbean community has done in this borough and country,” he said.

Source : https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cvg47peld02o

It was six months ago that Selin Celikoyar bought her last tampon and switched to a reusable menstrual disc.

“I had already been wary of tampons from an environmental perspective and also from a biological perspective. I felt that they were very wasteful and expensive to consistently keep buying,” she said.

The flexible discs and other reusable menstrual products are gaining traction as alternatives to the billions of single-use pads and tampons that get tossed into landfills every year. Products such as the discs, silicone cups and period underwear can be reused for years, so they’re cost-effective and long-lasting in addition to helping people reduce waste. The popularity of the reusable alternatives has grown since the pandemic, when it was easier to experiment with period products in the privacy of a home bathroom, according to women’s health experts.

Celikoyar said she used tampons and pads for years because those are the options she grew up knowing about. But when she saw her friend make the switch to a menstrual disc, she decided to try it too.

“The experience has been such a game changer,” she said.

Single-use products wind up in landfills

About 12 billion disposable pads and 7 billion tampons go into U.S. landfills every year, according to Dr. Luwam Semere, chief of obstetrics and gynecology at Kaiser Permanente Santa Clara. Pads are mostly plastic. Once they’re in the landfill, they take up to 800 years to degrade, according to the National Institutes of Health.

Single-use pads and tampons are by far the most popular period products. Women’s health expert Dr. Navya Mysore said that’s not because they’re better, they’re just usually the first options kids are shown.

“It was often like, ‘What did your mom use? What did your grandma use?’ And that’s how you were introduced into period hygiene,” said Mysore, a primary care physician based in New York City.

Advantages and drawbacks to switching

The most popular is the menstrual cup, which gets inserted much like a tampon. The discs get inserted farther in, so they don’t interrupt intercourse. Both can hold several times more than a tampon and can stay inserted for up to 12 hours, instead of the four to eight hours recommended for tampons. Semere also said the risk of Toxic Shock Syndrome commonly associated with tampons is much lower with menstrual cups and discs.

The cons? The products require some technique to put them in right, and doing it wrong can get messy. The cups and discs also have to be cleaned regularly with soap and water.

“It’s hard to do that if you’re at work and you’re in a shared, public restroom. It’s not the most convenient,” said Mysore.

Cups prevent leakage by creating a suction, so people who use intrauterine devices for contraception risk dislodging them if they pull out a menstrual cup without breaking the seal.

The placement of discs, which don’t use suction, can also take some getting used to.

“It’s high up there, you don’t feel it, but it can be sometimes harder for women to pull them out,” said Dr. Annemieke van Eijk, an epidemiologist with the Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine.

But for Celikoyar, the advantages of the discs outweighed the drawbacks. She said that longer changing window has gotten her through a back-to-back concert and red-eye flight without any concern.

“There’s an ease of use there for the modern woman that is significantly better than traditional methods,” she said.

Comparing costs

Menstrual cups and discs typically cost between $15 and $40 and come in different shapes and sizes. They’re available online and at pharmacies and big box stores.

“Ideally, you would like to experiment a bit with what type of cup works best for you. And the cost can be kind of prohibitive to do that,” van Eijk said.

A reusable product can help save money over the long term. Celikoyar estimates that she was using three tampons every day for seven days, or about 20 per month. With tampons costing 20 to 25 cents each, someone who switched to a reusable product would likely break even after a few months.

For people who prefer pads, the most common reusable option is period underwear, which is comparable to regular-looking underwear with an extra absorbent lining.

Source : https://apnews.com/article/period-climate-pad-tampon-menstruation-551fd7b425bf6985a05e0e62c35ade1b

President Donald Trump was spotted with a conspicuous layer of makeup on his right hand on Friday as he emerged from the White House while lingering health concerns continue to swirl.

The 79 year old has allegedly relied on cosmetics to conceal bruising on his hand repeatedly since taking office again, but the coverage looked particularly heavy and patchy during his trip to The People’s House, a museum situated just blocks from the White House.

“President Trump is a man of the people and meets more Americans, shaking hands daily, than any other president in history,” White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt declared in a Friday statement. “His commitment is unwavering, and he proves that every single day.”

The remarks mirrored earlier White House justifications linking the bruising to the president’s constant handshaking, reports the Irish Star. On Thursday evening, Trump was observed in Washington, D. C., greeting law enforcement personnel and making a pizza stop as part of his continued crime crackdown efforts in the nation’s capital.

Although the White House has stressed openness, it has remained elusive when questioned about Trump’s health, especially concerning his inflamed ankles and the bruising on his hand. Last month, the White House revealed that Trump has been diagnosed with chronic venous insufficiency (CVI), a condition typical for people his age.

Although the diagnosis was made public, the White House has still not made the president’s physician available for questions, despite initially hinting that it might be possible. When questioned last week about speaking with Trump’s doctor, Leavitt said it was “certainly something we can look into” and maintained there was “nothing to hide.”

Information about any treatment plan or lifestyle changes, including the potential use of compression socks to address his swollen ankles, have not been disclosed. The mix of visible bruising and unanswered questions continues to drive examination of the president’s overall health.

Questions about the president’s cognitive health have also been circulating in media and political circles for some time, driven partly by his public appearances and unusual physical behaviors.

Some experts and commentators have raised concerns about memory, speech patterns, and decision-making, highlighting moments of forgetfulness or repetition as potential signs of cognitive decline. Earlier this month, President Trump appeared to forget the name of the Atlantic Ocean during a Fox and Friends interview, referring to it vaguely as “a big, beautiful ocean.”

Following a previous incident where he mistakenly stated he was heading to Russia for a meeting with President Vladimir Putin, when the meeting was actually in Alaska, concerns about Biden’s memory and cognitive function have been raised.

John Gartner, a former assistant professor of psychiatry at Johns Hopkins University Medical School, previously explained: “What we see are the classic signs of dementia, which is gross deterioration from someone’s baseline and function.”

He added: “If you go back and look at film from the 1980s, [Trump] actually was extremely articulate. He was still a jerk, but he was able to express himself in polished paragraphs, and now he really has trouble completing a thought and that is a huge deterioration.”

Gartner is one of the founders of Duty to Warn, an organization of mental health experts who came together during Trump’s first term to claim to the public that Trump suffered from the personality disorder malignant narcissism.

Source : https://www.themirror.com/news/us-news/donald-trump-photo-shows-large-1346720

VLADIMIR Putin’s Olympic lover sparked the fury of her gymnastics coach when she started dating the dictator, it has been claimed.

Alina Kabaeva, 42, is understood to have caught the eye of the then married Russian President while competing as a rhythmic gymnast.

She won gold at Athens in 2004 and became known as “Russia’s most flexible woman” before retiring with 18 World Championship medals.

Kabaeva even posed nude for a men’s magazine at the height of her success.

Putin, 72, has never confirmed the relationship nor reports they have two secret sons together.

But French journalist Celine Nony, author of Alina: Putin’s Secret Love, says her sources, including a relative, confirmed the romance began in 2006 – seven years before Putin announced his divorce from ex-wife Lyudmila.

Nony, who began covering rhythmic gymnastics for French title L’Equipe, also claims the relationship angered Alina’s gymnastics coach, Irina Viner.

Viner was mysteriously removed from her role as head of Russia’s rhythmic gymnastics earlier this year following a feud with Kabaeva.

And Nony, once kicked out of a gym by Viner for writing a negative story about her, has sensationally shed light on their fallout.

Nony, who lived in Moscow from 1996 to 1998, told The Sun: “Alina founded a new gymnastics school and played a role in the eviction of her coach, Irina.

“Irina was more than a coach – she was a second mother during her career. Now it’s been around 10 years that she’s been out of the limelight.

“The first time they met was after the Olympic Games in 2000 in Sydney because she was one of the medalists and, as with all the Russian medalists, they were received at the Kremlin.

“So Vladimir Putin gave to all of the medalists an award and this time, it was something special because Alina was supposed to win the Olympics, but she made a mistake and she finished third.

“That was the first time. Then they had different opportunities to meet but always in an official reception because the coach of Alina was Irina, the wife of Alisher Usmanov, the oligarch who was at that time nearly the richest man in the country.

“The beginning of their relationship was nearly at the end of her career in 2006.”

Nony described Alina as “smiley but also tough”.

She said: “She is beautiful. Even as a journalist, it was always easy to speak with her.

“Putin likes sports, he played judo and really pays attention to them. She was the little princess of the country and even more so when she won gold in 2004.

“A rap group even wrote a song called Alina. She took part in many television shows. She was the one who everybody in Russia wanted to have as a daughter, as a grandchild and as a friend.

“It’s crazy to say it but I’m sure she really fell in love with him. I spoke with people at that time.

“Even Irina disagreed with this relationship, even if she introduced her to him. It was not her idea, this kind of relationship between them.

“She was surprised that they really fell in love. Irina spoke about this to one of my friends.

“Alina also spoke to some of her friends within rhythmic gymnastics, which I know having worked in the sport too.”

She added: “She introduced her pupils to oligarchs.

“Most of the ex rhythmic gymnasts are now the wives of an oligarch, so I’m not sure what the problem was.

“But maybe she thought it was too much.

“I don’t have a good relationship with Irina because of a story I wrote about her around 15 years ago.

“She pushed me out of the gym. The story was about how, thanks to her husband’s money, she would sometimes pay judges to get results.

“I spoke to judges and they told me it was true they received money from her to put the Russians in first place.”

According to reports, Alina’s new gymnastics school, Sky Grace, sparked a power struggle with Irina.

The Russian Rhythmic Gymnastics Federation was then dissolved to form a new body with Irina playing no role in it, reports BBC.

Since rumours of her relationship with Putin emerged, Kabaeva fell out of the limelight until recently.

But it’s widely reported she lives a life of extreme luxury in a secret mansion with Putin’s rumoured sons.

Nony was able to confirm this – and said Putin showered her family with gifts including luxury properties.

Nony recalls: “When the story was published about the relationship with Putin, she really changed.

“She was the girl next door, she was the princess of the country. She was everywhere, very smiley and very friendly.

“And after that story she disappeared in the country. Nobody could see her. It was not possible anymore to get an interview with her.”

She added: “I knew that she was living in Valdai, which is a presidential house in the north of the country near Saint Petersburg, with their children. I’m not sure how many.

“A big surprise was when I discovered that the mother of Alina and the sister received apartments and houses in the richest parts of the country.

“The grandmother, who is now 90 years old, received two houses in Rublevka, which is a place where all the oligarchs have houses and even Putin has a house in this place, near Moscow.

“The she received another big apartment in Saint Petersburg. And another one, a luxurious apartment in Sochi.

“Three levels, an art gallery, a place for the helicopter and so on. Officially she is the owner of these places.”

In 2008, the Moscow newspaper that reported Putin’s romance with Kabaeva, Moskovsky Korrespondent, was shut down.

Its reporting also claimed Putin has secretly divorced, before it issued an apology.

Source : https://www.the-sun.com/news/15035353/putin-lover-alina-kabaeva-feud-gifted-homes/

AN explosion has rocked a chemical plant in Louisiana, sparking a raging inferno and sending thick smoke billowing into the air.

Evacuation orders are in place as health fears are raised after locals say they can “taste the air” as oily rain continues to cover Roseland, a town 50 miles northeast of Baton Rouge.

The explosion at the Smitty’s Supply plant that manufactures lubricants for vehicles took place on Friday afternoon, but officials are still fighting to extinguish the blaze.

In an update on Saturday night, the fire was 90% contained.

No one has been injured in the shocking incident, which Tangipahoa Parish President Robby Miller said was a “godsend”.

However, as the fire continues to burn at the plant sending chemicals into the sky, locals say they are being showered with oil and reporting concerning health issues.

Government officials have said they are monitoring air quality levels in the area and that so far there is no danger to the public.

“We are monitoring this situation closely,” Louisiana governor Jeff Landry wrote on X on Friday.

In a Saturday update he added: “The situation at Smitty’s Supply is devastating and Sharon and I have Tangipahoa Parish in our prayers.

“We are working closely with local officials to extinguish the fire.

“This is still an ongoing situation, and we urge all in the area to continue following evacuation guidance.”

Everyone living within one mile of the plant has been evacuated from their homes and an elementary school was closed on Friday with a shuttle bus ferrying children to a nearby town.

But still, those living in nearby areas have reported rain mixed with oil falling on their homes and vehicles.

“You got oil on the ground, oil on the road,” 66-year-old Gerri Stout who evacuated with her husband told NOLA.com.

“We got oil on our car, and we brought our car with us to the shelter.”

HEALTH FEARS

Stout who has been diagnosed with asthma and lung disease said the impact of the air quality on her body has been “really bad”.

The pair fled their home to Amite City, almost three miles south of Roseland, where others have also gone to.

Ross Cutrer arrived at the safe zone and immediately took his vehicle to a car wash on Saturday morning to remove the unusual black substance.

“I don’t dwell on it. But I did have a sore throat last night,” he told the outlet.

“You can kind of taste it in the air.”

On Saturday, Sergeant William Hugging from Louisiana State Police told reporters that air monitoring showed “non-detect levels or results below any actionable thresholds”.

But locals have already refuted that claim with Jamie-David DeLaughter writing on Facebook: “Right… Convincing people that lives only 2 miles away, might be tricky.

“Our yard is covered in oil. The air quality is very likely to not be safe.”

He later added that one of his dogs had started “wheezing” and that the air quality was “irritating” him and his children’s asthma.

His previous posts show pictures of thick oil covering the ground, the American flag hanging outside his home, and the porch after “it rained oil” for over 45 minutes.

The plant stores ethanol, charcoal lighter fluid, gas oil mixture, motor oil, lubricants and hydraulic fluids, diesel, brake fluid, grease, and several unnamed water-based chemicals, it told state regulators in 2023.

“We are doing our best to protect people, structures and the environment,” Miller said in Friday’s press conference.

“We know there are a lot of questions. We’re working to get answers,” he added on Saturday.

“We’re fighting a big fire. It’s not as big as yesterday, but it’s still big.”

It is not yet known what caused the explosion at the plant which employs around 400 people.

Louisiana State Police have said that more answers are expected once the fire has been fully extinguished, at which point a major clean-up operation will be underway and a hotline set up.

Source : https://www.the-sun.com/news/15036752/explosion-louisiana-chemical-plant-roseland-smittys-supply-health/

RUSSIA has abandoned its ambitions to control Ukraine after the war, according to JD Vance – who counts it as a key concession win.

The US Vice-President remains confident Trump will broker an end to the fighting, as it emerges America has been blocking Ukraine from firing long-range missiles into Russia.

Vance told NBC: “We believe we’ve already seen some significant concessions from both sides, just in the last few weeks.”

He said Russia has conceded by recognising “that they’re not going to be able to install a puppet regime in Kyiv”.

“I think the Russians have made significant concessions to President Trump for the first time in three-and-a-half years of this conflict.

“They’ve actually been willing to be flexible on some of their core demands.

“They’ve talked about what would be necessary to end the war.”

Vance insisted the diplomacy is working – and that the Americans are going about it in the right way.

He also rejected the suggestion that Putin is stringing Trump along.

Vance said: “We’re going to eventually be successful, or we’ll hit a brick wall.

“And if we hit a brick wall, then we’re going to continue this process of negotiation, of applying leverage.

“This is the energetic diplomacy that’s going to bring this war to a close.”

The Vice-President was also quizzed on how the government planned on forcing Russia top the table, if it isn’t through new sanctions.

Vance insisted Trump has applied “aggressive economic leverage” such as “secondary tariffs on India, to try to make it harder for the Russians to get rich from their oil economy”.

Not only has America withheld sanctions, it’s also been preventing Ukraine from shooting long-range missiles into Russia for months, according to US officials.

The Pentagon introduced a review mechanism in late spring that is effectively preventing Kyiv from striking targets in Russian territory, sources told the Wall Street Journal.

This has stopped Kyiv benefitting from the full firepower of US Atacms and British Storm Shadows.

President Biden gave the greenlight for Ukraine to use the Atacms back in November, Storm Shadows were fired into Russia for the first time that same month.

Two US officials told the paper that a Ukrainian request to use Atacms had already been rejected on at least one occasion.

Trump, meanwhile, has restated the two-week timeframe for reaching a deal.

He said on Friday: “I think over the next two weeks, we’re going to find out which way it’s going to go.

Since the Alaska summit between Trump and Putin, a massive Russian blitz in Ukraine seriously damaged an American factory.

Drones and missiles rained down on the electronics factory in western Ukraine on Thursday night – which President Zelensky insisted was deliberate.

Vance said he “doesn’t like” and Trump said he is “not happy” – but the attack doesn’t appear to have derailed US commitment to negotiating.

Meanwhile, Ukrainian forces claim to have killed three Russian perpetrators of the Bucha massacre in a slew of revenge bombings on the country’s Independence Day on Saturday.

Ukraine’s military intelligence unit GUR said three Russian soldiers dubbed “Butchers of Bucha” were wiped out in surgical bombings in the Russian-occupied Luhansk region.

Source : https://www.the-sun.com/news/15037679/russia-admits-puppet-regime-ukraine-vance-us-broker/

PRINCE Andrew’s sex-abuse accuser Virginia Giuffre is ­taking revenge from beyond the grave in a bombshell memoir.

The book, to be published in October, will tell how she was ­trafficked as a teenager.

The Duke of York has denied they had sex. Virginia, 41, died in April.

A source said: “This is her ultimate revenge.”

Tragic Virginia Giuffre’s autobiography will contain “intimate and disturbing” details of her relationship with Prince Andrew.

The bombshell book will see her open up for the first time since the disgraced royal paid her millions to prevent claims of sex abuse going to court.

Nobody’s Girl, due to be published in October, lays bare how she was trafficked for sex as a teenager by the powerful US paedophile Jeffrey Epstein and his Brit madam Ghislaine Maxwell.

And it will heap more woe on Andrew, who was banished from the Royal Family’s trip to church yesterday.

He was seen driving away from Balmoral in the Scottish Highlands hours before the family gathered at nearby Crathie Kirk.

The Duke of York, who denies he had sex with Virginia when she was just 17, paid millions to her in a 2022 out-of-court settlement
It is thought they also agreed a 12-month gagging clause.

Mum-of-three Virginia committed suicide at her farm in Western Australia in April.

She had finished writing the book more than a year ago but it was believed to have been held back amid concerns over her health.

A US source insisted yesterday: “Virginia’s family have seen her maligned in life and in death and they feel very strongly that her whole story should be told.

“This is her ultimate revenge.”

In a press release, US publishing house Knopf revealed she had been working on Nobody’s Girl with author-journalist Amy Wallace over a period of four years and had completed the manuscript for the 400-page book before her death.

Its statement included an email from Virginia to Wallace a few weeks before she died, saying it was her “heartfelt wish” that the memoir be released “regardless” of her circumstances.

The email reads: “The content of this book is crucial, as it aims to shed light on the systemic failures that allow the trafficking of vulnerable individuals across borders.

“It is imperative that the truth is understood and that the issues surrounding this topic are addressed, both for the sake of justice and awareness.

“In the event of my passing, I would like to ensure that Nobody’s Girl is still released. I believe it has the potential to impact many lives and foster necessary discussions about these grave injustices.”

Virginia was hospitalised after a serious accident on March 24.

She sent the email on April 1 and died weeks later on April 25.

Rumours of an autobiography have circulated for several years.

A draft of a 139-page unpublished memoir — The Billionaire’s Playboy Club — was released by a US judge in August 2020 during Giuffre’s lawsuit against Epstein’s former partner Maxwell.

It was not known if any fresh allegations against Prince Andrew are revealed in the manuscript.

But Knopf said the book contains “intimate, disturbing, and heartbreaking new details about her time with Epstein, Maxwell and their many well-known friends, including Prince Andrew, about whom she speaks publicly for the first time since their out-of-court settlement in 2022”.

Knopf editor-in-chief Jordan Pavlin added: “In Nobody’s Girl, Virginia Roberts Giuffre reclaims her voice and life story with authority, courage, and piercing honesty. In these intimately rendered pages, she charts her journey from victim to passionate advocate for herself and anyone reckoning with sexual abuse.

“Nobody’s Girl offers a raw and shocking record of the depravity she was subjected to within ­Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell’s orbit and tells the story of a fierce spirit struggling to break free.

“No one who reads this book will forget Giuffre’s fortitude or resilience.”

The book will be published in hardback and as an ebook by Knopf and in audio by Penguin Random House — the same publishers behind Prince Harry’s shock memoir Spare.

A first US print run of 250,000 copies is scheduled to go on sale from October 21.

In a statement after her death, Virginia was described by her family as “a fierce warrior in the fight against sexual abuse”.

But they said the “toll of abuse became unbearable”. The statement went on: “She lost her life to suicide, after being a lifelong victim of sexual abuse and sex trafficking.

Virginia, born in the US, was living with husband Robert and three children in Perth, Australia.

Three weeks earlier, she posted on Instagram that she had been seriously injured in a car crash.

Virginia previously alleged she was the victim of sex trafficking and abuse by Epstein from the age of 16.

The convicted paedophile was pals with the Duke of York — who hosted Epstein during visits to Balmoral and Sandringham.

Epstein died in a New York jail in 2019 awaiting trial on sex- trafficking charges.

Virginia alleged the Duke of York had sexually assaulted her on three occasions when she was under the age of 18.

In court documents, she claimed Epstein trafficked her aged 17 to have sex with Andrew at Maxwell’s flat in Belgravia, London, at Epstein’s New York mansion and his private island, Little St James, in the US Virgin Islands.

Andrew denied having sex with her and said he has no recollection of a photo of the pair together being taken in London. He originally planned to fight the civil sex assault lawsuit in a US court.

Source : https://www.the-sun.com/royals/15038085/prince-andrews-sex-abuse-accuser-virginia-giuffre-autobiography/

The ancient men belonged to a community of literate and highly skilled individuals, scientists say

THE faces of two 2,500-year-old male skulls were brought back to life through digital reconstructions.

The recreations offer a rare insight into what the early inhabitants of Tamil Nadu, in southern India, might have looked like, as well as their fascinating ancestries.

Indian researchers at Madurai Kamaraj University, in collaboration with Face Lab at Liverpool John Moores University, recreated the faces of two individuals from skulls discovered at the Kondegai burial site, reports BBC News.

The site is just 2.5 miles from Keeladi – an ancient settlement that was home to an urban civilisation dating back to 580 BC.

Archaeologists have excavated around 50 urns at Kondegai, containing bones, food grains and other daily necessities.

Now, researchers are extracting DNA from these bones to gain a deeper understanding of the Keeladi inhabitants.

Professor G Kumaresan, head of the university’s genetics department, told BBC News: “We want to understand our ancestry and the migration routes of our ancestors.”

He explained: “The faces mainly have features of Ancient Ancestral South Indians – a population group believed to be the first inhabitants of the Indian subcontinent.”

Interestingly, the men’s facial features also show traces of Middle Eastern Eurasian and Austro-Asiatic ancestries – likely the result of ancient population mixing, similar to today’s global migration patterns.

While Prof Kumaresan believes more research is needed to fully understand the ancestries of Keeladi’s residents, he said: “The message we can all take home is that we are more diverse than we realise, and the proof of this lies in our DNA.”

Researchers at the university created 3D digital scans of the skulls, which were then sent to Face Lab in the UK.

The Liverpool-based research group is renowned for its expertise in creating digital craniofacial reconstructions that combine forensic science, cutting-edge technologies and artistic principles.

Experts added muscles, flesh and skin to the scans of skulls.

As for the skin tone of the men, Prof Kumaresan explained that experts followed standard practices by using colours that match the physical traits of modern-day Tamil Nadu residents.

Previously, archaeologists believed the northern and central parts of India were home to the country’s first major civilisation, the Indus Valley.

But discoveries at Keeladi challenge this, showing that an advanced civilisation thrived in the south.

The inhabitants of the ancient settlement are believed to have been literate, lived in brick houses, engaged in trade and honoured one another through elaborate burial rites.

Researchers are now eager to study Keeladi as thoroughly as the Indus Valley Civilisation.

Prof Kumaresan said: “So far, we have learnt that the people of Keeladi were involved in agriculture, trade and cattle-rearing. They kept deer, goats and wild pigs and ate lots of rice and millets.”

Source : https://www.the-sun.com/tech/15035548/faces-skulls-recreated-early-inhabitants-india/

India has repeatedly defended its oil imports from Russia, arguing that access to affordable energy is crucial for its economic stability. Officials have also pointed out that other countries, including the US and European nations, continue some level of trade with Moscow.

India will continue purchasing oil from sources offering the “best deal” despite mounting US tariffs on Indian goods, New Delhi’s envoy to Moscow said.

Speaking to Russian state news agency TASS, India’s Ambassador to Russia, Vinay Kumar, targeted Washington’s decision to double tariffs on Indian imports in response to New Delhi’s continued energy trade with Russia.

“The US decision is unfair, unreasonable and unjustified,” Kumar said, calling the tariff hike a penalty that undermines the principles of fair trade.

“Our objective is energy security of 1.4 billion people of India and India’s cooperation with Russia as well as several other countries has helped to bring about stability in the global oil market,” he told TASS.

Kumar’s remarks come weeks after Washington imposed an additional 25 per cent levy on Indian imports, pushing duties to 50 per cent.

ENERGY SECURITY AT THE CORE

The envoy stressed that India’s energy policy is shaped by the need to secure reliable supplies for its population, not external political pressure.

“Government will continue taking measures which will protect the national interest of the country,” Kumar said.

“And the trade takes place on commercial basis. So if the basis of commercial transaction trade imports are right, Indian companies will continue buying from wherever they get the best deal. So that’s what the current situation is,” he added.

India has repeatedly defended its oil imports from Russia, arguing that access to affordable energy is crucial for its economic stability. Officials have also pointed out that other countries, including the United States and European nations, continue some level of trade with Moscow.

“Our trade is based on market factors and done with the overall object of ensuring the energy security of 1.4 billion people of India. There are other countries, including the US itself and in Europe, trading with Russia,” Kumar said.

JAISHANKAR HITS OUT AT US TARIFFS

The envoy’s comments echoed earlier remarks by External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar, who on Saturday criticised the tariff hike. Jaishankar called Washington’s move as “unjustified and unreasonable.”

He said that New Delhi would not compromise the interests of Indian farmers and small producers.

India, the world’s third-largest oil importer, has ramped up purchases of Russian crude since 2022, often at discounted rates, despite Western sanctions on Moscow.

INDIA-RUSSIA BILATERAL TRADE

Addressing concerns about financial transactions, Kumar said that India and Russia had put in place a stable system for settlements in national currencies.

“India and Russia have a working system of trade settlement in national currencies. There is no problem now in payment for oil imports,” he said.

Source : https://www.indiatoday.in/world/story/companies-will-buy-oil-from-wherever-gets-best-deal-indian-envoy-russia-glbs-2776187-2025-08-25

The world’s leading authority on food crises said Friday the Gaza Strip’s largest city is gripped by famine, and that it’s likely to spread across the territory without a ceasefire and an end to restrictions on humanitarian aid.

The Integrated Food Security Phase Classification, or IPC, said famine is happening in Gaza City, home to hundreds of thousands of Palestinians, and could spread south to Deir al-Balah and Khan Younis by the end of next month.

The determination comes after months of warnings by aid groups that Israel’s restrictions of food and other aid into Gaza, and its military offensive, were causing starvation among Palestinian civilians, particularly children.

Israel rejected the report, with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu calling it an “outright lie.”

Gaza City offensive could exacerbate hunger

The grim milestone — the first time the IPC has confirmed a famine in the Middle East — is sure to ramp up international pressure on Israel, which has been fighting Hamas since the militant group’s Oct. 7, 2023, attack. Israel says it plans to seize Gaza City and other Hamas strongholds, an escalation experts say will exacerbate the hunger crisis.

The IPC said hunger has been driven by fighting and the blockade of aid, and magnified by widespread displacement and the collapse of food production in Gaza, pushing hunger to life-threatening levels across the entire territory after 22 months of war.

More than half a million people in Gaza, about a quarter of its population, face catastrophic levels of hunger, with many at risk of dying from malnutrition-related causes, the IPC report said.

U.N. Secretary-General António Guterres said the findings show a “human-made disaster, a moral indictment, and a failure of humanity itself” and appealed for an “immediate ceasefire.”

Israel disputes the report

Netanyahu denies there’s hunger in Gaza, calling reports of starvation “lies” promoted by Hamas. “The IPC report is an outright lie. Israel does not have a policy of starvation,” his office posted on X.

The U.S. State Department also sought to cast doubt on the report. It said the humanitarian situation in Gaza “is a serious concern,” but blamed Hamas and looters for the difficulties in delivering aid.

After the publication of images of emaciated children in Gaza and reports of hunger-related deaths in recent weeks, Israel announced measures to let more humanitarian aid in. Yet the United Nations says what’s entering is far below what’s needed.

The Israeli military agency in charge of transferring aid to the territory, known as COGAT, called the report “false and biased.” It said significant steps had been taken to expand the amount of aid entering the strip in recent weeks.

Israel’s Foreign Ministry said more than 100,000 trucks of aid have entered Gaza since the start of the war, including a massive influx in recent weeks. But experts say Gaza is still reeling from the tightening of the blockade from early March until mid-May, when Israel barred the import of all food, medicine and other goods.

“A rapidly increasing number of people, especially young children, are dying preventable deaths from starvation and disease because Israel made starvation a core part of its campaign to control the strip,” said Chris Newton, an analyst for the International Crisis Group.

Netanyahu says more military pressure is needed to achieve Israel’s goals of freeing the hostages held by Hamas and eliminating the militant group altogether.

How a famine is determined

Formal famine determinations are rare. The IPC says a famine exists in an area when all three of the following conditions are confirmed:

At least 20% of households have an extreme lack of food, or are essentially starving. At least 30% of children 6 months to 5 years old suffer from acute malnutrition or wasting, based on a weight-to-height measurement; or 15% of that age group suffer from acute malnutrition based on the circumference of their upper arm. And at least two people, or four children under 5, per 10,000 are dying daily due to starvation or the interaction of malnutrition and disease.

The data analyzed between July 1 and Aug. 15 showed clear evidence that thresholds for starvation and acute malnutrition have been reached. Gathering data for mortality has been harder, but the IPC said it is reasonable to conclude from the evidence that the necessary threshold has likely been reached.

The IPC warned that a third of Gaza’s population could face catastrophic levels of hunger by the end of September, and that this is probably an undercount.

Alex de Waal, author of “Mass Starvation: The History and Future of Famine” and executive director of the World Peace Foundation, said that had Israel allowed the IPC better access to collect data, a famine might have been determined months ago, which would have raised global awareness sooner.

“It seems that it’s necessary for experts to shout ‘famine!’ before the world takes notice, by which time it is too late,” he said.

Israel has restricted aid to varying degrees throughout the war. It says there’s currently no limit on how many aid trucks can enter Gaza. It also pushed ahead with a new U.S.-backed aid delivery system that requires Palestinians to travel long distances and pass through Israeli military lines to get aid.

The traditional, U.N.-led aid providers say deliveries have been hampered by Israeli military restrictions and incidents of looting, while criminals and hungry crowds overwhelm entering convoys.

Witnesses, health officials and the U.N. rights office say hundreds of people have been killed by Israeli forces while seeking aid from both providers, while Israel says it has only fired warning shots and that the toll is exaggerated.

A parent in Gaza City watches his children waste away

On the eve of the war, Gaza City was home to some 700,000 people, about the population of Washington.

Throughout the conflict, it has been the focus of regular Israeli bombardment and ground operations. Several neighborhoods have been almost completely destroyed. Hundreds of thousands fled under Israeli evacuation orders at the start of the war but many returned during a ceasefire earlier this year.

Doctors and nurses in Gaza in recent weeks have seen rising numbers of visibly malnourished patients.

Kirsty Blacka, an Australian emergency nurse who worked in Gaza City’s Al-Quds hospital through June, said emaciated men with no preexisting conditions were coming in looking like teenagers because they were starving.

She said the lack of food has been compounded by contaminated water causing diarrhea and infections, and that diseases are harder to recover from when people are malnourished. Thousands will be too weak to evacuate the city ahead of the planned offensive, said Blacka.

Source : https://apnews.com/article/gaza-famine-hunger-israel-ceasefire-a5f88e20db2a5c4f754117de9bdada69

 

Donald Trump ran on a promise to use the powers of the government for revenge against those he believed wronged him. He now appears to be fulfilling that campaign promise while threatening to expand his powers well beyond Washington.

On Friday, the FBI searched the home of John Bolton, Trump’s first-term national security adviser-turned-critic, who last week in an interview called the administration “the retribution presidency.”

Trump’s team has opened investigations of Democrat Letitia James, the New York attorney general who sued Trump’s company over alleged fraud for falsifying records, and Sen. Adam Schiff, D-Calif., who as a congressman led Trump’s first impeachment. The Republican administration has charged Rep. LaMonica McIver, D-N.J., over her actions at an immigration protest in Newark, New Jersey, after arresting Mayor Ras Baraka, also a Democrat. Under investigation, too, is former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo, a candidate for New York City mayor.

Trump has directed prosecutors to investigate two other members of his first administration: Miles Taylor, who wrote a book warning of what he said were Trump’s authoritarian tendencies, and Chris Krebs, who earned the president’s wrath for assuring voters that the 2020 election, which Trump lost to Democrat Joe Biden, was secure.

The actions look like the payback Trump said he would pursue after being hit with four separate sets of criminal charges during his four years out of office. Those included an indictment for his effort to overturn the 2020 election that was gutted by the U.S. Supreme Court, which said presidents have broad immunity from prosecution for official acts while in office.

“Joe Biden weaponized his administration to target political opponents – most famously, President Trump,” Abigail Jackson, a White House spokeswoman, said Saturday. Trump, she said, “is restoring law and order.”

In addition to making good on his promises of retribution, Trump has deployed the military into American cities to fight crime or help with immigration arrests. He has sent thousands of National Guard troops and federal law enforcement officers to patrol the streets in the nation’s capital, after activating the Guard and Marines in Los Angeles earlier this year.

Taken together, the actions have alarmed Democrats and others who fear Trump is wielding the authority of his office to intimidate his political opponents and consolidate power in a way that is unprecedented in American history.

“You combine the threat of prosecution with armed troops in the streets,” said Brendan Nyhan, a political scientist at Dartmouth College. “The picture is pretty clear for anyone who’s read a history book what kind of administration we’re dealing with.”

Past election investigations are a Trump focus

Trump began his second term by pardoning more than 1,500 people who were convicted of crimes during the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol. His Justice Department, meanwhile, has fired some federal prosecutors who had pursued those cases. Attorney General Pam Bondi ordered a grand jury to look into the origins of the investigation of his 2016 campaign’s ties with Russia, and Trump has called on her department to investigate former Democratic President Barack Obama.

The government’s watchdog agency has opened an investigation into Jack Smith, the special prosecutor who investigated Trump’s efforts to overturn the 2020 election results and the classified documents stashed at his Florida estate. Those cases were among several that dogged Trump in the years between his presidential terms, including the New York fraud case and charges for election interference in Georgia brought by the Democratic prosecutor in Fulton County.

All those investigations led him to claim that Democrats had weaponized the government against him.

“It is amazing to me the number of people the Trump administration has gone after, all of whom are identified by the fact that they investigated or criticized Trump in one way or another,” said Stephen Saltzburg, a former Justice Department official who is a George Washington University law professor.

On Friday, Trump used governmental powers in other ways to further his goals. He announced that Chicago could be the next city subject to military deployments.

And after his housing director alleged that one of the governors of the independent Federal Reserve had committed mortgage fraud, Trump demanded she resign or be fired. He took to his social platform on Saturday to highlight the claims, as he tries to wrest control of the central bank.

Trump sees himself as the ‘chief law enforcement officer’

Vice President JD Vance denied in a television interview that Bolton was being targeted because of his criticism of Trump.

“If there’s no crime here, we’re not going to prosecute it,” Vance told NBC’s “Meet the Press” on Friday.

Trump said he told his staff not to inform him about the Bolton search ahead of time, but he stressed that he has authority over all prosecutions.

“I could know about it. I could be the one starting it,” the president told reporters. “I’m actually the chief law enforcement officer.”

Bolton occupies a special place in the ranks of Trump critics. The longtime GOP foreign policy hawk wrote a book published in 2020, after Trump had fired him the year before. The first Trump administration sued to block the book’s release and opened a grand jury investigation, both of which were halted by the Biden administration.

Bolton landed on a list of 60 former officials drawn up by now-FBI Director Kash Patel that he portrayed as a tally of the “Executive Branch Deep State.” Critics warned it was an “enemies list.” When Trump returned to office in January, his administration revoked the security detail that had been assigned to Bolton, who faced Iranian assassination threats.

The FBI is now investigating Bolton for potentially mishandling classified information, according to a person familiar with the matter who was not authorized to discuss the investigation publicly. In contrast, Trump condemned the FBI’s search of his own Mar-a-Lago resort in 2022.

Source : https://apnews.com/article/trump-justice-department-revenge-bolton-military-deployments-aa2b977621bce563770b60dade581f79

North Korean state media has said two new air defence missiles have been fired in a test overseen by the country’s leader Kim Jong Un.

The weapons had “superior combat capability” and used a “unique technology”, the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) said, without adding details.

The launches, carried out on Saturday, “proved that the technological features of two types of projectiles are very suitable for destroying various aerial targets” including drones and cruise missiles, KCNA said.

The test comes hours after South Korea confirmed it fired warning shots on Tuesday at North Korean soldiers who briefly crossed the Demilitarised Zone (DMZ) separating the countries.

United Nations Command said about 30 North Korean troops crossed the heavily-fortified border between the north and south, Yonhap News Agency said.

Pyongyang responded by accusing Seoul of a “deliberate provocation”.

South Korea and the United States have been conducting large-scale joint military exercises in the region since Monday.

US President Donald Trump is due to meet South Korea’s President Lee Jae Myung at a summit on Monday in Washington.

The newly-elected South Korean president had campaigned on improving inter-Korean ties.

However, Kim’s sister has since rebuffed efforts towards reconciliation made by Lee’s government.

Kim also earlier this month condemned the US and South Korea’s joint military drills, describing them as “most hostile and confrontational”.

The North Korean leader vowed to speed up his aim to increase the country’s stash of nuclear weapons.

In January, North Korea claimed to fire a new intermediate-range ballistic missile tipped with a hypersonic warhead, which it said “will reliably contain any rivals in the Pacific region”.

Senior South Korean officials have raised concerns about North Korea receiving Russian missile technology in exchange for sending troops to back the Russian aggression against Ukraine.

Shin Wonsik, national security adviser for former South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol, said last year that Seoul had found Moscow provided missiles and other equipment to help reinforce the air defense network for Pyongyang, the capital.

Whether the latest missiles fired by North Korea involved any Russian technology was unclear.

North Korea is one of the world’s most repressive totalitarian states, with Kim and his family ruling the nation for decades.

Source : https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cj3lp47nxdjo

THE distraught mother of a girl sexually abused by a sick Roblox predator has pleaded with parents to be vigilant and spare others from the relentless nightmare that is destroying her family’s life.

The U.S. Sun spoke to the family, who are grappling with the aftermath of their 11-year-old daughter being groomed and raped by a man she met on the popular online game, which is played by over 380 million users each month.

“THEY’VE LIED SO MANY TIMES”

The hellish situation is part of a wave of lawsuits filed against the Roblox Corporation by the Florida-based Dolman Group, which is pursuing nearly 400 separate cases.

Lead Attorney Matt Dolman calls the litigation an “ever evolving” battle against the exploitation and abuse of children on the platform.

The state of Louisiana recently sued Roblox, alleging the company has become a haven for predators and prioritizes profits over user safety. A similar lawsuit had been filed in Iowa.

Roblox has publicly denied these allegations, calling the claim that it would intentionally endanger users “categorically untrue.”

The California based company stresses they are “constantly innovating safety tools” and launching new, rigorous safeguards.

In response to recent criticism, Roblox, who were this week also dealing with unsubstantiated online rumors of the game shutting down next month, has been testing a new age verification feature.

An AI system to detect early signs of child endangerment has also been launched, which it claims led to 1,200 reports in the first half of 2025.

Roblox say they process 50,000 chat messages per second, with almost 80 million daily users. That’s a lot of work for their 3,000 moderators.

To place that number into context, Tik-Tok, which has triple the users, have 40,000 screening the platform.

“They’ve lied so many times, it’s hard to keep up with Roblox’s lies,” Dolman countered. “So no, I don’t think the product is safe. I hope Roblox goes out of business.”

In a harrowing interview with The U.S. Sun, the mother, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, described the horror of the April 2022 assault.

Predator Anthony Joshua Borgesano, who was 20 years-old at the time but posed as a 15-year-old boy, initially contacted her daughter on Roblox before persuading her to move to Discord.

Once he had earned her trust, he traveled 85 miles across Florida and raped her.

A section of the lawsuit seen by The U.S. Sun states, “Eventually gaining her trust, the predator escalated his manipulations and encouraged Jane Doe R.M. to meet in-person.

SICKENING SITUATION

“Traveling from Orlando to Sebring, FL, in April 2022, the predator drove to Jane Doe R.M.’s grandfather’s house and lured her into his vehicle.

“The two drove to a nearby neighborhood where he violently raped and forced her to orally copulate him, causing inconceivable trauma, harm and devastation. The predator was subsequently convicted of his violent crimes.”

He was found guilty of four separate offences, and is currently serving four concurrent sentences – the longest is 25 years.

He has also been placed on the sex offender’s register and won’t be eligible for parole for 20 years.

“It definitely brutalized my child. It brutalized us as a family. We will never, ever be the same,” the mom said, her voice cracking.

Dolman, who describes Roblox as a “slimy company,” is adamant that profit is put before safety.

He only grasped the full extent of the danger last year after Bloomberg’s exposé, at which point he began hearing from parents “left and right” and realized the issue was “systemic” and “a lot worse than I ever thought.”

The report released 12 months ago – titled Roblox’s Pedophile Problem – says between 2018 and 204, police in the United States made at least two dozen arrests of people who have groomed, abducted and abused people they’ve met online.

As child users aren’t asked for email addresses or phone numbers, players remain anonymous, which make it easy for predators to lurk in the background.

Nevertheless, new age verification technology wasn’t rolled out until this July.

“Why has it taken them years to act and institute that?” Dolman argued. “They care more about shareholders and pumping up their stock than children who are exposed on their platform.”

He notes that while parents can turn off individual chat functions, the game still hosts disturbing content with titles like “Diddy Party,” “Survive Diddy,” and “Escape to Epstein Island,” which are highly inappropriate for young users.

PUSH FOR CHANGE

He wants Roblox to install stricter age recognition software to stop these incidents.

“We are deeply troubled by any incident that endangers our users, and safety is a top priority,” a Roblox spokesperson told The U.S. Sun.

“We dedicate substantial resources, including advanced technology and 24/7 human moderation, to help detect and prevent inappropriate content and behavior, including attempts to direct users off platform, where safety standards and moderation may be less stringent than ours.”

They added while “no system is perfect”, the company are working with law enforcement and leading child safety organizations worldwide to combat the sexual exploitation of children.

The mom, who was accompanied by her aunt, said she was thankful her daughter had the street smarts to turn on her phone locator after her abuser ordered her to turn it off.

“My daughter, she’s not the first, and she won’t be the last if we don’t come together. This needs to stop.

The predator built a relationship with her over several weeks before luring her away from home. “It was like something you see on TV that you never expect to happen to you,” the aunt said.

CONTINUING NIGHTMARE

Despite the authorities acting quickly, the trauma remains.

The mother said her daughter is suffering from severe mental anguish, is undergoing therapy and taking medication to cope. “She is not the same,” the mother admitted.

“I watched my daughter turn from this happy little girl to this depressed, dark person.”

Dolman hopes to get justice for the affected families, stating, “This isn’t some lawyer, sharing some trumped-up facts with you. This is countless arrests, law enforcement investigations into sexual predation, the abuse, the grooming, the exploitation of minors.

“They knew this, they did nothing about it, because they didn’t care.”

Dolman also stressed that many people unfairly place blame on parents when something goes wrong.

“They’re going to say the parents could have done a better job of parenting, that they should have been aware of what their kids are up to,” he noted, before adding bluntly, “frankly… that’s bullshit.”

He pointed out that Roblox, as a publicly traded company, has promoted its platform as safe for children over the age of six.

Because of that messaging, parents naturally expected their children would be protected.

The attorney compared the situation to hiring childcare. “You hire a babysitter, you vet that person carefully. You don’t expect them to invite their 26-year-old or 40-year-old boyfriend over to watch your kid with them,” he said.

“That’s what goes on every day on the Roblox platform. And there’s nobody to watch for these children.”

Blaming parents, he continued, ignored the real issue: a company had set up an unsafe system.

COUNTLESS VICTIMS

There have been swathes of incidents all across the United States in recent years. In 2021, a man from Madisonville, Tennessee pleaded guilty to raping a 14-year-old girl who later went missing in January 2019 and was found weeks later with a 32-year-old man in Wisconsin.

He had groomed her on Roblox, which has been banned in Qatar, Turkey, China and Oman.

Calls for their CEO David Baszucki to quit grow louder with every horrific incident.

In April this year, a 10-year-old child was reported missing from Taft, California.

According to authorities, she was found after being kidnapped by Matthew Macatuno Naval, a 27-year-old man who had been communicating through the game.

While the family has found some closure, they fear for others.

The mom claims there are “millions” of predators in the game daily.

Dolman, who only this week named Meta as a co-defendant in a case involving the “sexual exploitation” of a 14 year-old girl, hopes to have resolutions within the next 18 months.

“We have a responsibility – as parents, guardians, and citizens – to do everything in our power to safeguard our most vulnerable and defenseless communities,” said Dolman.

“Roblox and Meta have been allowed to operate anarchically, with no accountability, bringing nightmares to our doorsteps as they watch their valuations grow.”

Source : https://www.the-sun.com/news/15029310/roblox-predators-sexual-abuse-grooming/

Germany is spending billions to modernize and expand its Bundeswehr, with the Army playing a central role its chief warns it may face conflict before it’s fully ready. Follow DW for more.

The move appeared to be the latest attempt by the Trump administration to penalise current and former military, intelligence and law enforcement officials whose views have been seen as at odds with Trump.

US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth fired the head of the Pentagon’s intelligence agency and two other senior military commanders, three US officials told Reuters on Friday (Aug 22), the latest move by President Donald Trump’s administration to purge officials at the Pentagon.

It was not immediately clear why Lieutenant General Jeffrey Kruse, who led the Defense Intelligence Agency, was fired.

Hegseth’s purge broadened later on Friday. One US official, speaking on the condition of anonymity, told Reuters that in addition to Kruse, Hegseth had also ordered the removal of the chief of US Naval reserves and the commander of Naval Special Warfare Command.

All three officials said it was unknown why they were fired.

“The firing of yet another senior national security official underscores the Trump administration’s dangerous habit of treating intelligence as a loyalty test rather than a safeguard for our country,” said US Senator Mark Warner, who is the vice chair of the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence.

The firing was first reported by the Washington Post.

LATEST FIRING

The move appeared to be the latest attempt by the Trump administration to penalise current and former military, intelligence and law enforcement officials whose views have been seen as at odds with Trump.

In April, Trump fired General Timothy Haugh as director of the National Security Agency, in a purge that included more than a dozen staff at the White House national security council.

Hegseth has also gone after uniformed military officials at the Pentagon. In February, he fired Air Force General CQ Brown, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, who was dismissed along with five other admirals and generals in an unprecedented shake-up of US military leadership.

The chief of the US Air Force made a surprise announcement on Monday that he planned to retire only halfway through his tenure.

While it was not clear exactly why Kruse was fired, it comes after a preliminary DIA assessment leaked to the news media that said the Jun 22 US airstrikes on three Iranian nuclear facilities had set Tehran’s program back only a few months, a finding contradicting Trump’s claim that the targets were “obliterated.”

The leaking of the assessment, which Reuters also reported, enraged Trump. The White House denounced the top-secret assessment as “flat out wrong,” and Trump attacked CNN, the New York Times and other outlets that obtained the report, calling them “scum” and “FAKE NEWS.”

The Trump administration has conducted a sweeping purge of US military and intelligence officers and diplomats that it says is part of an effort to slash the size of the US government, shrinking the federal budget and punishing what it describes as the “politicisation or weaponisation” of intelligence.

News of Kruse’s firing came two days after Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard announced that she was revoking on Trump’s orders the security clearances of 37 current and former US intelligence professionals.

Source : https://www.channelnewsasia.com/world/latest-purge-hegseth-removes-head-pentagon-intelligence-agency-other-senior-officials-5310981

Christopher Schwarzenegger looks unrecognizable in new family snapshots.

In a collection of getaway photos shared by sister Katherine Schwarzenegger on Friday, Christopher, 27, showcased his dramatic weight transformation in a summer-ready ensemble of a fitted button-down shirt and pink shorts as he checked his smartphone.

Other photos showed family members — including mom Maria Shriver and Katherine’s husband, Chris Pratt — enjoying time on a boat in Cape Cod.

“A perfect day ☀️🌊,” the mom of three, 35, captioned the sunny carousel.

Christopher previously showed off his lean new look in June, when he joined dad Arnold and siblings Christina, Patrick and Katherine for the Season 2 premiere of “FUBAR” in Los Angeles.

In May, the University of Michigan grad spoke out about the weight loss transformation while attending Beacher Vitality’s Happy & Healthy Summit in Los Angeles.

“It was a big process,” he said during a panel, per People, explaining that he began modifying his lifestyle when he was living in Australia back in 2019.

“I just saw how much my weight was prohibiting me from doing the everyday activities,” he shared with the panel — which included Kelly Osbourne, who’s had a physical transformation of her own.

“I was like, ‘I want to go skydiving,’” he recalled. “And my friends were like, ‘Yeah, no shot,’” to which he agreed.

“I was like, ‘Yeah, I can’t skydive,’” he recalled.

Christopher also divulged that his body image issues stretched back to high school. “I tried everything,” he said at the time, adding that he was “doing meal delivery things in high school.”

He said he remembered “feeling like a weirdo when I was bringing weird lunches to school.”

Christopher shared that his gradual weight loss was “not an overnight thing,” adding that it “took a lot of trial and error.” A fitness regimen and diet changes were among his strategies for an overall healthier lifestyle.

Source : https://pagesix.com/2025/08/23/celebrity-news/christopher-schwarzenegger-unrecognizable-in-family-photos-after-weight-loss-transformation/

LINES of dragons’ teeth bollards protect Ukraine from Russian attacks in the “fortress belt” tyrant Vladimir Putin insists must be surrendered before any ceasefire can be agreed.

The Sun on Sunday’s Defence Editor Jerome Starkey visited to see the barricades and tank trap trenches that President Volodymyr Zelenksy says would take four years to breach.

The UK’s Defence Intelligence experts predict 1.9million Russian troops would become casualties in the time it would take to overcome the belt — the best defended position in war-ravaged eastern Donbas.

It stretches 30 miles from Slovyansk to Kostyantynivka in Donetsk Oblast [province] of which Russia currently occupies 70 per cent.

The Kremlin took 40 per cent when it launched a war on Ukraine in 2014, and has captured 30 per cent more since February 2022.

Putin told US President Donald Trump in Alaska last week that he wants all of Donbas, which includes Donetsk and Luhansk, before a ceasefire can be agreed because, say experts, his troops cannot capture it.

Bungling US envoy Steve Witkoff initially claimed Putin would return Kherson and Zaporizhzhia as part of the deal.

But the Kremlin insisted it would do nothing more than freeze the front lines in those areas — clinging to territory it already holds.

Russia knows how effective the fortress belt is, having copied it with the Surovikin line that stalled Ukraine’s counter-offensive in 2023.

And Mr Zelensky immediately rejected giving up land, with experts warning it would gift Russian troops a launchpad for more attacks.

Speaking to reporters after meeting Mr Trump, he said Russia would need at least four years — based on its current rate of advance — to capture the Donbas by force.

He added: “The stories about them capturing our Donbas by the end of the year — that’s all idle talk. To occupy our Donbas, they would need another four years.”

Nonetheless, Mr Trump has pressured Mr Zelensky to cede Ukraine’s land for peace.

He said Kyiv could end the war now with “land swaps”.

However, war expert Matthew Savill, of the London-based Rusi think-tank, said talk of land exchanges could be seen as “a calculated insult to the Ukrainians” as all of the land being discussed is Ukrainian.

He said ceding the fortress belt would force hundreds of thousands of people to flee their homes.

It would also mean Russian forces move 50 miles east and leave Ukraine’s defenders in new positions that are harder to defend.

And it would gift Russia a launchpad for further assaults into neighbouring Kharkiv and Dnipro oblasts.

Mr Savill said: “It would mean the loss of their most extensively fortified and resourced defences in the east, opening up Kharkiv and Dnipropetrovsk to future attacks.”

European leaders who met Mr Trump at the White House on Monday last week said it would be akin to America giving up Florida.

But Vice President JD Vance continued to press the idea of ceding land.

The US-based Institute for the Study of War said Putin’s demands were “all advantages for Russia and disadvantages for Ukraine”.

It also insisted the fortress belt was “critical” to Ukraine and warned there was “no guarantee fighting will not resume” even if it agreed to give the land up.

It would mean losing what is the main fortified defensive line in Donetsk Oblast since 2014 “with no guarantee fighting will not resume”.

Source : https://www.the-sun.com/news/15034576/ukraine-fortress-belt-putin-peace-russia/

A weak earthquake struck the Malaysian state of Johor on Sunday (Aug 24) morning, with tremors felt across several states.

The Malaysian Meteorological Department (MetMalaysia) said in a Facebook post that the 4.1-magnitude quake occurred at 6.13am on Sunday, 5km west of Segamat, at a depth of 10km.

The authorities said tremors were felt in most areas of Johor, Negeri Sembilan, Melaka and southern Pahang.

A second, milder quake struck at 9am. According to a MetMalaysia update, tremors from the 2.8-magnitude quake were felt in the same areas as the first. The epicentre of the second quake was 28km northwest of Kluang, Johor.

After the first quake, MetMalaysia said it would continue to monitor the situation and that there was no tsunami threat to the country.

Johor Chief Minister Onn Hafiz Ghazi wrote on Facebook that there were no reports of accidents or property damage in Segamat.

He added that the Johor state government was closely monitoring the situation with the relevant agencies.

Members of the public were advised to stay away from unstable structures and to heed instructions from the authorities, said Onn Hafiz.

COUNTRY NOT COMPLETELY IMMUNE

While Malaysia is located outside the Pacific Ring of Fire, the country is not completely immune to the risk of earthquakes, said one expert.

The Institute of Geology Malaysia’s president Abd Rasid Jaapar told Bernama in March this year that while Malaysia is not situated along the collision zone of major tectonic plates, several minor tremors have been recorded in certain areas over recent decades.

“Earthquakes are unpredictable in both location and magnitude. For instance, Bukit Tinggi once experienced a 3.8-magnitude earthquake on the Richter scale. However, at present, there is no significant earthquake risk in Peninsular Malaysia,” he said.

He added that the risk is higher in Sabah, where it is close to active seismic zones.

Malaysia has experienced strong earthquakes in the past, particularly in Sabah, according to Bernama. Quakes with magnitudes between 6.0 and 6.3 were recorded in 1923, 1958, 1976 and 2015. In Sarawak, the strongest recorded tremor was a 5.3-magnitude quake in 1994.

Source : https://www.channelnewsasia.com/asia/malaysia-earthquake-johor-tremors-segamat-5311086

 

The end of an exemption on tariff duties for low-value packages coming into the United States is causing multiple international postal services to pause shipping as they await more clarity on the rule.

The exemption, known as the “ de minimis” exemption, allows packages worth less than $800 to come into the U.S. duty free. A total of 1.36 billion packages were sent in 2024 under this exemption, for goods worth $64.6 billion, according to data from the U.S. Customs and Border Patrol Agency.

It is set to expire on Friday. On Saturday, postal services around Europe announced that they are suspending the shipment of many packages to the United States amid confusion over new import duties.

Postal services in Germany, Denmark, Sweden and Italy said they will stop shipping most merchandise to the U.S. effective immediately. France and Austria will follow on Monday.

The U.K.’s Royal Mail said it would halt shipments to the U.S. on Tuesday to allow time for those packages to arrive before duties kick in. Items originating in the United Kingdom worth over $100 — including gifts to friends and family — will incur a 10% duty, it said.

“Key questions remain unresolved, particularly regarding how and by whom customs duties will be collected in the future, what additional data will be required, and how the data transmission to the U.S. Customs and Border Protection will be carried out,” DHL, the largest shipping provider in Europe, said in a statement.

The company said starting Saturday it “will no longer be able to accept and transport parcels and postal items containing goods from business customers destined for the US.”

A trade framework agreed on by the U.S. and the European Union last month set a 15% tariff on the vast majority of products shipped from the EU. Packages under $800 will now also be subject to the tariff.

The U.S. duty-free exemption for goods originating from China ended in May as part of the Trump administration’s efforts to curb American shoppers from ordering low-value Chinese goods. The exemption is being extended to shipments from around the world.

Many European postal services say they are pausing deliveries now because they cannot guarantee the goods will enter the U.S. before Aug. 29. They cite ambiguity about what kind of goods are covered by the new rules, and the lack of time to process their implications.

Postnord, the Nordic logistics company, and Italy’s postal service announced similar suspensions effective Saturday.

“In the absence of different instructions from US authorities … Poste Italiane will be forced, like other European postal operators, to temporarily suspend acceptance of all shipments containing goods destined for the United States, starting August 23. Mail shipments not containing merchandise will continue to be accepted,” Poste Italiane said Friday.

Shipping by services such as DHL Express remains possible, it added.

Björn Bergman, head of PostNord’s Group Brand and Communication, said the pause was “unfortunate but necessary to ensure full compliance of the newly implemented rules.”

In the Netherlands, PostNL spokesperson Wout Witteveen said the Trump administration is pressing ahead with the new duties despite U.S. authorities lacking a system to collect them. He said that PostNL is working closely with its U.S. counterparts to find a solution.

“If you have something to send to America, you should do it today,” Witteveen told The Associated Press.

Austrian Post, Austria’s leading logistics and postal service provider, stated that the last acceptance of commercial shipments to the U.S., including Puerto Rico, will take place Tuesday.

France’s national postal service, La Poste, said the U.S. did not provide full details or allow enough time for the French postal service to prepare for new customs procedures.

Source : https://apnews.com/article/us-tariffs-goods-services-suspension-85c7b36b9e92c0e640dfe2ac418cd907

 

Music icon Lionel Richie was almost the victim of a terrifying home burglary as his mansion was targeted by thieves just after midnight – but his home security systems scared the intruder away

Lionel Richie’s house was targeted by burglars – while the music legend was at home. The 76-year-old Dancing On The Ceiling singer had to contend with an intruder at his Beverly Hills mansion just after midnight on Saturday morning.

The summer of 2025 has been blighted by burglaries in Los Angeles’s most famous postcode. A string of other A-Listers have had their properties ransacked by thieves.

Lionel is the fist big name star that was at home at the time of an alleged incident – and his high tech home surveillance systems have been credited with scaring the intruder away. And authorities are reportedly hopeful footage from his CCTV systems could help secure justice.

TMZ reports that a Beverly Hills Police Department source confirmed the icon’s property was burglarized by a suspected thief. The outlet reports: “Officers received a radio call regarding a residential burglary just after midnight in the 90210 neighborhood, where the famed singer-songwriter owns a property.”

The report went on to name a man who was arrested on suspicion of residential burglary. The District Attorney, however, is yet to formally file a charge – with the investigation reports on Saturday as “ongoing”.

TMZ went on to claim: “Investigators are looking into security footage and other evidence from the scene.” It is believed nothing was stolen from Lionel’s home. The Mirror has contacted a representative of the singer for comment.

Back in June, Brad Pitt’s home in the Los Feliz neighbourhood of LA was targeted by thieves. People reported at the time that a trio of suspects “broke into the residence via the front window, ransacked the location, then fled the location with miscellaneous property.” The actor is in the process of selling the property – for the sum of $5.5 million (£4 million).

Nicole Kidman and Keith Urban’s Los Angeles home was targeted by thieves on Valentine’s Day. While other celebs including Real Housewives star Teddi Mellencamp and singer Ashlee Simpson have also been the victims of burglaries in recent months.

Away from crime dramas, Lionel continues to be a judge on long-running US talent show American Idol. He joined the judging panel in 2018 – and the most reason season, the 23rd, concluded earlier this year.

Lionel offered guidance and support alongside fellow singers Luke Bryan and Carrie Underwood. Jamal Roberts proved triumphant and was crowned the winner in a glittering climax that aired on 18 May.

The show was renewed for Season 24 by ABC just over a week before Jamal was crowned winner – with the next season due to premiere in spring 2026.

Source : https://www.mirror.co.uk/3am/celebrity-news/lionel-richie-home-burglars-target-35782857

Ghislaine Maxwell claims Princess Diana may have been introduced to Jeffrey Epstein at a London event, though unsure if they met. The remark emerged amid renewed scrutiny over Epstein-related investigations and Trump ties.

Ghislaine Maxwell, the convicted associate of Jeffrey Epstein, has claimed that the late Princess Diana may have been arranged to meet Epstein at a London event organised by Diana’s close friend Rosa Monckton, according to a recently released transcript by the US Department of Justice.

Maxwell, serving a 20-year sentence for sex-trafficking minors to Epstein, said she was unsure whether the two ever met but suggested there may have been attempts to introduce them.

In an interview with Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche last month, Maxwell claimed that before she met Epstein, he was living in London and associated with “truly fancy people,” including Diana’s close friend Rosa Monckton and her husband, journalist Dominic Lawson.

She said Epstein attended a major event in London organised by Monckton and added: “I don’t know if he sat with Diana or met her there. I don’t know, but I believe it was organised by Rosa. I don’t know if she was being set up as a date for him, maybe I don’t want to speak bad of Diana, but—I’m not going to do that.”

Maxwell denied ever introducing Epstein to the royals, calling such claims “a flat untruth.” Although she suggested the event happened in the early 2000s, Princess Diana died in August 1997.

The revelation comes amid renewed scrutiny of Trump’s ties to Epstein and criticism over the Justice Department’s decision to withhold parts of the Epstein investigation files, drawing backlash from both Democrats and segments of Trump’s conservative base.

Maxwell also told a top Justice Department official last month that she never observed President Donald Trump in any “inappropriate setting.” “I never witnessed the President in any inappropriate setting in any way,” she said. “The President was never inappropriate with anybody.”

Author Michael Wolff has previously claimed Trump and Epstein once competed over who would sleep with Diana first, though no evidence supports this claim.

Source : https://www.indiatoday.in/world/us-news/story/dont-want-to-speak-bad-of-her-maxwell-hints-at-epstein-princess-diana-date-setup-glbs-2775868-2025-08-24

President Donald Trump said on Friday the U.S. would take a 10% stake in Intel (INTC.O), under a deal with the struggling chipmaker that converts government grants into an equity share, the latest extraordinary intervention by the White House in corporate America.
The deal puts Trump on better terms with Intel CEO Lip-Bu Tan, after the president recently said the CEO should step down due to conflicts of interest. It will ensure that the chipmaker will receive about $10 billion in funds for building or expanding factories in the U.S.

Under the agreement, the U.S. will purchase a 9.9% stake in Intel for $8.9 billion, or $20.47 per share, which represents a discount of about $4 from Intel’s closing share price of $24.80 on Friday.
The purchase of the 433.3 million Intel shares will be made with funding from the $5.7 billion in unpaid grants from the Biden-era CHIPS Act and $3.2 billion awarded to Intel for the Secure Enclave program, also awarded under Trump’s predecessor, Democratic President Joe Biden.
Intel stock rose roughly 1% in the extended session on Friday after closing up 5.5% during regular trading.
Trump met with Tan on Friday, a White House official said. That followed Trump’s August 11 meeting with the Intel CEO after Trump demanded that Tan resign over his ties to Chinese firms.

“He walked in wanting to keep his job and he ended up giving us $10 billion for the United States. So we picked up $10 billion,” Trump said on Friday.
Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick said on X that Tan had struck a deal “that’s fair to Intel and fair to the American People.”

PLAYING CATCH UP

The Intel investment marks the latest unusual deal with U.S. companies, including a U.S. government agreement allowing AI chip giant Nvidia NVDA.O to sell its H20 chips to China in exchange for receiving 15% of those sales.
Other recent deals include an agreement for the Pentagon to become the largest shareholder in a small mining company, MP Materials (MP.N), to boost output of rare earth magnets and the U.S. government’s winning a “golden share” with certain veto rights as part of a deal to allow Japan’s Nippon Steel (5401.T), to buy U.S. Steel.

The federal government’s broad intervention in corporate matters has worried critics, who say Trump’s actions create new categories of corporate risk.
Ahead of the U.S. deal with Intel, Japan’s SoftBank (9984.T), agreed to take a $2 billion stake in the chip maker on Monday.
Some industry observers still question Intel’s ability to surmount its problems.
Daniel Morgan, senior portfolio manager at Synovus Trust, said Intel’s problems are beyond a cash infusion from SoftBank or equity interest from the government, singling out Intel’s contract chip manufacturing business, known as its foundry unit.
“Without government support or another financially stronger partner, it will be difficult for the Intel foundry unit to raise enough capital to continue to build out more Fabs at a reasonable rate,” he said. Intel “needs to catch up with TSMC from a technological perspective to attract business,” he added.

The government’s stake is to be passive ownership and does not include a board seat, Intel said. The government will be required to vote with Intel’s board when shareholder approval is necessary, with “limited exceptions.” Intel did not specify the exceptions.
The equity stake also includes a five-year warrant at $20 a share for an additional 5% of Intel stock, which the U.S. can use if Intel loses control of the foundry business.

Source : https://www.reuters.com/business/us-take-10-equity-stake-intel-trumps-latest-corporate-move-2025-08-22/

Databricks will acquire machine learning startup Tecton to expand its AI agent offerings, the latest in a string of deals aimed at offering full-scale AI building tools for enterprise customers, its chief executive told Reuters on Friday.
Tecton, backed by Sequoia Capital and Kleiner Perkins, provides software that helps companies analyze and deploy data at scale with low latency.

Financial terms of the deal, which consists of Databricks’ private shares, were not disclosed. Tecton was last valued at $900 million in a 2022 private funding round and has about 90 employees.

The deal comes on the heels of Databricks’ announcement this week that it had signed a term sheet for a new funding round at a valuation of more than $100 billion, up more than 60% from eight months ago.
Tecton has raised $160 million from investors including Andreessen Horowitz and Bain Capital Ventures since it was founded in 2020 by former Uber engineers who created Michelangelo, an AI platform that Uber uses internally for real-time pricing and other functions.
Databricks CEO Ali Ghodsi said Tecton’s technology and talent could help to build out Databricks’ Agent Bricks, its flagship product for building and automating workflows with AI agents, as competition intensifies to supply AI tools to businesses. Specifically, the acquisition could help to cut response times in AI applications, a top priority for customers building interactive services.

“It’s really the real-time building block to feed real-time information into the agents,” he said, adding that speed is crucial for AI use cases such as voice interaction. “Many of the use cases are directly user-facing and human-facing, and humans hate to wait.”
The two companies already had close ties. Tecton partnered with Databricks, as well as its competitor Snowflake, in 2022. The two data platforms have also become investors in the startup.
Ghodsi said many of Tecton’s customers – including crypto exchange Coinbase – already use Databricks’ services. He added that the acquisition would help to deepen relationships with clients that rely on both technologies.

Source : https://www.reuters.com/business/finance/databricks-buy-sequoia-backed-tecton-ai-agent-push-2025-08-22/

U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth fired the head of the Pentagon’s intelligence agency and two other senior military commanders, three U.S. officials told Reuters on Friday, the latest move by President Donald Trump’s administration to purge officials at the Pentagon.
It was not immediately clear why Lieutenant General Jeffrey Kruse, who led the Defense Intelligence Agency, was fired.

Hegseth’s purge broadened later on Friday. One U.S. official, speaking on the condition of anonymity, told Reuters that in addition to Kruse, Hegseth had also ordered the removal of the chief of U.S. Naval reserves and the commander of Naval Special Warfare Command.

All three officials said it was unknown why they were fired.
“The firing of yet another senior national security official underscores the Trump administration’s dangerous habit of treating intelligence as a loyalty test rather than a safeguard for our country,” said U.S. Senator Mark Warner, who is the vice chair of the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence.
The firing was first reported by the Washington Post.

LATEST FIRING

The move appeared to be the latest attempt by the Trump administration to penalize current and former military, intelligence and law enforcement officials whose views have been seen as at odds with Trump.

In April, Trump fired General Timothy Haugh as director of the National Security Agency, in a purge that included more than a dozen staff at the White House national security council.
Hegseth has also gone after uniformed military officials at the Pentagon. In February, he fired Air Force General C.Q. Brown, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, who was dismissed along with five other admirals and generals in an unprecedented shake-up of U.S. military leadership.
The chief of the U.S. Air Force made a surprise announcement on Monday that he planned to retire only halfway through his tenure.
While it was not clear exactly why Kruse was fired, it comes after a preliminary DIA assessment leaked to the news media that said the June 22 U.S. airstrikes on three Iranian nuclear facilities had set Tehran’s program back only a few months, a finding contradicting Trump’s claim that the targets were “obliterated.”

The leaking of the assessment, which Reuters also reported, enraged Trump. The White House denounced the top-secret assessment as “flat out wrong,” and Trump attacked CNN, the New York Times and other outlets that obtained the report, calling them “scum” and “FAKE NEWS.”
The Trump administration has conducted a sweeping purge of U.S. military and intelligence officers and diplomats that it says is part of an effort to slash the size of the U.S. government, shrinking the federal budget and punishing what it describes as the “politicization or weaponization” of intelligence.

Source : https://www.reuters.com/world/us/latest-purge-hegseth-removes-head-pentagon-intelligence-agency-other-senior-2025-08-22/

In his statement, Trump offered high praise for Gor, calling him “a great friend” and highlighting his long-standing loyalty.

US President Donald Trump has announced Sergio Gor as his nominee for the next US Ambassador to the Republic of India. In addition to this diplomatic role, Gor will also serve as Special Envoy for South and Central Asian Affairs. The announcement was made by Trump on Truth Social on Friday.

Sergio Gor currently serves as the Director of the White House Presidential Personnel Office and will continue in this role until his nomination is confirmed. Trump expressed confidence in Gor’s ability to further the “MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN” agenda in the “most populous region in the world.”

In his statement, Trump offered high praise for Gor, calling him “a great friend” and highlighting his long-standing loyalty and involvement in the Trump political movement. “He worked on my Historic Presidential Campaigns, published my Best Selling Books, and ran one of the biggest Super PACs, which supported our Movement,” Trump noted.

See more

Congratulations to @SergioGor! Sergio helped President Trump put together the best team in history, and he will be a great Ambassador for the Trump Administration overseas. pic.twitter.com/A2ujPZOKje

— Karoline Leavitt (@PressSec) August 22, 2025

Reacting to the development, US State Secretary said on X,” I am excited about the Presidents decisions to nominate @SergioGor to be our next Ambassador to India. He will be an excellent representative of America in one of the most important relationships our nation has in the world.”

Source : https://www.news18.com/world/donald-trump-appoints-longtime-confidant-sergio-gor-as-us-ambassador-to-india-ws-l-9522670.html

 

SOCIAL media sleuths say they have spotted a time traveller after Donald Trump shared an image of him jabbing Vladimir Putin in the chest.

The image, taken during their crunch peace summit in Alaska last Friday, is almost identical to another historic picture of Richard Nixon doing the same action to Soviet PM Nikita Khrushchev in 1959.

Both photos are in black and white and feature the US President demonstrating their authority over their political counterparts.

Trump posted both pictures to his Truth Social account on Thursday appearing to try and show his admiration for fellow Republican Nixon.

But eagle-eyed viewers were quick to notice another striking similarity outside of the finger-wagging poses and feuding figureheads.

In both images, a third man can be seen listening in to the conversations.

In the modern day picture of Trump, a man is leaning over in between the US leader and Putin appearing to act as a translator.

He has dark curly hair, wrinkled forehead and a notepad as he wears a sleek black suit and tie.

A whole 66 years earlier, a third man can again be seen standing in the middle of the two superpower.

As Nixon and Khrushchev argue in front of a typical American model kitchen a dark curly haired man with similar forehead lines intently watches on.

He is again dressed in a similar suit and tie and is believed to have been a translator.

After Trump posted the side-by-side images, dozens of people soon noticed the similarities.

On X Carole Tahan said: “A time traveller from the Nixon/Khroutchev encounter (1959) to the Trump/Putin Alaska summit (2025).

“The striking resemblance of the two interpreters!”

Another user agreed saying: “2025 upper panel – Trump vs Putin.

“1959 lower panel – Nixon vs Khruschev.

“Weird fun fact? Same interpreter in both, not aged a day!”

A body language expert even applauded the uncanny resemblance.

Judi James told The Mirror: “They even seem to have booked a double of the guy who stood between the leaders back then, to stand in the same spot with the same look of concern on his face, suggesting this is serious stuff.”

The picture similarities wasn’t the only talking point coming out of the summit in Alaska.

Trump had a B-2 stealth bomber fly over Putin’s head as they greeted each other for showdown talks over ending the war in Ukraine.

Meeting his Russian counterpart on the tarmac at a military base in Anchorage last night, the Americans lined up four £300million F-22 fighter jets on the ground for an historic handshake photo op.

The two presidents then had a moment alone in Mr Trump’s limo — nicknamed The Beast — ahead of closed-door talks about ending the war in Ukraine.

It was the first time in almost a decade that Putin had set foot on US soil.

He is an internationally-wanted war criminal for his bloody three-and-a-half year Ukraine invasion.

Trump declared the talks were positive and showed that despite the relentless bombing of civilians in Ukraine he appears ready to accept a peace deal.

The US President then turned his attention to Ukraine as he invited Volodymyr Zelensky to the White House for additional talks on Monday.

The Ukrainian was flagged by a huge team of European leaders who made the trip alongside him as they all spoke in the East Room before heading to the Oval Office later in the day.

Trump again said the talks were positive as he tried to push for a end to the conflict.

In the days since, little progress has been made.

Putin and his Kremlin stooges have refused to commit to a trilateral meeting centered around dividing up territory as his battlefield assaults have only intensified.

Source : https://www.the-sun.com/news/15026116/trump-photo-time-traveler-putin/

FIVE people are dead after a Niagara Falls tour bus crashed throwing passengers out of the windows as it rolled.

Photos showed a stark scene in western New York as crews rushed on Friday to save victims from the overturned bus and helicopters flew victims to hospitals.

The driver allegedly became distracted, lost control of the vehicle before over-correcting – leading to the bus rolling over.

Police said that 54 people were on board when it crashed in the town of Pembroke, near Buffalo, as it was traveling from Niagara Falls to New York City.

People inside the vehicle were thrown out of the windows as the glass shattered.

Dozens were taken to hospital in the aftermath, according to authorities.

Several injuries were also reported, with multiple people trapped under the bus, officials confirmed.

Passengers were ejected from the bus after it rolled over, New York State Police (NYSP) spokesperson James O’Callaghan told reporters at the crash site.

He said it was believed many people did not have their seatbelt on.

The bus lost control, ended up in the median and then overcorrected and went into the ditch.

The driver reportedly survived the crash, and is co-operating with police.

NYSP told drivers to expect heavy delays after the accident shut down a part of I-90 in both directions.

Traffic was severely backed up as emergency vehicles surrounded the crash.

Most of the passengers are reported to have been of Indian, Chinese and Filipino ethnicity – and ranged in age between one and 74.

The president of Mercy Flight, an emergency air transportation service that brings patients to hospitals, said that helicopters were making multiple trips to the scene.

At least two injured children and two injured adults had been flown via helicopter to local hospitals, the New York Times reported.

“I’ve been briefed on the tragic tour bus accident on the @NYSThruway,” New York Governor Kathy Hochul tweeted after the accident.

“My team is coordinating closely with @nyspolice and local officials who are working to rescue and provide assistance to everyone involved.”

Erie County Executive Mark Poloncarz called the crash a “serious mass casualty bus accident” in an X post.

Social media photos showed emergency vehicles crowded on the entire interstate near the wrecked bus.

New York State Attorney General Letitia James called the crash “heartbreaking.”

Source : https://www.the-sun.com/news/15029167/pembroke-tour-bus-accident-shuts-down-all-lanes-injuries/

DONALD Trump has announced that he will give Vladimir Putin a couple of weeks to set up a peace meeting with rival Volodymyr Zelensky.

Trump even leveraged the incoming World Cup in a desperate bid to get the Russian president to respond to him and Zelensky’s calls for negotiations.

Speaking to reporters in the White House on Friday, Trump said, “It takes two to tango,” when asked about the meeting timeline.

“We’re gonna see, but in the meantime, people continue to die,” he said, referencing the bloody three-year-long war that he’s vowed to see stopped.

Trump said that there’s a “tremendous amount of hatred” that he’s trying to navigate through as he fights for a ceasefire.

He spoke about the deal after discussing plans for the 2026 World Cup, which is set to take place in the US, Canada, and Mexico next summer.

Trump said that he hopes to allow Russia’s men’s national team back into the qualification process if peace talks go smoothly.

This came about a month after FIFA’s president Gianni Infantino, who was also at the briefing, said that he hoped Russia would return to the league “soon.”

At one point during the meeting, the president held up a picture of him and Putin standing together when they met in Alaska.

He said that the photo was sent to him by the Russian leader as a kind gesture.

“I’m going to sign this for him,” said Trump, noting that Putin has been “very respectful of me and my country, and not so respectful of others.”

While displaying the picture for reporters, Trump said that he hopes the countries can agree and that Putin will be at the World Cup.

“He may be coming and he may not, depending on what happens,” the president told reporters.

Speaking about the photo, Trump said, “I thought it was a nice picture of him. OK of me but nice of him.”

NEGOTIATION DRAMA

Zelensky has said he is ready and willing to meet – but the Kremlin confirmed today there is nothing in the diary.

Trump said earlier Friday, “We’re going to see if Putin and Zelensky will be working together.

“You know, it’s like oil and vinegar, a little bit. They don’t get along too well, for obvious reasons.”

Trump added, “we’ll see” if he would need to attend any such meeting.

The US President has said since Monday’s White House meeting that he is working on setting up a meeting.

After four days of heavy diplomacy he sounded optimistic – and there was widespread hope of momentum towards peace.

PLANS SET

Trump took a 40-minute call from Putin in the middle of his meeting with European leaders – then said the wheels were in motion, and a location just needed to be picked.

A plan was sketched out for the Russian and Ukrainian leaders to meet – potentially followed by a trilateral summit with Trump also at the table.

But Sergey Lavrov, Putin’s top goon, confirmed on Friday there are no plans for a head-to-head between Putin and Zelensky.

As the week has gone on, there has been minimal sign from Putin that he actually wants to meet Zelensky – and his ruthless demands of Ukraine have not changed.

Lavrov claimed on Thursday that the tyrant was on board – but only after working through a list of vague “issues”.

He insisted the meeting would only happen “with the understanding that all issues that require consideration at the highest level will be well worked out”.

The Foreign Minister added: “If – hopefully, when – it comes to signing future agreements, the issue of the legitimacy of the person who signs these agreements from the Ukrainian side will be resolved.”

This refers to Putin’s long-held smear against Zelensky that his leadership is illegitimate – after it had been due to expire in 2024.

Kyiv insists Zelesnky’s position is sound as elections have been impossible during wartime.

HOPE DWINDLES

Fears are growing that Trump’s Alaska meeting with Putin was fruitless – and that it in fact gave the dictator exactly what he wanted.

Kaja Kallas, the EU’s top diplomat, warned on Friday that Putin is laying a trap for the West by demanding to keep hold of Ukrainian land.

He also still wants to starve Ukraine of Western boots on the ground, ban the country from ever joining NATO and cap the size of its army, Kremlin sources revealed.

During his Alaska summit with Trump, Putin demanded the entire eastern Donbas region from Ukraine – dubbed the “fortress belt” – in exchange for peace.

Russia has already overrun most of its two areas, Donetsk and Luhansk, but Ukraine is bravely clinging onto one well-fortified corner.

Zelensky has made it crystal clear that he is not willing to hand land to Russia as part of any peace deal.

Kallas, Vice-President of the European Commission, said these demands are a “trap that Putin wants us to walk into”.

Source : https://www.the-sun.com/news/15027454/trump-progress-zelensky-putin-showdown-oil-vinegar/

GHISLAINE Maxwell has claimed Donald Trump “was never inappropriate with anybody” while pals with Jeffrey Epstein.

Epstein’s convicted accomplice made the comments to Justice Department officials the US President during a two-day interview last month.

Maxwell was questioned by Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche in Tallahassee, Fla.

Her claims have come to light after transcripts and audio files were released today.

She also told how she met Trump for the first time in 1990.

“I may have met Donald Trump at that time, because my father was friendly with him and liked him very much,” Maxwell said, according to the transcript.

Her father, Robert Maxwell, was the owner of the New York Daily News at the time.

Robert was fond of Trump’s then-wife, Ivana because she was also from Czechoslovakia, according to Maxwell.

The transcripts were made public as the Trump administration continues to battle speculation surrounding the late disgraced financier.

The administration faced backlash in February when right-wing influencers were invited to the White House and provided by Bondi with binders marked “The Epstein Files: Phase 1” and “Declassified”.

The socialite said: “President Trump was always very cordial and very kind to me”.

Maxwell was asked by Blanche whether she believed anyone killed Epstein in prison.

The conspiracy theory over the financier’s death has refused to die despite medical reports saying he committed suicide.

She said: “I think, is it possible? Of course it’s possible.

“But I don’t know of any reason why, and I don’t believe in the blackmail or in any of this, I don’t think Epstein had a hit on like that.”

She added: “I do not believe he died by suicide, no.”

Epstein was found dead in his Manhattan jail cell on August 10, 2019.

Maxwell is currently serving a 20-year prison sentence after being found guilty of child sex trafficking and other crimes.

After her interview, for undisclosed reasons, the prisoner was moved from the low-security federal prison in Florida to a minimum security prison camp in Texas.

When asked about the DOJ questioning Maxwell, the US President previously told reporters: “I don’t know about it, but I think it’s something that sounds appropriate to do.”

He added: “I didn’t know that they were going to do it. I don’t really follow that too much. It’s sort of a witch hunt.”

Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche revealed last month his plans to meet with the disgraced British socialite.

He posted on X: “Justice demands courage.

“For the first time, the Department of Justice is reaching out to Ghislaine Maxwell to ask: what do you know?”

He added that he had contacted Maxwell’s counsel on the direction of Attorney General Pam Bondi.

“I intend to meet with her soon. No one is above the law—and no lead is off-limits,” he wrote.

Meanwhile Maxwell’s family suggested “government misconduct” could be used as new evidence to challenge her imprisonment.

And her brother Ian Maxwell, 68, hopes to get her out of jail using new evidence.

But the dossiers contained information that was already largely made public.

He recently told the Daily Mail that he fears for his sister’s life.

A statement from Blanche posted on Bondi’s X account reads: “President Trump has told us to release all credible evidence. If Ghislane Maxwell has information about anyone who has committed crimes against victims, the FBI and the DOJ will hear what she has to say.

“Therefore, at the direction of Attorney General Bondi, I have communicated with counsel for Ms. Maxwell to determine whether she would be willing to speak with prosecutors from the Department.

“I anticipate meeting with Ms. Maxwell in the coming days.

“Until now, no administration on behalf of the Department had inquired about her willingness to meet with the government. That changes now.”

Maxwell’s attorney David Oscar Markus told Axios that discussions with the government are underway.

The House Oversight and Government Reform subcommittee also voted on Tuesday to subpoena Ghislaine Maxwell.

A committee spokesperson said: “Since Ms. Maxwell is in federal prison, the Committee will work with the Department of Justice and Bureau of Prisons to identify a date when Committee can depose her.”

Since Epstein’s death, speculatIion has been rife that he blackmailed prominent figures involved with his heinous crimes.

It comes after the final footage of Jeffrey Epstein alive was finally released six years after his death.

There has been speculation and conspiracy theories that others were involved.

The Department of Justice (DoJ) announced this month that Epstein died by suicide – despite rife conspiracy theories to the contrary.

Source : https://www.the-sun.com/news/15030109/trump-never-inappropriate-ghislaine-maxwell-epstein-interview-transcript/

It was the eighth flight of a X-37B, which was designed for the US Air Force by Boeing. It is set to test laser communications and navigation without the use of GPS.

A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket launched Thursday night, carrying a classified US military spaceplane into orbit.

It was the eighth flight of an X-37B Orbital Test Vehicle. No one was on board the rocket, which launched from Cape Canaveral, Florida.

Space Force not disclosing length of mission

The X-37B, built by Boeing, is an uncrewed and autonomous spacecraft employed by the US military to test technology and conduct experiments in both high and low Earth orbits.

“These operational demonstrations and experiments comprise next-generation technologies, including laser communications and the highest-performing quantum inertial sensor ever tested in space,” the US Space Force said in July.

“Mission 8 will contribute to improving the resilience, efficiency and security of US space-based communications architectures,” it added.

Source : https://www.dw.com/en/space-x-successfully-launches-us-military-spaceplane/a-73729418

After a Chinese navy destroyer and coast guard vessel collided during an attempt to disrupt a Philippine resupply mission, both sides will likely dig their heels in and heat things up, says S Rajaratnam School of International Studies’ Collin Koh.

A seemingly standard, rather simple operation to foil a Philippine resupply run in the South China Sea on Aug 11 didn’t work out the way China would have expected.

The Philippine Coast Guard went about its routine Kadiwa mission to bring supplies to Filipino fisherfolk operating around the contested Scarborough Shoal, as a way of asserting the country’s sovereign rights in its exclusive economic zone. Beijing has exercised de facto control of the atoll since the standoff with Manila in April 2012, despite a 2016 ruling by an international arbitral tribunal in the Philippines’ favour.

But in a possible pincer move to expel the PCG vessel Suluan, the China Coast Guard cutter CCG3104 crashed headlong into the Chinese Type-052DL destroyer Guilin.

The navy destroyer was likely expected to adopt a blocking position right ahead of the Filipino ship to compel it to swerve, but might have been outmanoeuvred by the Suluan. Instead, the 7,500-tonne Guilin cut right behind the Suluan, while CCG3104 was still in hot pursuit.

The Chinese coast guard vessel’s bow appeared to be completely crushed by the impact, based on footage released by the Philippines. Whether there were casualties is still unknown, though maritime security expert Ray Powell posted on X that Chinese forces were conducting search-and-rescue operations at the site of the incident the day after, implying that there could have been Chinese personnel thrown overboard during the collision.

That notwithstanding, the Chinese coastguard statement and Ministry of Foreign Affairs’ regular press briefing on Aug 11 made no mention about the catastrophic collision. Direct comments came only four days later on Aug 15, criticising the Philippine vessels for “dangerous manoeuvring” but stopped short of confirming if any collision occurred.

BATTLE OF NARRATIVES

Beijing’s narrative has banged on the same old tiresome boilerplate: The Chinese forces conducted their operations to drive illegal vessels away in a “professional, standard, and lawful manner”.

If anything, this narrative was demolished by Manila’s timely public release of information about the collision, along with the video footage, even before the first statements transpired from Beijing.

This was part and parcel of the Philippines’ assertive transparency strategy adopted since February 2023, aimed at calling out Chinese coercive behaviour in the West Philippine Sea – what it calls the portion of the South China Sea it claims.

This strategy also allowed the Philippines to demonstrate the Suluan crew’s astute seamanship and even humanitarian spirit by offering help to their distressed Chinese counterparts, especially when contrasted with the fratricidal collision that appears to reflect poor seamanship.

And to top it off, Manila was able to show the world that Chinese forces’ dangerous and unprofessional actions at sea pose not only a danger to Filipinos but also to themselves.

Considering all these, Aug 11 marks a watershed for Manila’s efforts to assert its sovereign rights in the spirit of the 2016 South China Sea arbitral award. Though most resupply missions have been successful in the past, this Kadiwa mission’s success was significant given the more active role of the Chinese navy compared to the usual disruptions by the coast guard.

EXPECT WATERS TO HEAT UP

After this unprecedented and hugely embarrassing collision, Beijing is likely to try to reverse the loss of “face”.

China’s other South China Sea rival claimants might see the collision as reflecting tactical and operational weaknesses that could then be exploited for their advantage.

Rolling back what it is doing to the Philippines just because of this one collision would send the wrong signal to both domestic and international audiences about Beijing’s resolve to assert its claims in the disputed waters.

Therefore, while there is every reason to be jubilant about its accomplishment, Manila needs to be vigilant toward the potential of Beijing ramping up its aggressive posture in the West Philippine Sea. At the very least, the Philippines could expect Chinese forces to more forcefully interdict the Kadiwa runs, though possibly more prudently to avoid another collision.

The “wild card” scenario is for Beijing to impress upon Manila its full ability to escalate and dominate by simultaneously stepping up its maritime presence across the entire portion it disputes.

It won’t be simply just the Chinese digging their heels deeper; the Filipinos would be expected to keep up with what they are doing to assert the country’s sovereign rights.

According to a Pulse Asia survey in June, the Philippine public favours both diplomatic and military means (short of resorting to war) to press the country’s interests against Beijing’s invalidated claim. All these mean the waters could potentially turn hotter, even if both sides would still seek to avoid the unthinkable.

AN URGENT SOLUTION NEEDED TO AVOID MISHAPS

One should expect similar collisions to recur, amid the long-standing fear that more skirmishes at sea mean a higher risk of inadvertent use of kinetic force.

There is no guarantee an overzealous commander or operator on the ships could make a misjudgment or miscalculation. For now, the only common mechanism to avoid certain untoward mishaps would be the 1972 Convention on the International Regulations for Preventing Collisions at Sea (COLREGs).

But this is nothing more than just an operational solution. A strategic, political solution is urgently required.

For long, the 10 Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) member states and China have variously emphasised “practical security cooperation” such as joint fisheries management and environmental protection, paying less attention to the confidence- and security-building mechanisms that truly matter in governing the behaviour of rival forces in the disputed waters.

Yet there is no guarantee the Code of Conduct would transpire anytime soon, despite the promising rhetoric. And even a Code that eventually materialises may not fully address the issue.

What is left, as a long-term approach, is for each of the concerned parties in the South China Sea, whether resident littoral states or extra-regional actors, to ensure and enforce the professionalism of their uniformed personnel who typically operate in harm’s way.

Source : https://www.channelnewsasia.com/commentary/south-china-sea-philippines-collision-navy-coast-guard-tensions-5306226

Dutch Foreign Minister Caspar Veldkamp, part of a caretaker government, quit his cabinet post on Friday (Aug 22) ahead of schedule over the government’s position on Israel’s war in Gaza, he told reporters.

He said the government did not support additional measures against Israel over Gaza and plans for the occupied West Bank.

“I have felt pushback in the cabinet for additional measures,” he said, adding he would formally tender his resignation.

The Dutch government collapsed on June 3, and the caretaker minority government is expected to stay in place until a coalition government is formed after October elections, which may take months.

Israel has launched a military offensive aimed at seizing control of Gaza City, relocating civilians to the south, dismantling Hamas and creating pressure for hostage releases.

Earlier on Friday a global hunger monitor determined people in Gaza City and its surroundings were officially suffering from famine. Israel has dismissed the findings as false and biased.

Source : https://www.channelnewsasia.com/world/dutch-foreign-minister-quits-caretaker-government-over-gaza-5309981