Category: World

The anti-poverty charity Oxfam warns that growing inequality in Africa is hindering democracy. The four richest Africans have more wealth than half of the continent’s population.

The four most affluent Africans hold $57.4 billion (€48.9 billion) and are richer than approximately 50% of the continent’s 750 million inhabitants, according to a report released on Thursday by the anti-poverty organization Oxfam.

According to the report, Africa had no billionaires in 2000. Today, the continent has 23 billionaires whose combined wealth has soared by 56% in just the past five years, reaching a staggering $112.6 billion.

Furthermore, the top 5% of Africans possess nearly $4 trillion in wealth, which is over twice the total wealth of the rest of the continent combined.

The report also states that nearly half of the world’s 50 most unequal countries are in Africa.

In January, Oxfam reported that billionare wealth was growing faster than ever worlwide.

Policies are biased against the poor
Oxfam contended that government policies are biased against the poor and allow the continent’s super-rich to accumulate even more wealth.

“Most African countries are not fully leveraging progressive taxation to effectively tax the super-rich and address inequality,” the organization’s report said.

According to Oxfam, Africa’s tax systems are nearly three times less effective at redistributing income from the richest one percent than the global average.

Imposing an additional 1% tax on the wealth and 10% on the income of the richest 1% in Africa could raise $66 billion annually. This amount is more than enough to close the funding gaps for free, quality education and universal access to electricity, the report said.

The continent also loses an estimated $88.6 billion annually through illicit financial flows.

Source: https://www.dw.com/en/4-rich-africans-reportedly-wealthier-than-half-the-continent/a-73220927

But a source familiar with Hamas’ thinking said four days of talks in Doha did not produce any breakthroughs

HAMAS has said it will release 10 hostages amid ongoing efforts to reach a ceasefire deal for war-torn Gaza.

The Islamist terror group’s statement came after four days of indirect talks brokered by Qatar in a bid to bring peace for the distraught Gazans.

Both have spoken positively about the prospects, but there are reportedly a number of crucial sticking points

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has long argued that Hamas must be completely disarmed and expelled from Gaza.

In turn, Hamas wants guarantees that the war would not resume after any ceasefire – as happened earlier this year.

It comes just days after President Donald Trump signalled his belief that an agreement for a 60-day truce would be struck before the end of the week.

US special envoy Steve Witkoff said part of the deal would be the return of 10 living hostages held by militants since Hamas’s October 7 attack on Israel, which sparked the war.

Of 251 hostages seized during the assault on Israeli border communities near Gaza, 49 are still held in the territory, including 27, the Israeli military says are dead.

In its statement, Hamas said while key hurdles remained in the peace talks, they were ready to be flexible.

A statement read: “The movement [Hamas] displayed the required flexibility and agreed to release 10 prisoners [hostages].

“Despite the difficulty of negotiations over these issues until now due to the intransigence of the occupation, we continue to work seriously and with a positive spirit with the mediators to overcome the hurdles and end the suffering of our people and ensure their aspirations to freedom, safety and a dignified life.”

Israel earlier appeared to fall in behind Trump’s optimism for an end to the conflict.

As part of the proposed truce, Israel and Hamas would hold fire for 60 days, during which time some hostages would be freed and more aid would enter Gaza.

Hamas official Taher al-Nono said they were engaged in a “difficult round” of negotiations.

But a source familiar with Hamas’ thinking said four days of talks in Doha did not produce any breakthroughs on three main sticking points.

These are the free flow of aid into Gaza, withdrawal lines for Israeli forces and guarantees that negotiations would pave the way to a permanent ceasefire

Trump met Netanyahu on Tuesday for the second time in two days to discuss the situation in Gaza.

The Israeli boss said he believed an agreement was on the horizon.

“I think we’re getting closer to a deal,” he told FOX Business Network’s Mornings with Maria programme.

“There’s a good chance that we’ll have it.”

Israeli army chief Eyal Zamir said in a televised address that military action had prepared the ground for a deal that would bring home the Israeli hostages.

“We have achieved many significant results, we have caused great damage to the governance and military capabilities of Hamas.

“Thanks to the operational power that we have demonstrated, the conditions have been created to advance a deal to release the hostages.”

Foreign Minister Gideon Saar also said he thought a temporary deal was “achievable” and could even herald talks for a more lasting peace, while President Isaac Herzog talked of “a historic opportunity” for change.

Source: https://www.the-sun.com/news/14669366/hamas-agrees-ten-hostages-release-ceasefire-israel/

Malaysia’s Attorney-General’s Chambers (AGC) on Wednesday (Jul 9) confirmed for the first time the existence of a royal order that jailed ex-premier Najib Razak says would allow him to serve his prison sentence for corruption at home, local media reported.

Najib, who was prime minister between 2009 and 2018, was found guilty in 2020 of graft and money laundering linked to a multibillion-dollar scandal at state fund 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB).

In 2022, he was ordered to spend 12 years in prison for the crime, a sentence halved last year by a pardons board chaired by then-King Al-Sultan Abdullah.

Najib, who has consistently denied wrongdoing, contends that the pardons board decision was accompanied by an “addendum order” from the former monarch granting him house arrest, a document that he says authorities ignored.

Malaysia’s Court of Appeal in January allowed Najib’s bid to apply for a judicial review that would compel the government to confirm the existence of the addendum order, and to execute it if it exists.

The former king’s palace has said the document does exist, but Malaysian authorities including its law and home ministries have previously said they had no record or any knowledge of it.

However, a lawyer acting on behalf of the attorney-general said he did not dispute the existence of the addendum document, when questioned on the matter by a federal court judge on Wednesday, the New Straits Times daily reported.

Senior Federal Counsel Shamsul Bolhassan was reported as saying that the AGC was instead challenging the procedure through which the order was being submitted as evidence in Najib’s judicial review bid.

Source: https://www.channelnewsasia.com/asia/malaysia-najib-razak-royal-addendum-order-1mdb-5229061

Tom Brady and Sofia Vergara are enjoying the single life — with each other!

The retired NFL star and the bombshell “Modern Family” actress have been spending time together in Ibiza, Spain, and a source described the situation to Page Six as a “summer romance.”

It all started about a week ago on the Luminara superyacht — launched by the Ritz-Carlton Yacht Collection — with A-list guests including Martha Stewart, Naomi Campbell, Kendall Jenner, Kate Hudson, Colman Domingo and the flirtatious duo, among others.

The two-night luxury voyage set sail from Rome, Italy, and included drone shows and performances by Ellie Goulding, Sting and Janelle Monae.

Guests also included Patrick Schwarzenegger, Tessa Thompson, singer Anitta and Brady’s past supermodel fling, Irina Shayk, we’re told.

Brady and Vergara, however, were apparently googly-eyed over each other at one of the gala dinners aboard the yacht. The two were photographed sitting next to each other, and a source familiar with the situation told us their cozy-looking seating arrangement wasn’t happenstance.

“He asked to switch seats to sit next to her at dinner,” a source told Page Six.

We’re told Brady, 47, and Vergara, who turns 53 on Thursday, continued hanging out in Ibiza after the yacht trip.

Source: https://pagesix.com/2025/07/09/celebrity-news/tom-brady-sofia-vergara-having-summer-romance-in-spain/

South Korea’s former president has been rearrested over last year’s failed martial law bid that plunged the country into political turmoil.

Yoon Suk Yeol was impeached in April over the order, which saw military rule introduced for six-hours in December.

A senior judge at Seoul’s Central District Court issued an arrest warrant for Yoon on Wednesday, citing fears he could destroy evidence.

Yoon, who was the first sitting South Korean president to be arrested, faces trial on charges of leading an insurrection over his attempt to impose martial law.

During Wednesday’s seven-hour hearing, a special counsel team argued for the arrest warrant on five key charges, South Korean news agency Yonhap reported.

The charges include Yoon’s alleged violation of the rights of cabinet members by not inviting some of them to a meeting before he declared martial law.

Yoon initially attended the hearing alongside his lawyers to deny the charges, before being taken to Seoul Detention Center to await a decision on an arrest warrant.

He was first arrested in January following a lengthy stand-off, with investigators scaling barricades and cutting through barbed wire to take him into custody from his residence in central Seoul.

Yoon was released two months later after a court overturned his arrest on technical grounds, but still faces trial.

If found guilty, he could face life in prison or the death penalty.

Prosecutors have reportedly found evidence that Yoon ordered military drones to be flown over North Korea to provoke a reaction that would justify his martial law declaration, according to reports.

Other senior officials also face charges including insurrection and abuse of authority over the martial law declaration.

Insurrection is one of a small number of criminal charges from which South Korean presidents do not have immunity, but now Yoon is no longer president he is open to other criminal charges.

Source: https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cd97ez54dlyo

Ukraine’s capital Kyiv is again under a massive overnight Russian drone attack, local officials say, with at least two people reported killed and 13 injured, and fires burning across the city.

Authorities in Kyiv say drone wreckage hit the roof of a residential building in the central Shevchenkivskyi district.

Footage on social media, as yet unverified by the BBC, shows blasts in the night sky, as air defence units begin repelling the attack. Ukraine’s military has also warned of a threat of a ballistic missile attack.

Ukraine reported the biggest ever Russian aerial attack on Tuesday night, after 728 drones and 13 cruise or ballistic missiles struck cities around the country in multiple waves.

In the early hours of Thursday morning, Kyiv’s military administration reported Russian drone strikes in six city districts.

“Residential buildings, vehicles, warehouses, office and non-residential buildings are burning,” administration head Tymur Tkachenko said in a post on Telegram.

“Unfortunately, we have two dead,” he later said. “These people were killed by the Russians. This is a terrible loss”.

In Kyiv’s Podilsky district, a primary healthcare centre was “almost completely destroyed”, Mayor Vitaliy Klitschko said.

City residents have been urged to shelter until the air raid siren is lifted, and also close the windows when they return to their homes because there is a “lot of smoke” in Kyiv.

Overnight, Ukraine’s air force reported a threat of Russian drone attacks in a number of regions. It was not immediately clear whether there were any casualties outside Kyiv.

Russia’s military has not commented on the reported latest attack.

In other developments:

• Ukraine’s emergency service DSNS said late on Wednesday that three people had been killed in a Russian air strike in the town of Kostiantynivka – close to the front line in eastern Ukraine
• The US resumed sending some weapons to Ukraine, Reuters reported late on Wednesday, days after it halted shipments of some critical air defence arms

It comes after US President Donald Trump expressed growing frustration at the Russian President Vladimir Putin.

“We get a lot of bullshit thrown at us by Putin, if you want to know the truth,” Trump told reporters on Tuesday. “He’s very nice to us all the time, but it turns out to be meaningless.”

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Moscow was “pretty calm about this. Trump’s way of talking is generally quite harsh, the phrases he uses”.

The two leaders have been in regular contact but this has so far failed to translate into tangible steps towards a ceasefire in Ukraine – something Trump once said he would be able to achieve in a day.

Source: https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cj3rvpe06rxo

A California woman has received hundreds of huge Amazon packages she didn’t order after a cheap Chinese seller listed her San Jose home as its return address.

The woman — identified only as Kay — has been receiving the parcels for over a year now, and they’ve been arriving at such speed, she’s had no choice but to stack them up in her driveway to maintain some semblance of order.

The boxes are piled chest high in her yard, and have become so numerous she can no longer park her car there.

“It’s just been another form of hell,” Kay told ABC 7.

The culprit is a China-based Amazon seller called Liusandedian, which peddles faux leather car seat covers that apparently fit few of the models they’re designed for — so customers by the hundreds have been sending the junk products back.

But the unwanted seat covers haven’t been going back to wherever Liusandedian is in China — they’ve been going to Kay’s California driveway.

It started as just one package that Kay thought was a wrong delivery, but more boxes kept arriving over the following weeks. Weeks turned into months — which became over a year — with more and more parcels showing up at her steps until Kay’s stoop was buried in boxes.

“What you see now is a fraction, because I have refused delivery on more packages than you see here,” she said.

The package pandemonium has become such a problem that sometimes when she comes home, she can’t get her 88-year-old mother to the front door without first parting the sea of boxes blocking the entryway.

And Amazon offered her next to no help for months — with at least six different complaint tickets being filed to no avail, she said.

“Every time I was absolutely assured this will stop,” she told ABC 7. “‘You won’t get any more of these packages, you’ll hear from us in 24, 48 hours.”

The business once tried offering her a $100 gift card for her trouble — but she also claims they told her it was her job to get rid of the packages and suggested she donate them or ship them back to the sender.

“Why is it my responsibility to get rid of this, when your seller is not following your rules, Amazon?” she said, referring to a Liusandedian’s apparent violation of Amazon’s policies.

International sellers are required to either list a US address for returns, give buyers a pre-paid shipping label, or issue refunds without requiring anything be mailed back. If they fail to do so within two days of a return request, Amazon is allowed to refund the buyer and bill the seller.

Liusandedian — which, outside of its Amazon listings, is a ghost online — appears to have skirted around those rules by including a bogus address that turned out to be Kay’s address.

Source: https://nypost.com/2025/07/09/us-news/hundreds-of-huge-amazon-packages-arrive-at-calif-womans-doorstep-for-over-a-year-after-chinese-seller-lists-her-home-as-return-address/

Six members of the Secret Service have been suspended for failures related to last year’s assassination attempt against President Trump at a rally in Butler, Pa.

The suspensions for the six agents ranged from 10 to 42 days, and they won’t be paid while on leave, Secret Service Deputy Director Matt Quinn told CBS News on Wednesday.

The agents will not be fired, but upon return to work, they will be placed in roles with diminished operational responsibility.

“We aren’t going to fire our way out of this,” Quinn told the outlet. “We’re going to focus on the root cause and fix the deficiencies that put us in that situation.”

Trump was struck in the ear by one of the bullets fired by would-be assassin Thomas Matthew Crooks on July 13, 2024, during a campaign event at the Butler Farm Show grounds, leaving the then presumptive Republican nominee for president bloodied.

Firefighter Corey Comperatore was killed shielding his family from Crooks’ bullets, and two others were left with severe injuries before the 20-year-old gunman — positioned on an unguarded roof with a clear line of sight toward Trump — was taken out by a Secret Service sniper.

A scathing Senate report on the assassination attempt released in September determined that “multiple foreseeable and preventable planning and operational failures by [Secret Service] contributed” to Crooks’ ability to carry out the deadly shooting.

“These included unclear roles and responsibilities, insufficient coordination with state and local law enforcement, the lack of effective communications, and inoperable [Counter-Unmanned Aircraft] systems, among many others,” the damning report read.

Source: https://nypost.com/2025/07/09/us-news/secret-service-suspends-6-agents-assigned-to-protect-trump-during-butler-assassination-attempt/

Spanish authorities ordered more than 18,000 residents of the northeastern Tarragona province to remain indoors on Tuesday and several dozen were evacuated as a wildfire raged out of control, consuming almost 3,000 hectares (7,413 acres) of vegetation.
Large parts of Spain are on high alert for wildfires after the country experienced its hottest June on record. Two people died in a wildfire on July 1 in the region of Catalonia where Tarragona is located.

The latest fire broke out early on Monday in a remote area near the village of Pauls, where strong winds and rugged terrain have hampered firefighting efforts, authorities said. An emergency military unit was deployed early on Tuesday alongside more than 300 firefighters working in the area.
“Since midnight, firefighters have been battling the blaze with gusts of wind reaching up to 90 kilometres per hour (56 miles per hour),” Catalonia’s regional firefighting service said, adding that the strong Mistral wind was expected to ease by the afternoon.

Overnight, fire engines raced the winding roads of the Pauls Mountains, surrounded by flames, as crews assessed and tried to contain the blaze.

Source: https://www.reuters.com/sustainability/climate-energy/more-than-18000-people-lockdown-wildfire-rages-catalonia-2025-07-08/

The U.S. Supreme Court on Tuesday cleared the way for Donald Trump’s administration to pursue mass government job cuts and the sweeping downsizing of numerous agencies, a decision that could lead to tens of thousands of layoffs while dramatically reshaping the federal bureaucracy.
Tuesday’s ruling stemmed from an executive order Trump issued in February ordering agencies to prepare for mass layoffs. At Trump’s direction, the administration has come up with plans to reduce staff at the U.S. Departments of Agriculture, Commerce, Health and Human Services, State, Treasury, Veterans Affairs and more than a dozen other agencies.
In a brief unsigned order, the court said the Trump administration was “likely to succeed” in its argument that his directives were legally within his power.
The decision is the latest win for Trump’s broader efforts to consolidate power in the executive branch. The Supreme Court has sided with Trump in several cases on an emergency basis since he returned to office in January, including clearing the way for implementation of some of his hardline immigration policies.
The Supreme Court’s decision on Tuesday lifted San Francisco-based U.S. District Judge Susan Illston’s order in May that temporarily blocked large-scale federal layoffs while the case proceeded.

Illston had ruled that Trump exceeded his authority in ordering the government downsizing without consulting Congress, which created and funded the agencies in question.
“As history demonstrates, the president may broadly restructure federal agencies only when authorized by Congress,” Illston wrote.
While Tuesday’s decision cleared one major legal obstacle for the White House, the court noted that it was not assessing the legality of any specific layoff plans at federal agencies.
Those layoff proposals, some of which were submitted earlier this year, could still face legal challenges on a variety of grounds, including union opposition, statutory restrictions and civil service protections.
The White House said in a statement that the decision is a “definitive victory for the president and his administration” that reinforced Trump’s authority to implement “efficiency across the federal government.”

However, two White House sources familiar with the matter, who asked to remain unidentified, said the ruling did not permit agencies to execute layoffs immediately. One of the sources said additional delays or legal hurdles “could alter the scope and timing of the cuts.”
A group of unions, nonprofits and local governments that sued to block the administration’s mass layoffs said the ruling “dealt a serious blow to our democracy and puts services that the American people rely on in grave jeopardy” and vowed to continue fighting as the case proceeds.
The plaintiffs had warned in court filings that Trump’s plans, if allowed to proceed, would result in hundreds of thousands of layoffs.
A Reuters/Ipsos poll in April found that Americans narrowly favored Trump’s campaign to downsize the federal government, with about 56% saying they supported the effort and 40% opposed. Their views broke down along party lines, with 89% of Republicans but just 26% of Democrats supportive.

Some agencies whose downsizing plans had been put on hold said they would resume advancing those efforts.
“We will continue to move forward with our historic reorganization plan,” the State Department, which has proposed laying off nearly 2,000 employees, said on X.
DOGE CUTS
Upon taking office in January, Trump launched a massive campaign to cut the 2.3-million strong federal civilian workforce, led by billionaire Elon Musk and his Department of Government Efficiency.
Musk and his mostly young lieutenants immediately moved into key government agencies, fired workers, gained access to government computer systems and virtually shuttered two agencies – the U.S. Agency for International Development and the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau.
Trump and Musk said the bloated federal bureaucracy needed to be downsized. Federal workers’ unions and most Democrats say the cuts so far, and the plans for further mass layoffs, have been carried out haphazardly, leading to chaos inside many agencies and threatening important public services such as the processing of Social Security claims.
By late April, about 100 days into the effort, the government overhaul had resulted in the firing, resignations and early retirements of 260,000 civil servants, according to a Reuters tally.

Source: https://www.reuters.com/legal/litigation/us-supreme-court-lifts-order-that-blocked-trumps-mass-federal-layoffs-2025-07-08/

A SENTENCING date for Sean “Diddy” Combs has been set after the music mogul was convicted of two prostitution-related charges at his high-profile trial.

Combs, who was acquitted of racketeering conspiracy and sex trafficking charges, will be sentenced on October 3.

Combs faces a maximum 20-year prison sentence – 10 years for each count of transportation to engage in prostitution.

However, federal prosecutors have said they would seek a 5 to 3-year sentence.

The time Combs has already served in jail, which will be over a year by the time he’s sentenced, would be credited to the ultimate sentence the judge imposes.

Tuesday’s pre-sentencing hearing lasted seconds after Combs’ defense team initially sought to expedite his sentencing to September 22 in their initial letter to Judge Arun Subramanian.

However, minutes before the hearing was scheduled to start Marc Agnifilo filed a second letter to the judge saying the defense and prosecution had agreed to a October 3 date – the initial date set by Judge Subramanian.

As the 2 pm pre-sentencing hearing commenced, a courtroom deputy acknowledged Agnifilo’s letter and said the judge would rule on the motion in writing before adjourning the court.

It’s unclear why the defense abandoned its efforts to expedite Combs’ sentencing.

Combs will remain housed in the notorious Metropolitan Detention Center (MDC) in Brooklyn while he awaits sentencing.

SHOCKING VERDICT
A jury acquitted Combs of the most serious charges he faced – racketeering conspiracy and two counts of sex trafficking in regards to Cassandra “Cassie” Ventura and “Jane,” a pseudonym used for one of Combs’ ex-girlfriends.

The music executive fell to his knees in prayer after the jury foreperson read the stunning verdict to the courtroom on July 2.

Combs’ defense team delivered a post-verdict victory speech to reporters outside the US District Courthouse, calling the outcome a “great victory for the jury system.”

Agnifilo said the 12-person jury “got the situation right – or certainly, right enough.”

“We are not nearly done fighting. We’re not going to stop until he walks out of prison a free man to his family,” he added.

Teny Geragos, another of Combs attorneys, defended the mogul saying, “Sean Combs has not sexually assaulted anybody. I’ve been saying that for months. The media got it wrong.”

CLOSING ARGUMENTS
In their blistering closing arguments, prosecutors described Combs as the “leader of a criminal enterprise” who used his expansive “wealth, power, violence, and fear to get what he wanted.”

“He thought that his fame, wealth and power put him above the law,” Assistant US Attorney Christy Slavik said, adding, “It was his kingdom. Everyone was there to serve him.”

The core evidence of the prosecution’s case was the disturbing and graphic nature of the drug-fueled “freak-offs” that at times Combs allegedly coerced his ex-girlfriends to participate in with male escorts.

Slavik described to jurors how Combs forced his former lovers Ventura and “Jane” into participating in the punishing sex marathons and with the help of an inner circle of “loyal lieutenants” covered up the alleged crimes.

Ventura and Jane were sometimes required to perform the lewd acts, which were also called “hotel nights and wild king nights,” while they were hurting from urinary tract infections (UTIs), according to prosecutors.

On the other hand, Combs’ defense team slammed the prosecution’s case as an attack on “your bedroom” and one’s sex life.

Agnifilo summarized the seven-week trial as a “tale of two trials,” arguing one side is the one told by the evidence of the case, by witnesses, videos, and text messages, and the other was a “badly, badly, exaggerated” story told by prosecutors.

The defense attorney argued the sexual encounters involving Combs, Ventura, “Jane,” and male escorts were consensual, and called the “freak-offs,” which were sometimes video recorded, “homemade porn.”

Source: https://www.the-sun.com/entertainment/14658155/sean-diddy-combs-sentencing-date/

Terrifying footage shows billowing black smoke filling the air

THIS is the humiliating moment a hulking six-tonne Putin drone “guided by AI” crash landed on a Russian house during a test mission.

The Altius unmanned plane with a giant 94ft wingspan hit and destroyed a home on the outskirts of Kazan, southwest Russia after suffering a “navigation failure”.

The reconnaissance drone – with a range of 6,200 mile range – was on a test flight for possible use in Ukraine.

But it all went wrong when the AI system navigating the plane reportedly stopped working and the drone landed on a Russian civilian home instead.

Miraculously, no-one was hurt.

Terrifying footage shows the device travelling overhead before panning to the burning home.

Giant flames are pictured engulfing the scorched residence as locals watch with horror.

Billowing black smoke fills the air as charred debris and rubble covers the ground and surrounding trees.

Residents escaped injury as the long-range UAV smashed into their house, and then scrambled to put out the fire before the emergency services arrived.

Developers blamed “unidentified electronic warfare equipment” for the navigation failure which occurred just under a mile away from Kazan Gorbunov Aircraft Plant.

The drone can hold a precision-guided bomb or missile payload.

An eyewitness said: “At first, we didn’t even think it was a plane.

This type of monster drone has been in service with the Russian military since 2021 but there is no record of it so far being deployed in the war in Ukraine.

The failed drone attack comes as Russia increases its blitz on Ukraine, hammering the country with 1,000 drones and missiles every day.

Yesterday, was the second massive assault in the four days since Trump’s call with Putin, and represents a brazen defiance of the President’s peace agenda.

Moscow’s firepower capacity is constantly increasing and his forces have regularly broken the record for the largest daily volley of weapons in recent weeks.

On June 1, a 479-strong wave of drones and missiles became Russia’s largest unmanned aerial assault of the war.

June 9 saw that broken with 499, then again on June 29 with 537.

And finally, just last Friday, Putin terrorised Kyiv with a firestorm of 550 drones and missiles – just as he and Trump finished a phone call.

Source: https://www.the-sun.com/news/14655943/putin-ai-drone-crash-house/

Iran’s nuclear program was severely affected following American and Israeli strikes, but there’s no certainty on the location of Iran’s stockpile of highly enriched uranium, according to France’s intelligence chief.

Iran’s nuclear program was delayed by several months following American and Israeli strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities last month, according to France’s intelligence chief.

Speaking to France’s LCI broadcaster in his first remarks since the bombing raid, Nicolas Lerner, the head of DGSE intelligence service, said Tuesday that various stages of Iran’s nuclear program had been damaged.

“Our assessment today is that each of these stages has been very seriously affected, very seriously damaged,” he said. “The nuclear program, as we knew it, has been extremely delayed, probably many months,” he added.

Lerner also told the channel that a small part of Iran’s highly enriched uranium stockpile had been destroyed but the rest remained in the hands of authorities.

What else do we know about Iran’s uranium stockpile?
Iran had accumulated a stockpile of highly enriched uranium that, if processed further, could fuel around 10 bombs, according to an assessment by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) earlier this year.

“Today we have indications (on where it is), but we cannot say with certainty as long as the IAEA does not restart its work. It’s very important. We won’t have the capacity to trace it (the stocks),” Lerner said.

Other intelligence assessments have also suggested that Iran retains a hidden stockpile of enriched uranium and that it could rebuild its nuclear program.

Iran’s President Masoud Pezeshkian last week ordered the country to suspend its cooperation with the IAEA, limiting international inspectors from keeping tabs on the whereabouts of the country’s enriched uranium stockpile.

Source: https://www.dw.com/en/iran-nuclear-program-extremely-delayed-french-spy-chief/a-73205855

The US president accused Vladimir Putin of distracting Washington with “bulls**t” in talks over Ukraine. Meanwhile, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said he had urged officials to intensify contact with the US.

US President Donald Trump on Tuesday issued a sharp rebuke of Russian President Vladimir Putin after saying Washington would send Ukraine more weapons to help defend itself amid Russia’s continued invasion.

Moscow has ramped up attacks on Ukraine with almost daily drone and missile strikes across the country, all while the Trump administration had been pushing to bring an end to the war.

What exactly did Trump say?
Trump accused Putin of being disingenuous in his dealings with Washington, using an expletive that reflected his growing frustration.

“We get a lot of bulls**t thrown at us by Putin,” Trump said at the White House on Tuesday. “He’s very nice all the time, but it turns out to be meaningless.”

“Putin is not treating human beings right. He’s killing too many people,” Trump continued, as he explained his decision.

On Monday, the US president said more weapons would be sent because the Ukrainians “have to be able to defend themselves.”

“They’re getting hit very hard now,” he added. “We’re going to have to send more weapons, defensive weapons, primarily,” Trump said.

The US has been the largest contributor of military support for Ukraine and there had been concerns over the status of continued aid when Trump began his second term in office.

Trump has made a number of concessions to Moscow, and rolled back the vast amount of aid provided by his predecessor, Joe Biden.

Zelenskyy orders push for more US air defense supplies
On the back of Trump’s announcement about more weapons, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said he had ordered an expansion of contacts with the US to secure “critical deliveries” of military aid, especially air defense systems.

“Today, I instructed the minister of defence and the commander in chief to intensify all contacts with the American side,” Zelenskyy said in his nightly address on Tuesday.

The Ukrainian president said Kyiv now had the political backing it needed and must act fast to protect its people and frontline positions. He called the deliveries vital for saving lives and defending cities and villages.

Why is Trump sending more weapons to Ukraine?
Trump appears to have grown increasingly frustrated with Russian President Vladimir Putin and last week said there had been “no progress” to bring an end to Moscow’s continued invasion.

Following a call on Thursday with the Russian leader, Trump said he was “very disappointed with the conversation” and added “I don’t think he’s looking to stop [the war] and that’s too bad.”

It was the sixth publicly disclosed conversation between Trump and Putin since his return to the White House.

On Tuesday, the Kremlin said that sending arms to Ukraine prolonged the fighting.

“It is obvious of course that these actions probably do not align with attempts to promote a peaceful resolution,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov was quoted by Russian news agencies as saying in a briefing.

Peskov said that it would take time to determine the amounts and types of weapons the US would be supplying.

Source: https://www.dw.com/en/trump-blasts-putin-after-announcing-more-weapons-to-ukraine/a-73195650

40 years since a national campaign to minimise cash transactions was launched, how advanced is Singapore in that journey? CNA tries to use only cash for one week and go cash-free for another.

My experiment to use only cash for a week in June got off to a false start.

I had gone to Five Oars Coffee Roasters for a meeting, and though the shop only accepted contactless card payments, my drink was paid for by the organiser. I also paid cash for dinner and dessert that evening without a hitch.

All good, I thought, until I belatedly realised that I had taken a Grab to and from the meeting, and the rides were paid for using a credit card I had added to my ride-hailing accounts.

That’s how ingrained cashless payments have become in my life. I knew then that the cashless-only experiment would be much easier, but first, I had to dig into my stash of notes from Chinese New Year and get through a cash-only week.

Cashless options have become more mainstream in Singapore, especially after the COVID-19 pandemic accelerated the trend.

Some shops and food outlets have even gone fully cashless, but the country’s electronic payments journey started decades ago.

Back in 1985 – the year after the General Interbank Recurring Order (GIRO) was introduced – the government launched a national campaign to minimise cash transactions.

At the time, it was estimated that the government would save S$24.5 million in labour costs if cash transactions were minimised.

The campaign sought to encourage Singaporeans to receive their salaries via direct credit, pay their bills through GIRO and use the new Electronic Funds Transfer at Point of Sale (EFTPOS).

The implementation of the EFTPOS scheme, which allowed customers to pay for their purchases and bills with an ATM card instead of cash, was said to be the most challenging part of the campaign.

It was implemented by a company called Network for Electronic Transfers Singapore, better known as NETS.

The company remains a household name, and has adapted to offer contactless card, in-app and QR code payments that are often used today.

NO PAYLAH, NO PAYNOW, CASH ONLY
All these options, however, were off the table for my experiment. Over seven days, I used cash for every transaction possible – at cafes and shops, and even on public transport.

I planned to book a plane ticket that week, but delayed it in part because of my cash-only week.

The experiment made me feel a bit socially anxious. I knew that if a shop did not accept cash, I could just switch over to a cashless option, but for shops that did take cash, I envisioned myself counting coins or fiddling with my wallet and causing inconvenience while other customers breezed by with their contactless payments.

In the end, I failed to use cash just once, apart from on MRT rides, which have no cash option available.

On my first Grab ride during the experiment, I left home thinking I had S$12 (US$9) cash for an S$11.90 ride, and thought I would simply forfeit the 10 cents if the driver did not have any change on hand.

Instead, I discovered that I had a S$5 instead of a S$2 note. The driver, Mr P Ananthan, noticed that my ride was tagged “cash”, and wisely asked if I had small change. He then asked if I would prefer to use PayNow when I said I had S$15 in cash.

He told me that he only gets around one or two passengers a day who request to pay by cash, and among those who do, there are often young people in their 20s and 30s.

“They use cash to keep track of their spending,” said the 63-year-old.

When he first started driving for Grab seven years ago, more passengers used cash, he said. “Even foreigners are starting to pay by card now.”

Mr Ananthan said he does not mind cash or cashless, as long as the passengers pay.

But he added that some try to pay for their rides with S$50 or S$100 notes and expect him to have change. He sometimes stops by a petrol kiosk and asks the passengers to buy something to break the note into smaller denominations.

“The problem is (that) they won’t say. When they come in, they should ask me if I have change for S$50,” he said, adding that some passengers have told him that he ought to have change for them.

Change ended up being the most troublesome part of my experiment, and something that would likely have been less of a problem when cash was more widely used.

I also had to pay higher fares on buses when paying cash – S$1.90 versus S$1.19 for a short ride.

“Cash fares for buses have been higher than card fares since the 1990s, to reflect the higher cost of cash collection,” a Public Transport Council spokesperson said.

There were also some inconveniences, such as having to place my order at the counter instead of through a QR code at my table when eating out, and spending more time in a queue at Don Don Donki because the self-check out counters do not accept cash.

Only two cashiers manned counters at Don Don Donki, and the queue moved slowly enough that I started to wonder why other people in the queue were not able to use cashless options.

Some of them were tourists and were showing the cashier their passports, likely with questions about tax refunds.

The upside of having more free counters than cashiers, however, was that while I fumbled with my notes and coins, the cashier who served me did not have to wait for me to be done.

She simply moved to the neighbouring counter and called for the next customer.

ARE CASHLESS-ONLY SHOPS MORE COMMON?
At some Starbucks and Pastamania branches, cash is no longer accepted as a payment method. SushiExpress and sports brand Decathlon have gone fully cashless.

Under section 13(4) of the Currency Act, merchants can choose not to accept any or all notes and coins as long as they provide customers with a written notice.

“Vendors have the discretion to decide how they wish to receive payments, as the payment of goods and services is an agreement between a willing buyer and a willing seller,” the Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) said on its website.

The regulator added that merchants usually consider the value of the transaction, cost of acceptance, convenience to customers and medium of customer interaction. It would not make sense for an online business to accept cash, for example.

Decathlon said it decided to go fully cashless in June 2020 to provide customers with a faster, more convenient check-out process. It offers 15 payment options including credit and debit cards, GrabPay and EZ-Link cards.

Singapore CEO Stephan Veyret said there have been significant benefits to business since Decathlon went cashless.

“We’ve seen a notable improvement in operational efficiency and security, and this has allowed our teammates to focus their energy on what they do best: Interacting with customers and providing expert advice to support their sports journey,” he said.

But Mr Veyret acknowledged that there may be “rare instances” where people such as seniors, students or tourists are only able to make cash payments.

“Our team mates are trained to assist these customers directly to manage all payment methods including cash, if absolutely necessary,” he said.

Starbucks said that 39 of its stores in Singapore are fully cashless, while its other locations accept both cash and cashless payment.

The coffee chain has around 140 Singapore outlets listed on its website.

A spokesperson said the decision to transition some outlets to cashless-only was made in 2020, guided by “customer profiles and store-specific considerations”.

Starbucks said it is committed to meeting the needs of its customers and will evaluate further changes on a store-by-store basis.

“In particular, stores frequented by tourists or those with a higher likelihood of cash usage will continue to offer cash payment options,” the spokesperson said.

MAS said its vision of creating an e-payments society is centred around making payments between individuals “simple, swift, seamless and safe”.

A majority of Singaporeans may eventually use e-payments for daily transactions due to the convenience of it, the central bank’s spokerperson said.

“At the same time, a balanced approach recognises that some members of the community may still prefer or require cash options. MAS seeks to be inclusive to ensure that no one is left behind as we advance our e-payment capabilities.”

According to MAS data, e-payments doubled from S$627 billion in 2018 to S$1.25 trillion in 2023, and ATM withdrawals dropped by 10 per cent over the same period. More than 90 per cent of Singaporeans between the ages of 20 and 75 have also registered for PayNow.

“While e-payments adoption has grown over the years, most merchants in Singapore still accept cash. MAS’ aim is not to force a cashless society, but to enable individuals and businesses to enjoy the convenience and efficiency of e-payments.”

The spokesperson said MAS and the Singapore Payments Council engage small businesses and merchants to understand their needs and concerns regarding e-payments.

“EVOLUTIONARY RATHER THAN DISRUPTIVE”
An increasing number of shops and restaurants are going cashless, and it is likely that more and more businesses will go in the same direction, said Ms Lim May-Ann, director of multilateral relations, data policy and partnerships technology consultancy firm Access Partnership.

But anecdotally, she said there still seems to be a large number of businesses that accept cash.

“From a risk management perspective, more options rather than fewer will always mean greater business resilience and continuity in the event of an emergency and outage,” she said.

MAS said Singapore’s e-payments infrastructure is generally robust, but businesses must plan and prepare for contingencies.

“They can benefit from having alternative payment options, including cash, and not be over-reliant on a single e-payment provider for time-sensitive transactions,” the spokesperson said.

Singapore Computer Society (SCS) said cash is still accepted in most places. The spokesperson said MAS has made it clear that financial inclusion remains a key priority.

“Singapore’s approach is evolutionary rather than disruptive – giving consumers and businesses time to adapt at their own pace,” said the infocomm and digital media society, which has published articles on cashless trends.

On a visit to Parkway Parade, I checked out more than 50 shops – including food and beverage, tech appliance and clothing stores – and the vast majority accepted both cash and cashless payment.

At a nearby hawker centre, all 42 stalls that were open accepted at least cash and QR code payments.

Most heartland shops in the area allowed cash and cashless options, though some had minimum spending requirements for cashless payments.

One drycleaning shop had a sign that said it would only accept cash, and the elderly woman manning the store said her customers have no issues with paying cash.

Ms Lim of Access Partnership said older people who run businesses may not see the need to upskill in this area, while other businesses may not want to pay for the digital infrastructure needed to accept cashless payments.

“All my customers know that my stall only takes cash, especially the regulars, they always bring cash, even the children,” said wanton noodle and laksa hawker Ms Ng Siew Lian, who is nearly 70 years old.

“It’s good for them to handle cash, if not they might not know our first president,” she said with a laugh in Mandarin.

Source: https://www.channelnewsasia.com/singapore/cashless-cash-only-paynow-digital-payments-5220521

President Donald Trump said on Tuesday (Jul 8) that he would not extend an Aug 1 deadline for higher US tariffs to take effect on dozens of economies, a day after he appeared to signal flexibility on the date.

While Trump imposed a sweeping 10 per cent tariff on goods from almost all trading partners in April, higher rates customised to dozens of economies were unveiled, then halted until Jul 9.

But the president this week again delayed their reimposition, pushing it back to Aug 1.

Trump insisted that there would be no further delay in the tariffs. “There will be no change,” he posted on Truth Social.

He added that levies would start being paid on Aug 1, in line with letters now being sent out to trading partners.

“No extensions will be granted,” Trump said.

On Monday night, Trump had told reporters at a dinner that the Aug 1 deadline was “firm, but not 100 per cent firm.”

Pressed on whether the letters were his final offer, Trump replied: “I would say final – but if they call with a different offer, and I like it, then we’ll do it.”

In a push for further trade deals, Trump sent letters to more than a dozen partners on Monday, including key US allies Japan and South Korea.

Products from both countries would be hit with 25 per cent duties, Trump wrote in near-identical letters to leaders in Tokyo and Seoul.

Indonesia, Bangladesh, Thailand, South Africa and Malaysia were among other countries facing duties ranging from 25 per cent to 40 per cent.

In his messages to foreign leaders, Trump warned of further escalation if there was retaliation against his levies.

Most countries receiving the letters so far saw US tariffs at similar or unchanged rates from those threatened in April, although some like Laos and Cambodia saw notably lower levels.

The Trump administration is under pressure to show results after promising a flurry of deals following the US president’s tariff threats.

So far Washington has only struck two pacts, with Britain and Vietnam, besides an agreement to dial back staggeringly high tit-for-tat levies with China.

In threatening tariff hikes on various economies, Trump cited in his letters a lack of reciprocity in trading ties.

He also warned that goods transshipped to avoid higher duties would be subjected to steeper levels.

But he added that if countries were willing to adjust their trade policies, Washington “will, perhaps, consider an adjustment to this letter”.

He said in the letters that tariffs could be modified “upward or downward, depending on our relationship with your Country”.

Source: https://www.channelnewsasia.com/world/trump-says-no-extensions-aug-1-tariff-deadline-5227271

Kelly Clarkson cancelled her Las Vegas residency minutes before showtime on July 4 over vocal issues – but she also faces “hidden battles,” sources tell Page Six.

The singer and TV host axed the opening night of her “Studio Sessions” residency at The Colosseum at Caesars Palace just 90 minutes before showtime last Friday, devastating fans.

Clarkson, 43, said she could not risk causing “serious damage” to her voice, as one Vegas insider told us, “She belts out every single note. She’s an incredibly powerful singer, but it takes its toll on her vocal cords and she’s come incredibly close to needing surgery before.

“She cannot risk damaging her cords further – she’s on thin ice.”

Back in March, Clarkson, 43, missed 10 episodes of her NBC talk show, with her spot being filled by guest hosts – and was absent again the following month when Andy Cohen stepped in to host. Both times she cited personal matters as her reason for taking off.

Clarkson has been open about the toll her turbulent divorce from Brandon Blackstock, father of their kids, daughter River Rose, 10, and son Remy, 8, took on her.

A second insider in the know added, “Kelly’s personal life is so insanely complicated…Kelly is fighting some serious hidden battles that very few people are privy to …it’s a source of emotional and therefore physical distress for her.”

Clarkson has been candid about just how much the 2020 split after seven years of marriage and the ensuing legal battle took out of her, telling Apple Music in 2023, “Just to be brutally honest, I did not handle [the divorce] well.”

Page Six has reached out to Clarkson’s rep for comment.

After canceling the first weekend, Clarkson is expected to kick off the residency this Friday.

In an emotional note, she said she wanted to create the “most intimate and extraordinary experience” for her “incredible fans.”

However, she noted, “The prep and rehearsals have taken a toll on my voice.

The “Stronger” singer added, “I am beyond grateful that you always show up for me and I am devastated to have to postpone.”

Clarkson reassured her fans that the career-spanning show is “incredible” and concluded, “I can’t wait to be back next weekend and show y’all what we’ve been working on.”

Source: https://pagesix.com/2025/07/08/celebrity-news/kelly-clarksons-hidden-battles-contributed-to-show-cancellations/

French President Emmanuel Macron and his wife, Brigitte Macron, have had yet another awkward public encounter less than two months after their infamous shoving scuffle made headlines.

The French president, 47, and his first lady, 72, arrived in the UK Tuesday for a three-day state visit.

Cameras were rolling as they deplaned a jet at Royal Air Force Northolt in London, capturing Brigitte leaving her husband hanging as he held out his hand to help her walk down the plane’s steps.

Emmanuel’s suit-clad arm was extended for several moments, but the first lady appeared more focused on holding onto the railing. She did, however, appear to eventually acknowledge her spouse’s kind gesture, exchanging a few short words with him once she stepped down and offering him a nice smile.

Prince William was present for the arrival, and was seen shaking Emmanuel’s hand shortly after. The British royal was accompanied by his wife, Kate Middleton, for the greeting.

Reps for the French president could not immediately be reached for comment.

PARENTS who dropped off their little girls at the beloved Christian Camp Mystic in central Texas received a heartwrenching note just three days later, one devastated parent has revealed.

The nearly century-old summer camp was right in the path of the swelling Guadalupe River when deadly rains dumped on the region in the early hours of July 4.

So far in the days following the tragedy, 108 bodies have been pulled from the soggy wasteland, and dozens of people are still missing.

State legislators across the US are sending crews to help with the grim search, and local leaders have vowed not to stop the mission until every person is accounted for.

Some of the most tragic disappearances among the lost are young campers who were staying at the institution in Hunt, outside San Antonio.

Longtime camp owners Dick and Tweety Eastland welcomed about 750 girls just the same as the 98 years prior in the days leading up to the tragedy.

Christy Colby Heno, a chaperone who went to the camp for 12 years, remembers feeling the excitement in the air when she dropped off her own daughters on June 30.

She said that she caught to catch up with the Eastlands as she ate turkey wraps, fruit salad, and tater tots alongside all of the buzzing girls.

“It was just like every other camp drop-off,” she told the Wall Street Journal.

But just days later, Heno was horrified to receive an eerie note from the camp after the storms passed through.

“If your daughter is not accounted for you have been notified,” read part of the letter.

“If you have not been personally contacted then your daughter is accounted for.

“Please continue to pray.”

CAMP DEVASTATION
Heartwrenching pictures show the sheer devastation brought on by the rushing floods.

Cabins that were once filled with giggling campers have now been left in shambles, with bunk beds askew on the ground and belongings abandoned by girls.

Nearly every surface at the camp is covered in layers of dirt and grime after the Guadalupe River swelled a whopping 30 feet and rushed water through the property.

The Bubble Inn cabin sat just 500 feet from the river, and every young girl and counselor inside has been found dead or is still missing.

The night of the storms, camp director Dick died trying to rush in and save the little girls.

Two of the victims staying in the cabin, 13 and 11-year-old sisters Blair and Brooke Harber, were found 15 miles downstream “with their hands locked together.”

Source: https://www.the-sun.com/news/14657181/camp-mystic-note-victims-missing-texas-floods/

Some 16 people have been killed at the annual festival

A MAN has been gored by a 1,260lb beast at the notorious Pamplona bull run festival as eight others were injured in the stampede.

The injuries are the latest to hit the northern Spanish region, with almost 300 incidents recorded each year from the death-defying event.

After little more than two minutes, six men were rushed to hospital when two bulls became detached from the rest of the group.

One man, who was gored under his armpit, remains under observation.

“At this time, he is under observation but is in stable condition,” a medic confirmed.

Up to 4,000 runners take part in each bull run, which takes place over almost 850 metres and can last up to four minutes.

One of the bulls, Zalagarda, is this year’s heaviest beast and weighs a staggering 610kg – or 96 stone.

The run was the first of nine and followed a bustling opening ceremony in the northern Spanish town.

The Chupinazo festivities see thousands of revellers – dressed in traditional red and white garms – come together and drink sangria to mark the start of the San Fermin event.

DEADLY SPORT
Some 16 people have been killed at the annual festival, which was made famous by the 1926 Ernest Hemingway novel ‘The Sun Also Rises’.

Several foreigners, from Australians to Americans through to Brits and Irish, are normally among the injured.

The most recent death at the Pamplona event was in 2009 when 27-year-old Daniel Jimeno, from Madrid, was gored in the neck by a bull called Capuchino.

Elsewhere, a man was gored to death during a bull-running festival in El Casar, Spain.

His death was described by the local council as “an unfortunate accident” while animal rights campaigners condemned the event, calling it a waste of the town’s resources and “traumatic” for children.

The 20-year-old was gored in a bullring at the countryside festival and sustained injuries to his lung.

The unnamed victim later died on Monday at La Paz University Hospital in Madrid.

That same year, another man, 51, died in a bull run event held in nearby Mesones when he slipped on a fence while trying to escape from the bulls.

The Animal Defence Association of El Casar hit out against the events.

A spokesman said: “Beyond the legal issues, these incidents generate expenses and consequences that affect all citizens, even those who oppose these events.

“The pain for this new victim is deep and part of our fight consists of preventing tragedies like this from continuing to occur.”

The association added: “Is this the best way to invest our resources and enjoy our leisure time?

“This kind of event not only puts people and animals at risk but also exposes children to traumatic situations that can shape their perception of the world.

“The well-being of people and respect for animals must be priorities in modern society and it is our responsibility to rethink whether these events reflect the values ​​we want to promote.”

The campaigners are pressing for “safer, more educational entertainment that encourages the healthy enjoyment of free time, without risk to the physical or moral integrity of our community.”

Source: https://www.the-sun.com/news/14651510/man-gored-bull-pamplona/

Donald Trump and Benjamin Netanyahu met for the second time in 24 hours Tuesday (Jul 8) as the US president intensified the pressure on the Israeli prime minister to reach a deal to end the “tragedy” of the war in Gaza.

Netanyahu’s return to the White House for fresh talks came after Qatari mediators warned it would take time to seal an elusive ceasefire between Israel and Hamas at talks in Doha.

“It’s a tragedy, and he wants to get it solved, and I want to get it solved, and I think the other side wants to,” Trump told reporters as he announced that Netanyahu was coming back.

Trump’s special envoy Steve Witkoff said he hoped for an agreement within days.

“We are hopeful that by end of this week we will have an agreement that will bring us into a 60-day ceasefire,” Witkoff said.

The deal would include the return of 10 live hostages held by Palestinian militant groups since Hamas’s October 2023 attack on Israel, and nine dead hostages, Witkoff added.

The Israeli leader, who had dinner with Trump on Monday evening, arrived back at the White House for talks that were being held without any media access.

Asked earlier as he met US House speaker Mike Johnson if a ceasefire announcement was imminent, Netanyahu replied: “We’re certainly working on it.”

“NEED TIME”
Trump has kept up strong US support for Israel, especially over the recent Iran-Israel war, but has also been stepping up the pressure to end what he calls the “hell” in Gaza.

Qatar, however, said Tuesday more time was needed for negotiations for a breakthrough between Israel and Hamas, as indirect negotiations extended into a third day in Doha.

“I don’t think that I can give any timeline at the moment, but I can say right now that we will need time for this,” Qatar’s foreign ministry spokesman Majed Al-Ansari said.

Qatar, a mediator along with the United States and Egypt, said the meetings in Doha were focused on a framework for the talks, while a Palestinian official close to the negotiations said no breakthrough had been achieved so far.

Hostilities, meanwhile, continued on the ground.

Gaza’s civil defence reported 29 killed in Israeli strikes on Tuesday, including three children.

Five Israeli soldiers were killed in combat in northern Gaza – one of the deadliest days this year for Israeli forces in the Palestinian territory.

Netanyahu described the soldiers’ deaths as a “difficult morning”.

They were reportedly killed by improvised explosive devices near Beit Hanun in northern Gaza.

And Lebanon said three people were killed Tuesday in a strike near Tripoli that the Israeli military said targeted a Hamas militant, the first in the area since a November ceasefire with Hezbollah.

“TORN TO SHREDS”
Trump has been trying to seize on the momentum from the recent ceasefire between Iran and Israel, which was precipitated by US airstrikes on Tehran’s nuclear program.

France’s foreign intelligence chief said Tuesday that the program has been “very, very delayed” by US and Israeli strikes, wading into a contentious debate over just how hard it was hit.

Israel and Hamas began the latest round of negotiations on Sunday, with representatives seated in separate rooms within the same building.

Source: https://www.channelnewsasia.com/world/trump-says-pharmaceutical-tariffs-could-reach-200-5228401

Thailand’s Cabinet on Tuesday (Jul 8) dropped a Bill to legalise casino gambling, a flagship project of the faltering ruling party, which last week saw its prime minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra suspended from office.

The so-called “entertainment complex” Bill was a key plank for the Pheu Thai party, aiming to legalise casinos and boost the nation’s spluttering economy by making it a regional gambling hub.

Most forms of betting are illegal in Thailand and Pheu Thai argued the Bill would end a thriving underground gambling industry by admitting it into the mainstream.

However, the party has only a razor-thin parliamentary majority after being abandoned by coalition partners over a scandal which saw the premier suspended.

The Cabinet has withdrawn the Bill because it “needs more studies that require further understanding and social context”, government spokesperson Jirayu Huangsab said in a statement.

Julapun Amornvivat, deputy finance minister, said they “accept it’s not the appropriate time”.

“It’s a shame, the delay is a lost opportunity for the country,” he told media.

Source: https://www.channelnewsasia.com/asia/thailand-drops-casino-legalisation-plans-pm-paetongtarn-shinawatra-suspended-5226466

Hundreds of rescuers on Tuesday (Jul 8) continued their search for people swept away by catastrophic floods in Texas that killed more than 100 people, officials said, amid threats of more heavy rain.

As of Tuesday morning, authorities in the worst-hit Kerr County had recovered the bodies of 87 victims, Sheriff Larry Leitha told reporters.

The deceased include at least 27 girls and counsellors who were staying at a youth summer camp on the Guadalupe River over the Fourth of July holiday weekend.

“At present, five Camp Mystic campers and one counsellor still remain unaccounted for,” Leitha added.

At least 108 flood-related deaths were reported across central Texas, according to local officials.

More than 160 people are still listed as missing in Texas, the state’s governor said Tuesday.

“Just in the Kerr county area alone, there are 161 people who are known to be missing,” Governor Greg Abbott told reporters.

He added that the figure was based on people reported as unaccounted for by friends, relatives and neighbours.

During a Cabinet meeting, President Donald Trump said he would travel to Texas with First Lady Melania Trump on Friday, and credited his strong ties with the state’s Republican governor as having helped the rescue effort.

“We brought in a lot of helicopters from all over … They were real pros, and they were responsible for pulling out a lot of people. And we got them there fast, and Texas had some good ones too, but the response has been incredible,” Trump said.

Trump, who previously said that disaster relief should be handled at the state level, earlier this week signed a major disaster declaration, activating fresh federal funds and freeing up resources.

“EXTREMELY TREACHEROUS”
Ben Baker with the Texas Game Wardens said search and rescue efforts involving helicopters, drones and dogs were extremely difficult because of the water and mud.

“When we’re trying to make these recoveries, these large piles can be very obstructive, and to get in deep into these piles, it’s very hazardous,” Baker said.

“It’s extremely treacherous, time-consuming. It’s dirty work, the water is still there.”

He added that special attention was being paid to the first responders’ mental state, particularly given that the bodies of children were being recovered.

In the town of Hunt, the epicenter of the disaster, an AFP team saw recovery workers combing through piles of debris with helicopters flying overhead, as hopes dimmed for finding any survivors.

Javier Torres, 24, was digging through mud as he searched for the body of his grandmother, after having located the remains of his grandfather.

He also discovered the bodies of two children, apparently washed up by the river.

Officials warned that with more heavy rain forecast, recovery efforts would be rendered even more difficult.

“We’ve had some reports of maybe some additional water coming in, obviously, that’s going to impact the search and recovery efforts,” said Baker.

He said the weather may impact aerial patrol patterns, but “it won’t deter them”.

Source: https://www.channelnewsasia.com/world/death-toll-texas-floods-climbs-108-more-rain-expected-5227831

Hailey Bieber may now be a billionaire, but you needn’t be to bag her favorite luggage.

Shay Mitchell’s Béis brand is deeply discounted during the Nordstrom Anniversary Sale — including the Expandable Carry-On Roller Bieber raved about in 2023.

“It’s the best suitcase in the world,” she gushed on Instagram at the time, showing off both her carry-on and a matching larger Check-In Roller.

Béis 22-Inch Expandable Carry-On Roller

“The only one I travel with,” the Rhode founder continued, saying the brand has the “smoothest wheels and is “functional and oh so chic.”

Nordstrom’s glossy lavender version offers 360-degree swivel, a telescoping handle and even a retractable strap that lets you attach another bag to the roller.

If the only traveling you’re doing this summer is commuting to the office and back, there’s also a great deal on the Commuter Duffle Bag, which comes equipped with multiple zip pockets and a padded laptop sleeve.

Béis The Commuter Duffle Bag

The Commuter Backpack is on sale, too, and — like most Béis designs — features a slew of strategically placed inner and outer pockets.

“The best news is that our bags are designed for the maximalist … compression-strap, unzip and pocket your way to fitting it all,” Mitchell told us in 2023, admitting she brings a checked bag on every trip. (“I plead the fifth,” she replied, when asked long she could last with just a carry-on.)

Béis The Commuter Backpack

Nordstrom’s deals are currently only open to Ambassador cardholders, but they’ll be available for Icon and Influencer cardholders on July 10 and 11, respectively, before opening to everyone on July 12.

Source: https://pagesix.com/2025/07/08/style/the-best-beis-luggage-deals-from-the-nordstrom-anniversary-sale/

The first malaria treatment suitable for babies and very young children has been approved for use.

It’s expected to be rolled out in African countries within weeks.

Until now there have been no approved malaria drugs specifically for babies.

Instead they have been treated with versions formulated for older children which presents a risk of overdose.

Half a million deaths in 2023
In 2023 – the year for which the most recent figures are available – malaria was linked to around 597,000 deaths.

Almost all of the deaths were in Africa, and around three quarters of them were children under five years old.

Malaria treatments for children do exist but until now, there was none specifically for the very youngest babies and small children, who weigh less than 4.5kg or around 10lb.

Instead they have been treated with drugs designed for older children.

But that presents risks, as doses for these older children may not be safe for babies, whose liver functions are still developing and whose bodies process medicines differently.

Experts say this has led to what is described as a “treatment gap”.

Now a new medicine, developed by the drug company Novartis, has been approved by the Swiss authorities and is likely to be rolled out in regions and countries with the highest rates of malaria within weeks.

Novartis is planning to introduce it on a largely not-for-profit basis.

The smallest and most vulnerable
The company’s chief executive, Vas Narasimhan, says this is an important moment.

“For more than three decades, we have stayed the course in the fight against malaria, working relentlessly to deliver scientific breakthroughs where they are needed most.

“Together with our partners, we are proud to have gone further to develop the first clinically proven malaria treatment for newborns and young babies, ensuring even the smallest and most vulnerable can finally receive the care they deserve.”

The drug, known as Coartem Baby or Riamet Baby in some countries, was developed by Novartis in collaboration with the Medicines for Malaria Venture (MMV), a Swiss-based not-for-profit organisation initially backed by the British, Swiss and Dutch Governments, as well as the World Bank and the Rockefeller Foundation.

Eight African nations also took part in the assessment and trials of the drug and they are expected to be among the first to access it.

Martin Fitchet, CEO of MMV, says this is another important step on the road towards ending the huge toll taken by malaria.

“Malaria is one of the world’s deadliest diseases, particularly among children. But with the right resources and focus, it can be eliminated.

“The approval of Coartem Baby provides a necessary medicine with an optimised dose to treat an otherwise neglected group of patients and offers a valuable addition to the antimalarial toolbox.”

Dr Marvelle Brown, associate professor at the University of Hertfordshire’s School of Health, Medicine and Life Sciences, says this should be seen as a major breakthrough in saving the lives of babies and young children.

Source: https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c89e872jdjxo

Amid tensions between China and US over tariffs, Beijing lashed out at Washington accusing it of backing Tibetan separatism after Secretary of State Marco Rubio praised the Dalai Lama on his 90th birthday.

China has unleashed a fresh wave of criticism against the United States, this time not just over tariffs but also over the Dalai Lama, signaling growing tensions on both economic and ideological fronts.

According to a Reuters report, Beijing is fuming over remarks made by US Secretary of State Marco Rubio during the 90th birthday celebrations of the Dalai Lama. Marco Rubio had praised the Tibetan spiritual leader for inspiring “unity, peace, and compassion” and reiterated support for the Tibetan people’s right to preserve their cultural and religious identity, including the freedom to choose their own spiritual leaders.

That didn’t sit well with China.

American political history is littered with the wrecks of challengers who thought they could break the two-party system, says an academic.

To paraphrase a very old joke, how do you make a small fortune in America? Start with a large fortune and fund a third political party. American political history is littered with the wrecks of challengers who thought they could break the two-party system and failed.

This makes Elon Musk’s launch of his own new political party as an act of defiance following his falling out with US President Donald Trump even more intriguing.

What do we mean by a two-party system though? Since the 1860s, the Democrats and Republicans have dominated the US political landscape, holding the presidency, Congress and the vast majority of elected positions. Attempts at third parties have usually floundered at the ballot box.

Some have lasted only for a few electoral cycles, including the Progressive Party in the 1910s and the Citizens Party of the 1980s, while others like the Libertarian Party and Green Party have lasted decades and, in some cases, managed some electoral success at the local level.

But this is where an important distinction has to be made between third parties and third-party candidates. Because the US system is so personality-driven rather than party focused compared to Europe, quite often third parties have been built around a single person.

A good example is the previously mentioned Progressive Party. It was founded in 1912 by former president Theodore Roosevelt after he split from the Republicans. Without him it quickly faded away.

The Reform Party was created by billionaire Ross Perot in 1995 after he managed to get 18.9 per cent of the vote in the 1992 presidential election. While it continued without him for some years, it was a shell of its former self.

Other parties like the Socialist, Libertarian and Green parties have sprung from more organic movements and thus have been more successful at a local or state level.

When you look at recent polling though, it seems strange that the two parties continue to dominate. Public dissatisfaction with politics as usual seems at an all-time high.

In a recent Pew Research poll when asked whether “I often wish there were more political parties to choose from” describes their views, 37 per cent of respondents answered: “Very well” and 31 per cent answered: “Somewhat well”.

In another poll, 25 per cent of respondents said that neither of the two main parties represented their interests.

So if there is an appetite for some sort of change, why have so few challengers succeeded? The two main parties seem entrenched to the point where it resembles a cartel.

ODDS STACKED AGAINST THIRD-PARTY INSURGENCY
The first and arguably most important reason is the electoral system. First past the post does not guarantee a two-party system (look at Britain, for instance).

But political scientist Maurice Duverger argued that it does mean that the two main parties have a significant advantage. There are prizes for coming first and second, nothing for third place.

Equally, many of the big prizes in American politics such as the presidency and state governorships are indivisible and cannot be shared. So it has become received wisdom that voting for anyone other than Democrats or Republicans is a wasted vote.

In these cases, people either vote for what they perceive to be the lesser of two evils or stay at home, rather than voting for a candidate with no chance or that they may not support.

The other multi-billion-dollar elephant in the room is money. The sheer cost of running for elections in recent years means that any third party is unlikely to be able to raise the funds to be truly competitive. At the last election, the Democrats and Republicans spent hundreds of millions of dollars (which isn’t even counting all of the super-PAC money spent on their behalf).

Whenever billionaires like Perot have attempted to self-fund a party, they have left themselves open to the accusation that it’s a vanity project or lacks true mass appeal.

Source: https://www.channelnewsasia.com/commentary/elon-musk-america-party-third-independent-candidate-us-politics-5224506

Dozens of residents have evacuated remote islands in southern Japan that have been shaken by nearly 1,600 quakes in recent weeks, the local mayor said Monday (Jul 7).

There has been no major physical damage on hardest-hit Akuseki island, even after a 5.1-magnitude quake that struck overnight, said Genichiro Kubo, who is based on another island.

But the almost non-stop jolts since Jun 21 have caused severe stress to area residents, many of whom have been deprived of sleep.

Of the 89 residents of Akuseki, 44 had evacuated to the regional hub of Kagoshima by Sunday, while 15 others also left another island nearby, Kubo told a news conference.

The municipality, which comprises seven inhabited and five uninhabited islands, is roughly 11 hours away on a ferry from Kagoshima.

Since Jun 21, the area has experienced as of early Monday what seismologists refer to as a swarm of 1,582 quakes.

Experts have said they believe an underwater volcano and flows of magma might be the cause. They say they cannot predict how long the tremors will continue.

“We cannot foresee what might happen in the future. We cannot see when this will end,” mayor Kubo told reporters.

A similar period of intense seismic activity in the area occurred in September 2023, when 346 earthquakes were recorded, according to the Japan Meteorological Agency.

Japan is one of the world’s most seismically active countries, sitting on top of four major tectonic plates along the western edge of the Pacific “Ring of Fire”.

Source: https://www.channelnewsasia.com/east-asia/japan-earthquakes-southern-islands-akuseki-dozens-leave-after-nearly-1600-jolts-5224061

Declining birth rates are a global trend, but there is often an ideological dimension to pronatalism, says this Aberystwyth University international politics lecturer.

ABERYSTWYTH, United Kingdom: In some parts of Russia, schoolgirls who become pregnant are being paid more than 100,000 roubles (about US$1,270) for giving birth and raising their babies.

This new measure, introduced in the past few months across 10 regions, is part of Russia’s new demographic strategy, widening the policy adopted in March which only applied to adult women. It is designed to address the dramatic decline in the country’s birthrate.

In 2023, the number of births in Russia per woman was 1.41 – substantially below 2.05, which is the level required to maintain a population at its current size.

Paying teenage girls to have babies while they are still in school is controversial in Russia. According to a recent survey by the Russian Public Opinion Research Centre, 43 per cent of Russians approve of the policy, while 40 per cent are opposed to it. But it indicates the high priority that the state places on increasing the number of children being born.

Russia’s President Vladimir Putin regards a large population as one of the markers of a flourishing great power, along with control over a vast (and growing) territory and a powerful military. Paradoxically, though, his efforts to increase the physical size of Russia by attacking Ukraine and illegally annexing its territory have also been disastrous in terms of shrinking Russia’s population.

The number of Russian soldiers killed in the war has reached 250,000 by some estimates, while the war sparked an exodus of hundreds of thousands of some of the most highly educated Russians. Many of them are young men fleeing military service who could have been fathers to the next generation of Russian citizens.

But while Russia’s demographic situation is extreme, declining birth rates are now a global trend. It is estimated that by 2050 more than three-quarters of the world’s countries will have such low fertility rates that they will not be able to sustain their populations.

IT’S NOT ONLY RUSSIA
Putin is not the only world leader to introduce policies designed to encourage women to have more babies. Viktor Orban’s government in Hungary is offering a range of incentives, such as generous tax breaks and subsidised mortgages, to those who have three or more children.

Poland makes a monthly payment of 500 złoty (about US$140) per child to families with two or more children. But there’s some evidence this has not prompted higher-income Polish women to have more children, as they might have to sacrifice higher earnings and career advancement to have another child.

In the United States, Donald Trump is proposing to pay women US$5,000 to have a baby, tied to a wider MAGA movement push, supported by Elon Musk and others, to encourage women to have larger families.

Source: https://www.channelnewsasia.com/commentary/birth-rates-population-russia-pay-pregnant-maga-trad-wife-5224531

Border controls are creeping back across Europe, known as a free-travel zone. But are they solving anything?

When Poland introduced border checks with Germany and Lithuania this week, it wasn’t the first time that a Schengen country took such a step. These measures are typically justified as necessary to curb irregular migration, combat human smuggling, or address national security concerns. But for many analysts, it may be one of the clearest signs yet that the European Union’s borderless travel area, seen as a symbol of integration and common identity, is under increasing strain.

According to Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk, the controls are temporary and aimed at stopping human trafficking and irregular migration. Yet the move comes just weeks after Germany itself ramped up checks along all its land borders, including with Poland, under the new conservative government of Chancellor Friedrich Merz. For many observers here in Brussels, the tit-for-tat measures reflect a deeper shift away from European solidarity and toward national self-interest.

What is Schengen?
Created in the 1990s, the Schengen Area allows passport-free travel across 29 European countries, covering most of the EU plus several non-members like Norway and Switzerland. It facilitates the free movement of over 450 million people and underpins Europe’s single market by eliminating internal border checks for goods, services, and labor. For businesses, commuters, and travelers alike, Schengen is one of the EU’s most practical achievements.

In an interview with DW, Birte Nienaber, Associate Professor at the University of Luxembourg, underlined that Europe is seeing a slow erosion of border-free moment in Europe, one frontier at a time.

Domino effect already under way
Davide Colombi, a migration researcher at the Centre for European Policy Studies (CEPS) based in Brussels, agrees that the recent Polish-German dispute fits a broader European pattern.

France has maintained border checks since the 2015 terrorist attacks. Austria first introduced controls on its borders with Slovenia and Hungary in September 2015, at the height of the refugee crisis, and has renewed them every six months since, citing migration pressures and internal security.

Slovenia introduced checks with Croatia less than a year after the latter joined Schengen, citing increased migration and concerns over organized crime. And Germany, which had long resisted tightening its internal borders, began expanding them last autumn, a move the European Commission has so far not formally challenged. Under EU law, such checks are only allowed in exceptional circumstances and must be temporary.

“These border controls are purely political symbolism, without a real effect of curbing migration,” says Professor Nienaber. She emphasizes that with the rise of far-right forces in Europe, populist narratives are gaining grounds across all parties. Centrist leaders face pressure to show “toughness” on migration — and border controls are a visible measure popular with the public.

Border symbolism over substance
But how effective are they really? Official statistics cast doubt on the pertinence of border checks inside the Schengen area. German police say that in the first month of enhanced border operations this spring, just 160 asylum seekers were turned away. Polish media reports that Germany returned around 1,000 migrants to Poland between May and mid-June, a figure not significantly different from previous years.

“Smugglers or those trying to enter irregularly know exactly how to avoid official checkpoints,” said migration expert Nienaber. “The controls don’t stop them. They only create the illusion of control.”

Researcher Colombi agreed that such policies are more about optics than outcomes. He underlined that EU member states have so far failed to prove the necessity for the controls in, for instance, curbing migration, or preventing terrorist attacks.

The economic cost
Meanwhile, border communities, especially in regions like Luxembourg, Austria, and Poland, are already feeling the negative effects: longer wait times, disrupted supply chains, and growing economic stress on cross-border local businesses. A detailed European Parliament study estimated that reinstating internal border checks leads to substantial time losses: 10–20 minutes for cars and 30–60 minutes for heavy vehicles, and costs the transport sector around €320 million — and that’s only accounting for delays, not the broader economic fallout.

The economic cost is therefore not trivial. Schengen affects the free movement of goods, services, capital and people: the four pillars of the EU single market. Prices could rise, supply chains could slow, and cross-border jobs and businesses could be lost.

A Bulgarian logistics association recently estimated border delays previously cost the sector €300 million ($352 million) annually. Since Romania and Bulgaria joined Schengen this year, cross-border traffic has significantly increased and become more efficient. In the first three months of 2025 alone, traffic between the two countries rose by 25%, with over 160,000 vehicles crossing compared to 128,000 in the same period the year before, according to Romania’s Road Administration Agency.

The average wait times at crossings have dropped from over 10 hours to less than two. For regional hauliers and border towns that rely on smooth trade flows, this has meant faster deliveries and a revived economic outlook. A return to hard borders, experts warn, could undo that progress, hitting not just supply chains, but also the livelihoods of thousands who depend on seamless daily crossings.

Schengen legal limits — quietly bypassed?
EU law allows internal border checks in exceptional cases: they must be limited to six months with clearly justified renewals. Yet several member states have simply continued extending them. France’s controls have been in place almost continuously for nearly a decade. Austria, Denmark, Sweden and now Germany have also operated under long-term exceptions.

“We can see that these border checks are becoming permanent in some member states. That was never the intent of the Schengen agreement,” says researcher Colombi.

He explains that the European Commission has faced criticism for not enforcing limits more robustly, for instance through infringement procedures. This could risks opening the floodgates for others, creating a domino effect.

Source: https://www.dw.com/en/polands-new-border-checks-the-beginning-of-the-end-of-free-travel-in-europe/a-73185689

Authorities in Punjab province swooped in on lion and tiger breeding farms, after a lion jumped over a wall and escaped from a house in Lahore.

Pakistani authorities confiscated eighteen lions kept illegally as pets in the densely populated Punjab region during a targeted operation, provincial officials said Monday.

Authorities launched a crackdown after a lion escaped from a house in Lahore, the capital of Punjab province, and attacked a woman and two children. The incident, which took place last week, was captured on video.

None of the people suffered life-threatening injuries, according to provincial officials. The lion, which was kept without a license in a house in Lahore, was confiscated.

The lion was sent to a local safari park, according to Mubeen Elahi, director general of the provincial Wildlife and Parks Department.

Police said the owner was arrested.

Keeping big pets considered a status symbol
Keeping a lion at home without following the legal requirements for ownership of big cats is an offense punishable by up to seven years in jail, Elahi told the Reuters news agency.

As well as confiscating the 18 animals, the department raided 38 lion and tiger breeding farms and arrested eight people for violating the rules, he said.

Source: https://www.dw.com/en/pakistan-authorities-seize-18-lions-kept-as-pets/a-73187391

Turkey says 12 soldiers have died after exposure to methane gas during a cave search operation in northern Iraq. It did not explain the presence of the gas in the cave.

Turkey said on Monday that a dozen soldiers had died of methane gas poisoning after being exposed to the substance while searching a cave in northern Iraq for a soldier shot dead by Kurdish fighters three years ago.

The Defense Ministry gave an initial death toll of eight, but later raised it.

“Four others of our heroic comrades in arms, affected by methane gas, have died … bringing the total number of victims to 12,” the ministry said on X.

Methane is a colorless, odorless, flammable gas that can cause asphyxiation in sufficient concentration.

What else did Turkey say?
“During a search operation in a cave … previously known to have been used as a hospital… 19 of our personnel were exposed to methane gas,” the ministry said on Sunday.

It said other soldiers also exposed to the gas in the cave had been taken to the hospital for treatment.

The ministry said the incident took place in the “Claw-Lock Operation region” — a reference to an operation launched against the Kurdistan Workers’ Party, or PKK, in northern Iraq in April 2022 to clear militants holed up in caves along the border.

It said the soldier whose body was being looked for had been killed by “terrorist gunfire.”

Recovery teams have been searching the area for the past three years.

Source: https://www.dw.com/en/turkish-soldiers-die-of-methane-gas-poisoning-in-iraq/a-73183146

PEARL Jam’s legendary drummer, Matt Cameron, has announced he’s quit the band after 27 years, leaving fans devastated.

The highly-regarded sticksman, 62, was also an integral part of fellow 90s grunge legends Soundgarden, who were fronted by the late Chris Cornell.

Announcing his departure on Instagram today, Matt wrote, “After 27 fantastic years, I have taken my final steps down the drum riser for the mighty Pearl Jam.

“Much love and respect to Jeff, Ed, Mike and Stone for inviting me into the band in 1998 and for giving me the opportunity of a lifetime, filled with friendships, artistry, challenges and laughter.

“I am forever grateful to the crew, staff and fans the world over. It’s been an incredible journey. More to follow. I thank you all from the bottom of my heart.”

The remaining members of Pearl Jam – Eddie Vedder, Stone Gossard, Jeff Ament and Mike McCready – have shared their appreciation for Matt.

A band statement read, “From being one of our first musical heroes in the bands Skinyard and the mighty Soundgarden, to playing on our first demos in 1990, Matt Cameron has been a singular and true powerhouse of a musician and drummer.

“He has propelled the last 27 years of Pearl Jam live shows and studio recordings. It was a deeply important chapter for our group and we wish him well always. He will be deeply missed and is forever our friend in art and music.

“We love you Matt.”

Devastated fans were just as effusive in their praise, with one writing, “Matt, thank you for all your dedication and love. We love you and will miss you so much.”

Another said, “Thank you for everything and for all these years.
You are amazing.”

A third posted, “No way man !!! Buy thanks for everything Matt Cameron.”

Others speculated that Josh Freese, who was recently fired from Foo Fighters, could be the man to replace him.

Pearl Jam released their 12th album Dark Matter last year and Matt’s propulsive beats on the record received widespread acclaim.

Twice inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as a member of two iconic grunge bands, Matt was ranked 52 on Rolling Stone’s 100 Greatest Drummers of All Time list in 2016.

He played on all six of Soundgarden’s studio albums, the latest of which was 2012’s comeback record King Animal.

Five years after its release, frontman Cornell was found dead in his hotel room shortly after the band’s gig in Detroit.

With Pearl Jam, Matt played on seven studio LPs, the first of which was Binaural in 2000.

Source: https://www.the-sun.com/entertainment/14648078/matt-cameron-quits-pearl-jam/

No French kissing here!

Kylie Jenner and Timothée Chalamet were seen innocently holding hands while traipsing through the South of France Saturday.

The couple looked loved up as they went for a stroll at Shellona Beach in Saint-Tropez while surrounded by friends and a team of security guards.

The Khy founder, 27, looked elegant in a vintage black-and-white striped mini dress by Jean Paul Gaultier and skinny black sunglasses.

She also carried a black clutch purse under one arm and completed the look with delicate gold jewelry and black sandals.

Meanwhile, Chalamet, 29, sported a green-and-white Nigeria soccer jersey. He attempted to keep his face hidden by wearing a blue Nike cap layered under a green bandana tied at his chin.

Photographers caught the “Dune” star and his girlfriend smiling flirtatiously at each other as they walked hand-in-hand.

The lovebirds were also joined by Kylie’s sister Kendall Jenner, who sported a little black dress, a gray scarf and casual black flip-flops.

Kylie and Kendall have been vacationing in Europe for weeks now, touching down in Venice, Italy, for Jeff Bezos’ $50 million wedding to Lauren Sánchez in late June.

The sisters were joined by their mom, Kris Jenner, as well as older siblings Kim Kardashian and Khloé Kardashian for the days-long wedding festivities.

Chalamet notably did not attend the nuptials as Kylie’s plus one.

After the Amazon billionaire and Sánchez said “I do,” Kylie and Kendall retreated to a stunning Tuscan villa with the makeup mogul’s two kids: Stormi, 7, and Aire, 3.

Kylie flaunted her curves in a leopard-print bikini while relaxing with some wine and cherries.

From there, Kylie, Kendall and their entourage of besties — including Stassie Karanikolaou and Victoria Villarroel — were seen partying at ultra-exclusive Loulou’s beach club in St. Tropez.

The gaggle of gals took a dip in the clear blue Mediterranean Sea. At one point during their getaway, Kendall was also seen ripping a shot of her 818 Tequila while balancing a $75,000 limited-edition Hermès Kelly Doll bag on her head.

It’s no surprise Chalamet eventually ended up tagging along on Kylie’s girls’ trip as they have recently taken their relationship to the next level.

Last week, Page Six confirmed that Kylie officially followed Chalamet’s Instagram account after two years of dating.

Source: https://pagesix.com/2025/07/07/celebrity-news/kylie-jenner-and-timothee-chalamet-hold-hands-in-the-south-of-france/

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu revealed Monday that he’s nominated President Trump for the Nobel Peace Prize — presenting the commander in chief with the letter he sent to the committee responsible for bestowing the honor.

“I want to present to you, Mr. President, the letter I sent to the Nobel Prize committee,” Netanyahu told Trump at the White House.

“It’s the nomination of you for the peace prize, which is well-deserved. And you should get it.”

Netanyahu then reached across the table separating the US and Israeli delegations to hand the letter to Trump.

“This I didn’t know,” a surprised Trump said as he inspected the nomination. “Well, thank you very much.

“Coming from you, in particular, this is very meaningful. Thank you very much.”

Trump’s efforts to secure an Israel-Iran cease-fire, essentially ending the 12-day war between the two nations, had previously earned him nomination for the prize from Rep. Buddy Carter (R-Ga.).

In a letter to the Norwegian Nobel Committee, Carter recommended Trump for the prestigious prize “in recognition of his extraordinary and historic role in brokering an end to the armed conflict between Israel and Iran and preventing the world’s largest state sponsor of terrorism from obtaining the most lethal weapon on the planet.”

Trump hosted Netanyahu at the White House for high-level meetings ahead of a private dinner between the two world leaders.

The Trump administration and Netanyahu’s team were expected to discuss the future of Gaza and the possibility of the Jewish state normalizing relations with Arab nations — but details of any potential progress made on both fronts were scant.

“I think our teams together make an extraordinary combination to meet challenges and seize opportunities,” Netanyahu said ahead of dinner with Trump.

“But the president has already realized a great opportunity to forge the Abraham Accords. He’s forging peace as we speak, and one country and one region after the other.”

Netanyahu met with Secretary of State Marco Rubio at Blair House, the president’s guest house, for an extended meeting, but a readout was not released.

Special Envoy for the Middle East Steve Witkoff also met with the Israeli prime minister, but similarly, no details were made available about what was discussed.

Trump has pushed for Netanyahu to secure a cease-fire deal between Israel and Hamas that would also result in the release of hostages being held by the terror group in Gaza.

The prime minister, however, has insisted that Israel will not enter into any agreement that allows Hamas’ continued existence in Gaza — a massive sticking point in ending the war.

Netanyahu recently said his delegation meeting with mediators in Qatar has been instructed to reach a deal under those terms.

The Israeli prime minister also maintains that the Israeli military should occupy Gaza indefinitely, with the role of governors transferred to local officials without any known ties to Hamas or the Palestinian Authority, which governs the West Bank.

Meanwhile, Israel’s military launched airstrikes early Monday targeting ports and facilities held by Yemen’s Houthis, with the group responding with missile fire targeting Israel.

Reports of a security incident in Gaza resulting in Israeli Defense Force casualties broke during Netanyahu’s White House visit, but Trump indicated that he doesn’t expect it to hamper progress on a cease-fire deal.

“I don’t think so,” Trump said when asked if the reported ambush of IDF soldiers in Gaza would impact negotiations. “They want it. They want to meet and they want to have that cease-fire. So, I don’t think so.”

Witkoff described the incident as “terribly unfortunate” but, directly addressing Netanyahu, argued, “We have an opportunity to finally get a peace deal, Mr. Prime Minister, as we discussed, and I’m hopeful for it very quickly.”

On potentially relocating Palestinians from Gaza to rebuild the strip, as Trump suggested earlier this year, Netanyahu said Israel is working with the Trump administration to find countries “that will seek to realize what they always say: that they want to give the Palestinians a better future.”

“You know, if people want to stay, they can stay. But if they want to leave, they should be able to leave. It shouldn’t be, you know, a prison,” Netanyahu said of Gaza.

“I think we’re getting close to finding several countries [that will take in Palestinians], and I think this will give, again, the freedom to choose,” he added.

Asked about last month’s US airstrikes targeting Iran’s nuclear facilities, Trump indicated that the Islamic regime “took a big drubbing” and maintained that the three uranium enrichment sites hit by warplanes and cruise missiles were “obliterated.”

The president likened the strike to when the US dropped atomic bombs on Japan to end World War II.

“I was talking to Bibi about it — that was the very beginning of the end, and it ended very quickly after that,” he said of how his decision to bomb Iranian nuclear facilities quickly ended the Israel-Iran conflict.

“I don’t want to say what it reminded me of,” Trump continued, “But if you go back a long time ago, it reminded people of a certain other event.”

“Harry Truman’s picture is now in the lobby, in a nice location in the lobby, where it should have been – but that stopped, a lot of fighting. And this stopped a lot of fighting.

Source: https://nypost.com/2025/07/07/us-news/trump-hosts-israeli-pm-netanyahu-at-white-house-for-high-level-meetings-private-dinner/

A Border Patrol official declared on Monday that agents will be sticking around Los Angeles until their “mission is accomplished” as Mayor Karen Bass lashed out at federal law enforcement conducting an apparent immigration sweep at a local park.

Heavily armed officer with Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Customs and Border Protection and the military units deployed by President Trump arrived at MacArthur Park in force, with the agents seen carrying rifles and traveling across the grounds on foot, horseback and in armored vehicles.

Bass, who was due to meet with California Gov. Gavin Newsom in the morning, showed up in the middle of the operation to yell at the agents to get out of the park, slamming the demonstration as a “political stunt.”

“They need to leave and they need to leave right now!” Bass yelled after getting off the phone with someone coordinating the officers.

“What I saw in the park today looked like a city under siege,” she told reporters following the confrontation. “It’s outrageous and un-American to have armed vehicles in our American parks.”

Bass was only at the park momentarily after speaking with CBP Assistant Chief Patrol Agent David Kim, who handed her a direct line to “the head of customs,” she added, noting that the agents left moments later.

One Border Patrol official promised that federal agencies aren’t backing down — and had a few choice words for Bass herself.

“The federal government is not leaving LA. … The federal government does not work for Karen Bass. We’re going to be here until that mission is accomplished,” Border Patrol El Centro Sector Chief Gregory Bovino told FOX Los Angeles.

“Better get used to us now because this is going to be normal very soon,” he added.

Bass and members of the LA City Council said the sweep disrupted a children’s summer camp, with the children corralled into a nearby basement while waiting for the agents to leave.

The raid also pushed out members of the St. John’s Community Health Center who were conducting their daily check ups with homeless individuals at the park, officials added.

The mayor also went onto X to vent about the operation at MacArthur, posting time-lapse video of the agents marching across an empty soccer field inside the park.

“Minutes before, there were more than 20 kids playing — then, the MILITARY comes through,” she said of the raid.

“The SECOND I heard about this, I went to the park to speak to the person in charge to tell them it needed to end NOW. Absolutely outrageous,” Bass added.

It remains unclear if anyone was arrested during the sweep, as activists had gone around the park to warn people to leave before the officers marched through, the Los Angeles Times reported.

“I think the goal is to spread fear,” Bass said of Monday’s raid at the park, as she vowed to uphold the city’s status as a sanctuary for immigrants.

Source: https://nypost.com/2025/07/07/us-news/la-mayor-karen-bass-confronts-heavily-armed-federal-agents-sweeping-through-park/

HAMAS terrorists raped and mutilated women during the October 7 attack, harrowing witness testimony has revealed.

A shocking new investigative report has revealed a pattern of widespread sexual atrocities conducted by the terror group on the horror day.

Among the 1,200 innocent people slaughtered, some young women were stripped and tied to trees and poles and shot through their genitals and in the head, The Times reports.

Hamas raped and gang raped in at least six difference locations, according to the new testimony compiled in The Dinah Report.

The first-hand experience comes from 15 of the returned hostages, one survivor of attempted rape at the Nova music festival, and 17 who saw or heard the attacks.

The survivors describe scenes of “unspeakable violence” and “systematic depravity” in the new report compiled by Israeli legal and gender-based violence experts.

Some women, who were raped and mutilated, were then left for dead.

Others were targeted while lifeless.

Sharon Zagagi-Pinhas, former chief military prosecutor of the Israeli army and one of the report’s lead authors, said: “Many of the witnesses spoke of the victims being shot and them still trying to rape a dead body.”

The report accuses Hamas of deploying sexual violence as a tactical weapon of war, with similar methods to those used by ISIS and Boko Haram.

“Clear patterns emerged,” it reads, “including victims found partially or fully naked with their hands tied… evidence of gang rapes followed by execution, and genital mutilation.”

The report details scenes at multiple attack sites — including the Nova music festival, Route 232, Nahal Oz military base, and the kibbutzim of Re’im, Nir Oz, and Kfar Aza.

Hamas conducted premeditated, coordinated acts of brutality, the report says.

It also draws on forensic evidence from thousands of images and hours of video.

The conclusive report comes after some have denied that Hamas would carry out sexual violence given they are Muslim.

Zagagi-Pinhas said: “sexual violence need not mean rape — also forced nudity, forcing some of the hostages to strip and shower while being watched or trying to force them into marriage.

“Women found dead, naked and mutilated — with gunshots in their genitalia — and tied to trees. The fact that the same things happened in three to six locations can’t be coincidence but proof this was premeditated.”

The sick attack was the catalyst that plunged four nations – Israel, Palestine, Lebanon and Iran – into war, killing tens of thousands and marking a historic shift in the Middle East.

On October 7, 2023, some 1,175 civilians, soldiers and foreign nationals inside Israel were savagely murdered in a hideous early-morning assault.

Hamas terrorists stormed into Israel from Gaza, firing thousands of rockets, flying over in paragliders and bulldozing through in trucks in over 100 different places across the border.

An IDF report found that 6,000 fighters from Gaza managed to get into Israel that day – including 3,800 from the Hamas terror group’s elite Nukhba forces.

Horrifying reports that followed October 7 revealed children were killed, women were raped and around 250 had been kidnapped and taken back to Gaza.

Source: https://www.the-sun.com/news/14645356/hamas-israel-october-attack-report/

The witness claimed the orbs appeared pitch black just before disappearing from view

UNNERVING reports of fast-moving orbs, silent triangles, and darting disks have flooded in from one US state.

There have been dozens of fresh sightings in just six months.

Witnesses describe sharp turns, glowing shapes, and aerial objects that seem to defy known flight patterns.

The sightings were all logged across New York state, according to a new report from the National UFO Reporting Center.

From January through late June 2025, 66 separate Unidentified Aerial Phenomena (UAP) incidents were reported across the Empire State.

That includes mysterious lights, zigzagging formations and even a metallic ball seen from a commercial jet.

The reports span small towns, suburbs, and the skies over New York City, NUFORC said.

Chester, Ridge, and Evans Mills were among the towns where repeated activity was logged.

Evans Mills, located near a military installation, had recurring orb sightings in March that raised eyebrows, Fox News reported.

In one of the most vivid cases, a dog walker in Chester said they spotted two white orbs flying in formation around 6 pm on March 25.

They first assumed they were birds, until the objects suddenly turned sharply and sped northwest without slowing down.

Mid-turn, the orbs reportedly morphed into dark, oval shapes before vanishing into the night.

The witness claimed the orbs appeared pitch black just before disappearing from view.

NUFORC noted that such advanced maneuvers, right-angle turns and abrupt acceleration were common across multiple accounts.

Shapes most often described were orbs, spheres, and triangles.

One encounter took place midair as a plane approached New York City on June 24.

A passenger in seat 1A said they saw a shiny metallic sphere flying just 100 to 200 feet below the aircraft.

The object flew in the opposite direction, and the passenger said it wasn’t stationary or balloon-like.

He alerted the flight crew upon landing, though pilots said they didn’t notice anything.

The passenger, who flew in from Toronto, remained convinced it was no ordinary object.

Some reports included photos or video, but NUFORC hasn’t released any digital proof.

Source: https://www.the-sun.com/news/14649747/ufo-sighting-new-york-encounters-six-months-zigzag/

The boat eventually sank, taking most of the drugs down with it, but cops still managed to recover 25kg of cocaine

THIS is the dramatic moment drug smugglers set their own yacht alight to destroy their gargantuan cocaine haul.

Moments before, the two men had been chased by a police boat just off the coast of holiday hotspot Tenerife.

Unbelievable footage shows the tense boat chase, with multiple cop yachts surrounding the drug vessel.

Once the smugglers realised there was no escape it seems, they deliberately set the boat on fire.

The panicked smugglers are seen trying to start a blaze – and are eventually successful.

The pair risk their lives on the choppy sea as the boat quickly becomes engulfed in flames.

The blaze not only put themselves in danger but surrounding cops too, as the vessel could have exploded at any time.

Cops were captured in the footage desperately trying to put the fire out with strong hosepipes.

The drug smugglers, one of French nationality and the other Dutch, jumped into the sea.

One of them was said to be very seriously injured.

The sailing boat was intercepted by the police about 50 miles from the Canary Islands.

The boat eventually sank, taking most of the drugs down with it, but the crew of the police patrol boat “Sacre” managed to recover 25kg of cocaine.

The operation was part of the plan to intensify the investigation, surveillance and control of the cocaine smuggling in the Canary Islands.

A tip-off was received about a boat close to the holiday island, and was said to contain a significant amount of narcotic substance on board.

The plan was to transfer the haul to another boat, a semi-rigid type, which would be take the drugs to the Spanish coast.

A police spokesman said: “The maritime operation was highly risky for Custom’s patrol officers due to the rough seas and the fire intentionally set by the vessel’s crew to destroy the cocaine and the sailboat.

“The swift action of Customs Surveillance Service officers allowed them to initially extinguish the fire and complete the boarding of the vessel.

“They also recovered part of the cargo before the fire reignited, ultimately destroying most of the haul of cocaine and the vessel transporting it, a sloop named Lona.”

The two crew members of the sailboat have been arrested.

The man who was seriously injured in the fire was transported, presumably to hospital, via chopper by Maritime Rescue.

Source: https://www.the-sun.com/news/14649018/cocaine-yacht-fire-drug-smugglers/

Prada, Crocs and Birkenstock are in the news in India over legal rows and cultural backlash — from counterfeits and copyright battles to criticism over using Kolhapuri chappals designs.

Three global footwear giants – Prada, Crocs, and Birkenstock – have found themselves making headlines in India, though not for the reasons they might have intended. From legal crackdowns on counterfeits to cultural backlash over design appropriation, these brands have found themselves at the centre of courtrooms, cultural conversations, and crackdowns.

BIRKENSTOCK CRACKS DOWN ON COUNTERFEITS
German footwear brand Birkenstock has launched a major legal offensive in India to tackle the sale and manufacture of counterfeit products. According to a report in Reuters, court-appointed lawyers recently inspected several small-scale factories in and around Agra and New Delhi, seizing products allegedly mimicking the brand’s popular sandals.

The raids stem from a lawsuit Birkenstock filed in May at the Delhi High Court, naming four footwear traders, four factories, and two unnamed individuals. The company claimed that fake versions of its products were being produced and distributed both locally and abroad.

On May 26, Justice Saurabh Banerjee issued a confidential order – made public only last week – appointing 10 local lawyers as commissioners to visit the suspected sites. The judge allowed the seizure of suspected counterfeit goods and noted that the samples shown in court appeared to be “cheap knock-offs” that could easily mislead customers.

“There is all likelihood of the public getting deceived… The differences, hardly if any, are not something which can be discernable to the naked eyes,” the order read.

Birkenstock, once popular among hippies and medical professionals, has surged back into pop culture – especially after Margot Robbie wore a pair of pink Birkenstocks in the final scene of the 2023 blockbuster Barbie. In India, the brand’s women’s footwear is priced between $46 (Rs 3950) and $233 (Rs 20,010), making it a premium choice in a mostly non-luxury market.

The case is scheduled for its next hearing on October 6. Reuters reported that Birkenstock and its legal team declined to comment, citing the ongoing proceedings.

CROCS REVIVES 9-YEAR-OLD LEGAL BATTLE
Meanwhile, Crocs Inc. is making a return to the courtroom as well. On July 2, a court revived a nine-year-old lawsuit that the US-based company filed against several Indian shoemakers – including Bata India, Relaxo, and Liberty – over alleged design infringement.

Crocs accused these companies of copying the distinctive shape of its rubber clogs, which have developed a cult following globally since the brand’s launch in 2002. While the suit was dismissed in 2019 on technical grounds, a recent appeal saw the Delhi High Court ruling that “the dismissal… cannot sustain in law”, allowing Crocs to proceed with its challenge.

Crocs had originally asked the court to stop its rivals from manufacturing and selling what it called “obvious imitations” of its design. Liberty, one of the defendants, has argued that Crocs itself is not the originator of the clog style, claiming the design existed long before.

The revival of the case highlights the increasingly contested nature of intellectual property in India’s $33.86 billion (Rs. 2.83 lakh crore) footwear market, where 97% of sales come from the non-luxury segment.

PRADA-KOLHAPURI CONTROVERSY
While Birkenstock and Crocs are navigating courts, Italian luxury house Prada is battling criticism on cultural grounds.

The brand triggered a storm last week after showcasing open-toe leather sandals at its Milan fashion show that bore a striking resemblance to Kolhapuri chappals – traditional Indian footwear with centuries-old heritage. Critics on social media and lawmakers accused Prada of failing to acknowledge the Indian origins of the design.

Source: https://www.indiatoday.in/india/story/prada-crocs-birkenstock-shoemakers-legal-battles-kolhapuri-chappal-2752163-2025-07-07

The price of the rare earth metals the world buys from China

When you stand on the edge of Bayan Obo, all you see is an expanse of scarred grey earth carved into the grasslands of Inner Mongolia in northern China.

Dark dust clouds rise from deep craters where the earth’s crust has been sliced away over decades in a search of modern treasure.

You may not have heard of this town – but life as we know it could grind to a halt without Bayan Obo.

The town gets its name from the district it sits in, which is home to half of the world’s supply of a group of metals known as rare earths. They are key components in nearly everything that we switch on: smartphones, bluetooth speakers, computers, TV screens, even electric vehicles.

And one country, above all others, has leapt ahead in mining them and refining them: China.

This dominance gives Beijing huge leverage – both economically, and politically, such as when it negotiates with US President Donald Trump over tariffs. But China has paid a steep price for it.

To find out more, we travelled to the country’s two main rare earth mining hubs – Bayan Obo in the north and Ganzhou in the province of Jiangxi in the south.

We found man-made lakes full of radioactive sludge and heard claims of polluted water and contaminated soil, which, in the past, have been linked to clusters of cancer and birth defects. These journeys were challenging.

Beijing appears sensitive to criticism of its environmental record. We were pulled over by police, questioned by them and stuck in a three-hour standoff with an unidentified mining boss who refused to let us leave unless we deleted our footage.

Our calls for an interview or a statement have gone unanswered, but the government has published new regulations to try to strengthen its supervision of the industry.

Authorities have been making an effort to clean up these mining sites, scientists told the BBC. Still, China’s mining operations in the north just keep growing.

Machines are constantly on the hunt for rare earths called neodymium and dysprosium that go into making powerful magnets for a variety of modern technology, from electric vehicles to computer hard drives.

To find these rare earths, the machines strip away the topsoil layer-by-layer, kicking up harmful dust, some of which contains high levels of heavy metals and radioactive material.

The number of reported measles cases in the US has reached a 33-year high, with nearly 1,300 confirmed infections across the country as of Friday.

The data, released by John Hopkins University, marks a new milestone in an ongoing outbreak of the highly contagious, vaccine-preventable disease that was once thought to be eliminated in the US.

Measles cases have been reported in 38 states and the District of Columbia this year. At least three people have died from the illness, and 155 others were in hospital.

A vast majority of the measles cases – 92% – were in people who were either unvaccinated or whose vaccination status was unknown, according to the Centres for Disease Control (CDC).

The worst hit state is Texas, CDC data shows, where more than 700 cases have been reported. Other states with dozens of cases include Kansas and New Mexico.

Health officials say that measles spread is occurring mostly in neighbourhoods where vaccination rates are lower, such as Mennonite communities in Texas that opt out of modern medicine.

The outbreak comes as anti-vaccine sentiment in the US and elsewhere has grown in recent years.

Health Secretary Robert F Kennedy Jr had previously spread misinformation about childhood vaccinations and had minimised the outbreak. He later endorsed the measles, mumps and rubella vaccine as illness spread, saying in a post on X that it is “the most effective way to prevent the spread of measles”.

Measles cases in the US were at their highest in recent memory in 1990, with nearly 28,000 reported infections, according to CDC data.

The illness was later declared eliminated around the year 2000, when cases sharply declined to less than 90 thanks to high vaccination rates and rapid outbreak response.

Cases started ticking up slightly in 2014 and again in 2019, when 1,274 confirmed infections were reported. But cases in 2025 have just surpassed that figure, with 1,277 infections now reported across the US.

Public health experts have said that the US will lose measles elimination status if there is continued spread of measles at the current rate for more than 12 months.

As a result of the current outbreak, more people are now getting the measles vaccine in the US. Between 1 January and 16 March, Texas gave at least 173, 000 measles doses compared to 158,000 in the same time period last year, state health department data shows.

The MMR vaccine is the most effective way to fight off the dangerous virus, which can lead to pneumonia, brain swelling and death. The jabs are 97% effective and also immunise against mumps and rubella.

Source: https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c98jng7j1llo

As US student visa season begins, applications are open for Indian students. But a revived Trump-era rule proposing fixed-term visas could alter stay durations, sparking debate over its impact on academic journeys.

As student visa season kicks off, the United States has once again opened its doors to aspiring international students, including thousands from India. But while the State Department is welcoming applications, a parallel discussion in Washington may soon reshape how long those students can stay.

Speaking to ANI last week, US State Department Deputy Spokesperson Mignon Houston confirmed that student visa applications are now open and encouraged students to begin the process. She struck a supportive tone, but also emphasised the importance of aligning visa usage with the original purpose of study.

“We want students to understand that we want to see a use of that visa that is in line with their application. Students come to the United States to study — not to obstruct classrooms or vandalise campuses,” said Houston. She also added that national security remains a key factor in all visa-related decisions, not only to protect American citizens but also international students themselves.

But just as students begin to plan their journeys, a policy from the past is making a quiet return.

According to a Bloomberg report, the Trump administration is revisiting a 2020-era proposal that sought to replace the current “duration of status” policy with fixed-term student visas. That draft rule is now under final review by the White House Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs.

Under the current policy, students on F-1 and exchange visitors on J-1 visas can stay in the U.S. for as long as their program lasts, with no need to reapply midway. The flexibility has long been credited with making the U.S. a top choice for international education.

The earlier Trump-era proposal, however, pushed for fixed visa durations — typically two or four years — based on the student’s country of origin or field of study. The plan was widely criticised by universities and education advocates who feared that added bureaucracy could interrupt students’ academic paths. Eventually, the proposal was shelved in 2021 by the Biden administration.

Now, a draft bearing the same title is back on the table and while details remain under wraps, the potential for similar limits has stirred concern.

Karan Gupta, an education consultant and career counsellor, believes the renewed discussion reflects a desire to tighten immigration oversight, but notes it doesn’t necessarily have to be a setback.

“A fixed-term visa brings clarity. It defines the student’s timeline and can encourage better planning,” Gupta said. “While the “duration of status” model has its flexibility, it also leaves room for ambiguity and potential overstays. A fixed-term approach, if implemented with provisions for legitimate extensions, can promote responsible planning without disadvantaging international students.”

He added that Indian students remain highly interested in studying in the U.S., drawn by its academic reputation and post-study job opportunities. “As long as the process is transparent, it shouldn’t be a dealbreaker. In fact, clearer timelines might help families make stronger financial and logistical plans,” he said.

Source: https://www.freepressjournal.in/education/us-student-visa-applications-open-amid-fresh-talks-on-fixed-term-visa-limits

Mark Rutte warned Russia is rearming at a speed ‘which is unparalleled in recent history’

A CHILLING forecast of how World War Three will start has been revealed by Nato secretary-general Mark Rutte.

The alliance chief has warned of Xi Jinping and Vladimir Putin launching simultaneous invasions – putting the planet under threat of nuclear Armageddon.

China would start by seeking to grab Taiwan – while ensuring the Kremlin dictator simultaneously attacks Nato territory.

Stressing the urgent need to re-arm and boost military budgets, Rutte chillingly told the New York Times: “Let’s not be naive about this: If Xi Jinping would attack Taiwan, he would first make sure that he makes a call to his very junior partner in all of this, Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin, residing in Moscow, and telling him, ‘Hey, I’m going to do this, and I need you to to keep them busy in Europe by attacking Nato territory’.

“That is most likely the way this will progress.”

Rutte explained that in order to “deter” the two powerful nations, there are two things that must be done.

He said: “One is that Nato, collectively, being so strong that the Russians will never do this.

“And second, working together with the Indo-Pacific – something President [Donald] Trump is very much promoting.

“Because we have this close interconnectedness, working together on defence industry, innovation between Nato and the Indo-Pacific.”

Russia could rebuild its military to a worrying capacity as early as 2027, according to a report by a top security think tank.

The International Institute for Strategic Studies said Putin may deploy his army onto a “war footing” and try to test Nato by evoking Article 5.

This may see the Kremlin decide to leave Ukraine alone as it continues to recover from Russia’s three-and-a-half year onslaught.

Instead, Putin could commit to an attack on Nato states in the Baltics.

Fears are already looming that the Russian dictator is eyeing the Baltic republics Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania, formerly part of the USSR.

Acknowledging how Putin is rearming at a speed “which is unparalleled in recent history,” Rutte has insisted that Western countries increase defence spending.

He said: “We have an enormous geopolitical challenge on our hands.

“They are now producing three times as much ammunition in three months as the whole of Nato is doing in a year.

“This is unsustainable, but the Russians are working together with the North Koreans, with the Chinese and Iranians, the mullahs, in fighting this unprovoked war of aggression against Ukraine.

“So here, the Indo-Pacific and your Atlantic are getting more and more interconnected. We know that China has its eye on Taiwan.”

Russia today hit back at ex-Netherlands premier Rutte, claiming he had “gorged on too many of the magic mushrooms beloved by the Dutch”, while warning he should look forward to a future in a hellish Siberian labour camp.

Senior Putin puppet and security official Dmitry Medvedev lashed out on X: “He sees collusion between China & Russia over Taiwan, and then a Russian attack on Europe.

“But he’s right about one thing: he should learn Russian. It might come in handy in a Siberian camp.”

The warnings came as Russia continued its onslaught on Ukraine – days after Putin informed US President Donald Trump by telephone that he had no intention of halting his war of invasion.

Mad Vlad pummelled Ukraine with four S-300 missiles and 157 drones, with 127 of the UAVs shot down or suppressed by electronic warfare.

Explosions hit Kyiv and the surrounding region, with multiple people wounded and residential buildings damaged.

Source: https://www.the-sun.com/news/14638541/nato-chief-ww3-prediction/

Staff have a fascinating theory about why the foam extinguishers went off

A FLEET of passenger planes got an unplanned clean after dodgy fire extinguishers drenched them in foam.

At least four Spirit Airline jets were doused with the bubbles in farcical scenes at the company’s maintenance hangar in Detroit – and techies think they know why.

Footage shot from another plane passing overhead shows a giant puddle of foam oozing from the yellow hangar onto the tarmac.

Two planes are completely surrounded by the bright white substance.

Photos from inside the hangar show the multi-million-pound planes buried in meters of foam to halfway up the fuselage.

Subs are slipping down their sides – after foam evidently filled the air.

The huge foam discharge is an automatic fire extinguisher feature.

When a blaze is detected, the dispensers are programmed to spurt huge volumes of foam both inside and outside the hangar.

But in the incident on July 4, there was no fire.

Technicians believe that a powerful lightening bolt which struck in the area was to blame.

Happily, neither were there any injuries associated with the foam spill.

The mess was promptly cleared according to protocol to avoid any further bubble-based chaos.

The mishap led to a delay in some maintenance work, but passengers and company stakeholders were reassured that there would be no major disruption to flight services.

Spirit Airlines explained what happened: “On July 4, the fire suppression system at our Detroit (DTW) maintenance facility was inadvertently activated, which we believe was caused by lightning nearby.

“There was no fire, and no injuries were reported. Two aircraft parked inside the facility and one aircraft parked outside the facility were removed from service for inspection by our maintenance team.

“We have engaged a contractor to assist with cleanup efforts, and we thank first responders for their quick response and assistance.

“There is no impact to our flight operations.”

Source: https://www.the-sun.com/news/14639915/passenger-planes-buried-foam-hanger-fire-extinguishers/

Frustrated police chiefs from multiple districts have issued stern warnings as they struggle against troubled teens

AT least nine people have died and 93 are injured after violence broke out across the country during Fourth of July celebrations.

Children and teens make up many of the victims and are some of the perpetrators, in the deadly gun and knife violence.

The various skirmishes saw angry police chiefs issue stern warnings and curfews saying they are “tired” of having to parent troubled juveniles and deal with dead kids.

Various mass casualty events linked to Independence Day festivities broke out from Friday night and spilled into the rest of the weekend.

This again sees the Fourth of July marked as one of the deadliest days of the year for the US, with the following incidents being just a fraction of the deaths and injuries that occurred this weekend.

Charlottesville children shot
Violence broke out just after 11 pm in Charlottesville, Virginia, when shots rang out on Orangedale Avenue.

Five people were shot including three children aged 9, 11 and 17, in what cops say was a gang-related shootout as the sound of fireworks was exchanged by gunshots.

The other two victims were 18 years old and 52 years old – none of those shot were the intended targets, police told WCAV.

Charlottesville Police Chief Michael Kochis called footage of the incident disturbing as it captured terrified children crying and screaming.

“You shot a 9-year-old kid. Think about that for a second,” he told those responsible as authorities continue their investigation to track down the shooters.

10 injured in Albany
Albany, New York, saw a spate of shootings and a house fire sparked by a teenager firing a flare gun on Friday night and the early hours of Saturday morning.

In total, 10 people were injured with four people shot in Madison Avenue just before 10 pm as the Empire State Plaza fireworks came to an end.

A 17-year-old boy was shot in the head and is still in a critical condition while the three others are expected to survive their injuries.

Police Chief Brendan Cox said there was a skirmish between a group of teenagers with one firing a flare gun and another firing a handgun.

Another shooting took place after 1 am on Saturday when a group of teenagers fired a handgun at people gathered at a home there – five people were shot.

The victims were made up of two 16-year-old girls, a 15-year-old girl, a 14-year-old boy, and a 41-year-old woman – all were taken to hospital and their conditions are not life-threatening.

I am tired of youth who feel violence is their only answer to conflict.

Meanwhile, a 17-year-old was shot in the foot in a third incident around 5:30 pm as officials warn of an “uptick in violence” especially among teenagers.

“Obviously there is a clear uptick in violence, specifically gun violence, both with handguns and flare guns with our teen population,” Chief Cox said.

“We continue to have teens walking around our streets and just indiscriminately firing rounds at people.”

“We cannot have that. That has to stop. And we need help to do that.”

Double shooting in North Carolina
A double shooting took place in North Carolina on Friday night and Saturday, injuring three in total – one critically.

Just after 10:15 pm after a July 4 celebration at the Truist Stadium in Winston-Salem, gun fire broke out in the parking lot injuring a juvenile.

A 16-year-old has been arrested in connection to the shooting.

Meanwhile, two people were shot at Center City Park in downtown Greensboro during festivities, causing families to run for cover.

One of the victims is in critical condition.

Winston-Salem Police Chief William H. Penn, Jr echoed the sentiments of his counterparts in other regions of the county, slamming parents and the behavior of “undisciplined and unattended juveniles”.

Source: https://www.the-sun.com/news/14639737/dead-injured-fourth-of-july-violence-mass-shootings/

A lawyer spoke to The U.S. Sun about Diddy’s options once he’s released from prison

SEAN ‘Diddy’ Combs may not have to deal with life in prison after being acquitted on multiple charges, but he could run into financial difficulties when he is released from jail, an expert has claimed.

The controversial music mogul was sitting on a fortune of almost a billion dollars at one point in his career before it imploded.

But his net worth reportedly dwindled to $400 million months before his arrest in 2024.

He has since had to pay a growing mountain of legal fees for his criminal trial, several civil cases, and a $20 million settlement to his ex-girlfriend, Cassie Ventura.

Combs, 55, was acquitted of the most serious charges of racketeering and sex trafficking this week after a weeks-long trial in Manhattan, New York.

But he was found guilty of two counts of transportation to engage in prostitution and remains behind bars ahead of his sentencing hearing.

Despite each count carrying a maximum sentence of 10 years, he is likely to be a free man in the coming months, according to experts.

But he may struggle to get his career back on track as his business empire has significantly declined due to his legal troubles and the public fallout from the allegations.

Eric Faddis, a former felony prosecutor and founding partner at Varner Faddis Elite Legal, spoke to The U.S. Sun to give his opinion on what is next for Combs.

He said, “One thing that’s clear is that his resources have been depleted. He still appears to have some wealth. But there’s going to be a collectability issue when it comes to these civil cases.

“If they all get judgments, he’s not going to have enough personal assets to make them whole.

“There is no legal mechanism of which I’m aware by which he could try to take back the twenty million or so dollars that he paid to Cassie in a civil judgment. That’s over and done with.

“There are murmurs about … is he going to try to go after other folks who are involved in this trial for defamation, or malicious prosecution, or something like that?

“Anything is possible, but I think he would be better off kind of letting sleeping dogs lie, moving on with his life, and undertaking this herculean effort of dealing with the other civil cases.”

Asked if he believes he could go broke, Faddis claimed, “Oh, 100 per cent. I think there’s a substantial chance that his assets are going to be dwindling if they’re not already dwindling.

“There’s no insurance policy that’s going to kick in and pay out these plaintiffs.

“If these plaintiffs prevail in the civil claims, he himself is going to be financially responsible.

“I’m sure he paid gobs and gobs of money to his criminal attorneys for this two-month trial.

“On top of that, a lot of his endorsements and contractual support is likely gone. And so I think he’s going to run into financial issues real soon.”

There’s no insurance policy that’s going to kick in and pay out these plaintiffs.”

Attorney Eric Faddis told The U.S. Sun
Combs paid off a $18.8 million mortgage on his lavish $48.5 million Star Island mansion in Miami, Florida, before his arrest.

To try and secure bail, his defense team previously proposed a $50 million bond package, which included the property that was raided by the feds.

He also listed his $61.5 million Beverly Hills home for sale, but it remains on the market.

BUSINESS EMPIRE
The star was running multiple businesses before his scandal, including Revolt TV, which he founded, and his fashion brand Sean John, which vanished from Macy’s.

Combs relinquished control of his lucrative spirits brands, Ciroc and DeLeón, and also reportedly lost a Hulu reality series deal.

However, his music catalog remains intact for the time being.

Combs kept his label Bad Boy Records relevant before he was arrested and backed the likes of Machine Gun Kelly’s ‘Mainstream Sellout’ in 2022.

In 2023, he also dropped The Love Album: Off the Grid, his first solo album in nearly two decades.

The same year, singer Janelle Monae also released her celebrated record The Age of Pleasure through Bad Boy.

Asked if he thinks he could build his empire back up, Faddis said, “It’s not unheard of in America for folks who have, you know, been formerly disgraced to kind of make a comeback.

“I think he’s going to try [but] whether America has the stomach for that at this point is an open question.

“I think, legally speaking, it is certainly a victory for Diddy, but I think we [have] to be careful, because there are a lot of sensitive issues at play here, just because the jury found that he was not guilty. That’s not the same as finding that he was innocent.

“What the jury found was that the Government couldn’t meet its burden with respect to those charges. That’s not the same as saying those things didn’t happen.”

Combs was previously forced to apologize to fans after previously denying physically assaulting ex Ventura when CNN published exclusive hotel surveillance video from 2016.

The footage showed Combs appearing to grab, shove, drag, and kick the singer in a hotel hallway.

“My behavior on that video is inexcusable. I take full responsibility for my actions in that video,” he said in a video statement posted on Instagram.

“I was disgusted then when I did it. I’m disgusted now,” he added. “I went and I sought out professional help. I got into going to therapy, going to rehab. I had to ask God for his mercy and grace. I’m so sorry. But I’m committed to be a better man each and every day. I’m not asking for forgiveness. I’m truly sorry.”

Source: https://www.the-sun.com/entertainment/14621797/diddy-faces-financial-hit-cassie-payout-civil-suits/

New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft and his wife Dr. Dana Blumberg threw a starry Fourth of July party in the Hamptons where “Philadelphia Freedom” singer Elton John performed.

Sources said that John played an hour set of his greatest hits and dedicated his 1974 smash “Don’t Let the Sun Go Down on Me” to the couple.

We hear that Sir Elton flew in from London just for the private show — and had a special red piano shipped from the West Coast. He performed in an eye-catching canary yellow suit.

(John also played the couple’s wedding in 2022, we’d exclusively reported at the time.)

The patriotic party also featured a jaw-dropping drone show creating images in the sky of a Patriots logo, an American flag, Kraft’s dog, Heisman, an image of John, the Statue of Liberty and a football, we hear.

Said a source of the bash, “This was all about building bridges and bringing people together.”

Kraft and other attendees wore blue square pins — the symbol created by Kraft’s Foundation to Combat Antisemitism as part of a $25 million awareness-building campaign as a “symbol of standing up to Jewish hate and all hate.”

Guests were welcomed by a 16-foot high American flag made from over a million crystals.

The pins have been worn by stars including Tom Brady, Mike Tyson, Jon Bon Jovi and Dave Matthews.

Guests at the party included Howard and Beth Stern, Jon Bon Jovi, Kenny Chesney, Mike Tyson and his wife Kiki, Verizon CEO Hans Vestberg, Rob Gronkowski and Camille Kostek, Van Jones, Michael Rubin and Camille Fishel and JPMorgan executive Mary Erdoes and John’s husband, David Furnish, among others.

People magazine reported that Jerry Seinfeld and Sylvester Stallone also attended the bash.

In 2023, Dave Matthews — who played the old Foxboro Stadium the year the Patriots won their first of six Super Bowls — played Kraft’s Fourth of July party, we previously reported. Grandmaster Flash DJ’d the previous bash.

Source: https://pagesix.com/2025/07/06/society/elton-john-plays-robert-krafts-july-fourth-bash/

Kelly Osbourne got engaged to Sid Wilson at her father Ozzy Osbourne’s Black Sabbath farewell concert.

The TV personality took to Instagram Sunday to share a sweet clip of the proposal, which occurred the night before backstage at Villa Park in Birmingham, England.

While surrounded by their family and friends, the Slipknot member said, “Kelly, you know I love you more than anything in the world.”

Ozzy, 76, then jokingly interrupted, saying, “F–k off, you’re not marrying my daughter.”

Laughter erupted from the room, including from Kelly, 40, and her mom, Sharon Osbourne, 76, who was sitting next to her husband.

“Nothing would make me happier than to spend the rest of my life with you,” Wilson, 48, continued.

“So in front of your family and all of our friends, Kelly, will you marry me?” the keyboardist added.

Kelly looked around the room in shock, nodding, “Yes.”

Wilson then slipped the ring on her finger before they hugged.

“Oh and this happened yesterday!” she captioned the post on Instagram.

Kelly and Wilson became friends in 1999 when the latter’s band toured on her parents’ music festival, Ozzfest, per People.

The couple took their relationship to the next level in January 2022 and hard-launched their romance the following month.

Source: https://pagesix.com/2025/07/06/celebrity-news/kelly-osbourne-and-sid-wilson-get-engaged-at-black-sabbath-farewell/

He’s sweating it out.

Justin Bieber received support from fans after he shared sweaty selfies as he detoxed.

“Detoxxxxxxxxxxx,” he captioned the post on Instagram Sunday, alongside a carousel of close-up selfies, showing off the sweat on his forehead and his red face.

Though the pop star didn’t give more context on how or why he was ridding his body of toxins, several Instagram users offered kind words to Bieber.

“The good one for you, partner! We all want to see you well ❤️🥹,” wrote one supporter.

“please stay healthy and happy,” added another.

“Love you dude keep pushin,” wrote a third person.

“You can do this. Keep going,” added a fourth netizen.

Bieber’s detox comes five months after his rep denied “harmful” allegations of drug use following concerns about his behavior.

The publicist told TMZ at the time that the ongoing rumors about the “Baby” singer’s physical and mental health were “exhausting and pitiful” and showed that “despite the obvious truth, people are committed to keeping negative, salacious, harmful narratives alive.”

The two-time Grammy winner’s spokesperson said Justin, 31, has been in a good place with his wife, Hailey Bieber, after they welcomed their son, Jack Blues, in August 2024.

The “Never Say Never” singer’s rep added that this year has been “very transformative for him as he ended several close friendships and business relationships that no longer served him.”

Despite the publicist’s denial, Justin has been seen smoking joints on multiple occasions, including at Coachella and while on a snowboarding trip with his pals.

Justin has also reportedly been dealing with financial and marital issues.

Last month, a source told “Entertainment Tonight” that the dad of one has been “irritated” by the Rhode founder, 28.

He “feels like Hailey can be superficial about the way their relationship looks in the public eye,” the insider said.

The source also claimed that “Justin’s lack of motivation has been upsetting for [Hailey].”

Source: https://pagesix.com/2025/07/06/celebrity-news/justin-bieber-shares-sweaty-detox-selfies-after-fan-concern/

A 90-day pause on Donald Trump’s sweeping tariffs plan is about to expire on Wednesday, which could upend US trading relationships with the rest of the world. But the uncertainty of the last few months has already forced several companies to rethink their supply lines in radical ways.

When an Illinois toymaker heard that Trump was introducing tariffs on Chinese imports, he was so incensed that he decided to sue the US government.

“I’m inclined to stand up when my company is in genuine peril,” says Rick Woldenberg, who is the CEO of educational toy firm Learning Resources.

The majority of his company’s products are made in China, so the tariffs, which US importers have to pay, not Chinese exporters, are now costing him a fortune.

He says his import taxes bill leapt from around $2.5m (£1.5m) a year to more than $100m in April when Trump temporarily increased tariffs on Chinese imports to 145%. That would have “devastated” the company, he says.

“This kind of impact on my business is just a little bit hard to wrap my mind around,” he says.

With US tariffs on Chinese imports now at 30%, that’s still unaffordable for many American companies such as Learning Resources.

So in addition to its continuing legal fight, it is changing its global supply chain, moving production from China to Vietnam and India.

These two countries, like most others around the world, have seen the US hit them with general 10% tariffs, two-thirds lower than those on China. Although these 10% tariffs are due to run out on Wednesday, 9 July, uncertainly remains over what they may be replaced by.

Meanwhile, many Canadian companies, who often trade in both their home country and in the US, are now facing a double hit to their supply chains.

These hits are the 25% tariffs put in place by Trump on many Canadian imports, and the reciprocal ones of the same level that Canada has placed on a host of American exports.

And other businesses around the world are looking at exporting less to the US, because their American import partners are having to put up prices to cover the tariffs they now have to pay, which makes their products more expensive on US shelves.

At Learning Resources, Mr Woldenberg has now moved about 16% of manufacturing to Vietnam and India. “We have gone through the process of vetting the new factories, training them on what we needed, making sure that things could flow easily, and developing relationships.”

Yet he admits that there are uncertainties: “We don’t know if they can handle the capacity of our business. Much less the whole world moving in there at the same time.”

He also points out that switching production to another country is expensive to organise.

In the meantime, his legal case against the US tariffs, called “Learning Resources et al v Donald Trump et al” is continuing its way through the US court system.

In May a judge at the US District Court in Washington DC ruled that the tariffs against it were unlawful. But the US government immediately appealed, and Learning Resources still has to pay the tariffs for the time being.

So the firm is continuing to move production away from China.

Global supply chain expert Les Brand says that it is both expensive and difficult for companies to switch manufacturing to different countries.

“Trying to find new sources for critical components of whatever you are doing – that’s a lot of research,” says Mr Brand, who is CEO of advisory firm Supply Chain Logistics.

“There’s a lot of quality testing to do it right. You have to spend the time, and that really takes away from the business focus.”

He adds: “The knowledge transfer to train a whole new bunch of people on how to make your product takes a lot of time and money. And that effects already razor-thin margins businesses have right now.”

For Canadian fried chicken chain Cluck Clucks, its supply chain has been significantly impacted by Canada’s revenge tariffs on US imports. This is because while its chicken is Canadian, it imports both specialist catering fridges and pressure fryers from the US.

While it can’t live without the fridges, it has decided to stop buying any more of the fryers. Yet with no Canadian company making alternative ones, it is having to limit its menus at its new stores.

This is because it needs these pressure fryers to cook its bone-in chicken pieces. The new stores will instead only be able to sell boneless chicken, as that is cooked differently.

“This was a substantial decision for us, but we believe it’s the right strategic move,” says Raza Hashim, Cluck Clucks CEO.

“It’s important to note that we do plan to retain the necessary kitchen space in new locations to reintroduce these fryers should the tariff uncertainty be completely resolved in the future.”

He also warns that with the US fridges now more expensive for the company to buy, the price it charges for its food may have to go up. “There is a certain amount of costs we cannot absorb as brands, and we may have to pass those on to consumers. And that is not something we want to do.”

Mr Hashim adds that the business is continuing with its US expansion plans, and it has set up local supply chains to source American chicken. It currently has one US outlet, in Houston, Texas.

Source: https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c93l6n32ne5o

Carlos Alcaraz’s latest up-and-down Wimbledon performance began with a dropped set. Later Sunday, he was in danger of getting broken to fall further behind in the third. And then, as he so often does, Alcaraz seized the moment, produced some magic and moved closer to a third consecutive title at the All England Club.

Alcaraz stretched his winning streak in the grass-court Grand Slam tournament to 18 matches — and his current unbeaten run across all events to 22 — by coming back to beat No. 14 seed Andrey Rublev 6-7 (5), 6-3, 6-4, 6-4 at Centre Court to return to the quarterfinals.

In this fortnight’s first matchup between two men ranked in the top 20, No. 2 Alcaraz brought out his best while down 3-2 in the third set. First, he needed to fend off a break chance for Rublev, doing so with a forehand passing winner.

After eventually holding to 3-all, Alcaraz earned his own break opportunity and didn’t let Rublev escape. On an eight-stroke exchange, Alcaraz sprinted from one corner of the court to the other and, with a stomp of his right foot and a bit of a slide, he flicked a cross-court forehand winner.

Oh, did he relish that one. Alcaraz spread his arms wide, pointed to his right ear and basked in the crowd’s loud adulation, the noise bouncing off the underside of the stadium’s closed roof.

Rublev sat in his sideline chair, looked up at his guest box and made a sarcastic “OK” hand signal. Just 10 minutes later, that set belong to Alcaraz, who will face 2022 semifinalist Cam Norrie — the last British player in singles — on Tuesday for a berth in the final four.

“I always said that it’s just about belief in yourself. It doesn’t matter that you are one-set-to-love down,” Alcaraz said. “Tennis is a sport that can change in just one point. One point can change the match completely, turn around everything.”

The 61st-ranked Norrie, who played college tennis at TCU in Fort Worth, Texas, advanced with a 6-3, 7-6 (4), 6-7 (7), 6-7 (5), 6-3 win over qualifier Nicolas Jarry, who hit 46 aces. Norrie had a chance to close things out much earlier than he did but failed to convert a match point while ahead 6-5 in the third-set tiebreaker.

The other men’s quarterfinal Tuesday will be No. 5 Taylor Fritz vs. No. 17 Karen Khachanov. Fritz, last year’s U.S. Open runner-up, had a short day because his opponent, Jordan Thompson, quit after about 40 minutes with back and leg injuries that he’d been dealing with throughout the tournament.

Alcaraz is just 22 and already owns five Grand Slam trophies, the latest arriving in June at the French Open. He hasn’t lost a match anywhere since April 20 against Holger Rune in the final at Barcelona.

There have been lapses, of course, including when Alcaraz fell behind by two sets against No. 1 Jannik Sinner in the final at Roland-Garros. Or when the Spaniard lost four points in a row after going up 5-3 in the opening tiebreaker against Rublev.

He hasn’t been as close-to-perfect as others over the past week: Sinner, No. 10 Ben Shelton and No. 22 Flavio Cobolli haven’t dropped a set heading into their fourth-round contests.

So, sure, Alcaraz has ceded five sets already, but all that matters is that he hasn’t lost a match.

Source: https://apnews.com/article/wimbledon-results-7-6-2025-57f720f2214cf843386265640d9f9f91

A Coast Guard rescue swimmer is already being hailed as an “American hero” after his very first mission — helping to save the lives of 165 Texas flash-flood victims.

“This is what it’s all about, right? Like, this is why we do the job,” said Scott Ruskan, 26, a New Jersey native and former KPMG accountant, to The Post after his work in central Texas.

“This is why we take those risks all time. This is why like Coast Guard men and women, are risking their lives every day,” said Petty Officer Ruskan — who was in charge of triage at Camp Mystic, the Christian girls’ summer camp that saw some of the worst of the flooding.

Raised in Oxford, NJ, Ruskan enlisted in the US Coast Guard in 2021, and after completing basic training, went to Aviation Survival Technician school in Petaluma, Calif., before being stationed in Corpus Christi, Texas.

He had been on call since November after completing all of his training, familiarizing himself with the Coast Guard’s iconic MH-65 helicopter and enrolling in additional rescue swimming classes as he waited to be called into action.

That fateful call came on the Fourth of July as a massive summer rainstorm led to catastrophic flash flooding in the Lone Star State that has so far claimed at least 80 lives.

Bryan Winchell, a helicopter search and rescue technician with Texas Task Force 1 — a joint partnership between the Texas Army National Guard and the Texas A&M Engineering Extension Service — called the Coast Guard looking to get boots on the ground and in the air for an emergency rapid response near central Texas.

“That’s a little bit outside our area of operation normally, but people were in danger, and we’re a good asset to try and help people out, and these guys were asking for help, so that’s kind of what we do,” Ruskan said.

By 7 a.m. Friday, crews loaded into Blackhawk 60 and Coast Guard MH-65 choppers and took to the skies.

It was “literally the best aircrew we could possibly have,” Ruskan said.

Their destination was Camp Mystic, a Christian girls’ summer camp just off the banks of the Guadalupe River, which saw some of the worst of the flooding.

Five campers ages 8 and 9 have been confirmed dead, with a counselor and 11 more girls still missing, officials said.

When the crew arrived, they were racing against sundown to rescue as many stranded flood victims as possible. All roads were impassable, and the currents were too strong for any boats to get in, leaving helicopter evacuation as the only hope for the nearly 200 survivors.

As the crews evaluated the operational logistics, their goal was to move as many people out of harm’s way as possible, but they were bound by the weight limits of the helicopters. During a briefing, they decided to leave Ruskan on the ground to triage the rescue mission.

“I was like, sweet, sounds great, I’ll be more helpful on the ground than I will be in the air right now, so that’s kind of what we went with,” he said.

The rescuers loaded the first four to five survivors into the MH-65, and Ruskan set out to take a closer look at the scene of the camp, which was on higher ground than the flood-ravaged surrounding areas, where trees were snapped like twigs and twisted metal of cars littered the muddy ground.

While on the ground, Ruskan tended to terrified and injured campers, many of them shoeless and still wearing pajamas from their mad dash out of their bunks in the middle of the night.

In between comforting the “cold, wet and miserable” survivors, both kids and adults, Ruskan directed Army Blackhawk 60s and MH-65s to pockets of survivors to begin painstakingly bringing them to safety.

Source: https://nypost.com/2025/07/06/us-news/coast-guard-american-hero-scott-ruskan-helps-save-texas-flood-victims/

Families sifted through waterlogged debris Sunday and stepped inside empty cabins at Camp Mystic, an all-girls summer camp ripped apart by flash floods that washed homes off their foundations and killed at least 82 people in central Texas.

Rescuers maneuvering through challenging terrain, high waters and snakes including water moccasins continued their desperate search for the missing, including 10 girls and a counselor from the camp. For the first time since the storms began pounding Texas, Gov. Greg Abbott said there were 41 people confirmed to be unaccounted for across the state and more could be missing.

In Kerr County, home to Camp Mystic and other youth camps in the Texas Hill Country, searchers have found the bodies of 68 people, including 28 children, Sheriff Larry Leitha said in the afternoon.

He pledged to keep searching until “everybody is found” from Friday’s flash floods. Ten other deaths were reported in Travis, Burnet, Kendall, Tom Green and Williamson counties, according to local officials. The death toll is certain to rise over the next few days, said Col. Freeman Martin of the Texas Department of Public Safety.

The governor warned that additional rounds of heavy rains lasting into Tuesday could produce more life-threatening flooding, especially in places already saturated. As he spoke at a news conference in Austin, emergency alerts lit up mobile phones in Kerr County that warned of “High confidence of river flooding” and a loudspeaker near Camp Mystic urged people to leave. Minutes later, however, authorities on the scene said there was no risk.

Families were allowed to look around the camp beginning Sunday morning. One girl walked out of a building carrying a large bell. A man, who said his daughter was rescued from a cabin on the highest point in the camp, walked a riverbank, looking in clumps of trees and under big rocks.

A woman and a teenage girl, both wearing rubber waders, briefly went inside one of the cabins, which stood next to a pile of soaked mattresses, a storage trunk and clothes. At one point, the pair doubled over, sobbing before they embraced.

One family left with a blue footlocker. A teenage girl had tears running down her face looking out the open window, gazing at the wreckage as they slowly drove away.

Searching the disaster zone
While the families saw the devastation for the first time, nearby crews operating heavy equipment pulled tree trunks and tangled branches from the water as they searched the river.

With each passing hour, the outlook of finding more survivors became even more bleak. Volunteers and some families of the missing who drove to the disaster zone searched the riverbanks despite being asked not to do so.

Authorities faced growing questions about whether enough warnings were issued in an area long vulnerable to flooding and whether enough preparations were made.

President Donald Trump signed a major disaster declaration Sunday for Kerr County, activating the Federal Emergency Management Agency to Texas.

The president said he would likely visit Friday. “I would have done it today, but we’d just be in their way,” he told reporters before boarding Air Force One back to Washington after spending the weekend at his golf club in Bedminster, New Jersey. “It’s a horrible thing that took place, absolutely horrible.”

The destructive, fast-moving waters rose 26 feet (8 meters) on the river in only 45 minutes before daybreak Friday, washing away homes and vehicles. The danger was not over as flash flood watches remained in effect and more rain fell in central Texas on Sunday.

Searchers used helicopters, boats and drones to look for victims and to rescue people stranded in trees and from camps isolated by washed-out roads. Officials said more than 850 people were rescued in the first 36 hours.

Source: https://apnews.com/article/flash-flood-texas-missing-girls-hill-country-0ea97b27df4cb30339a0a938539c7125

Voicing “serious concerns about the rise of unilateral tariff” measures, BRICS members said the tariffs risked hurting the global economy, according to a summit joint statement.

BRICS leaders at a summit on Sunday (Jul 6) took aim at US President Donald Trump’s “indiscriminate” import tariffs and recent Israeli-US strikes on Iran.

The 11 emerging nations, including Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa, represent about half the world’s population and 40 per cent of global economic output.

The bloc is divided about much, but found common cause when it comes to the mercurial US leader and his stop-start tariff wars – even if they avoided naming him directly.

Voicing “serious concerns about the rise of unilateral tariff” measures, BRICS members said the tariffs risked hurting the global economy, according to a summit joint statement.

They also offered symbolic backing to fellow member Iran, condemning a series of military strikes on nuclear and other targets carried out by Israel and the United States.

In April, Trump threatened allies and rivals alike with a slew of punitive duties, before offering a months-long reprieve in the face of a fierce market sell-off.

Trump has now warned he will impose unilateral levies on partners unless they reach “deals” by Aug 1.

In an apparent concession to US allies such as Brazil, India and Saudi Arabia, the summit declaration did not criticise the United States or its president by name at any point.

NO SHOW
Conceived two decades ago as a forum for fast-growing economies, the BRICS have come to be seen as a Chinese-driven counterbalance to US and Western European power.

But as the group has expanded to include Iran, Saudi Arabia and others, it has struggled to reach meaningful consensus on issues from the Gaza war to challenging US global dominance.

BRICS nations, for example, collectively called for a peaceful two-state solution to the Israel-Palestinian conflict – despite Tehran’s long-standing position that Israel should be destroyed.

An Iranian diplomatic source said his government’s “reservations” had been conveyed to Brazilian hosts. Still, Iran stopped short of rejecting the statement outright.

In perhaps a further sign of the diplomatic sensitivities, Saudi Arabia’s foreign minister skipped Sunday’s discussions entirely, according to a Brazilian government source.

Saudi Arabia is among the world’s leading beneficiaries of high-tech US military exports and is a long-standing US partner.

The political punch of this year’s summit has been depleted by the absence of China’s Xi Jinping, who skipped the meeting for the first time in his 12 years as president.

Source: https://www.channelnewsasia.com/world/brics-nations-slam-trump-tariffs-condemn-strikes-iran-5223401

As Tokyo seeks to avert the US’ threat to impose tariffs of up to 35 per cent on Japanese goods, Prime Minister Ishiba stressed that Japan, as the biggest investor nation in the US economy, should be treated differently from other countries.

Japan’s Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba said on Sunday (Jul 6) that he won’t “easily compromise” in talks with Washington as Tokyo seeks to avert United States President Donald Trump’s threat to impose tariffs of up to 35 per cent on Japanese goods.

“We will not easily compromise. That’s why it is taking time and why it is tough,” Ishiba told a television talk show.

His comments came as Japan rushes to negotiate with the Trump administration before the Wednesday deadline for trade deals.

While Trump imposed a sweeping 10 per cent tariff on imports from most trading partners in April, he unveiled – then paused – higher rates on dozens of economies, including Japan, to allow room for negotiations.

Trump has said he was going to write a letter to Japan, asking it to “pay a 30 per cent, 35 per cent or whatever the number is that we determine,” and called the bilateral trade relation “unfair”.

He has particularly pressed Japan to accept more US automobiles and rice.

Ryosei Akazawa, Tokyo’s trade envoy, held telephone calls with US Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick on Thursday and Saturday.

Source: https://www.channelnewsasia.com/east-asia/japan-pm-says-wont-easily-compromise-trump-tariffs-5222901

DONALD Trump has signed a disaster declaration in response to the “unimaginable tragedy” in Texas as officials say at least 82 people have died.

Rescuers are still searching for 10 children and one counselor from Camp Mystic, after at least 82 people – including 28 children – were killed in flash floods.

Searchers have found the bodies of 68 people, including 28 children, in Kerr County – home to Camp Mystic, a Christian summer camp – Sheriff Larry Leitha said in the afternoon.

He pledged to keep searching until everybody is found from Friday’s flash floods.

10 other deaths have been reported in Travis, Burnet, Kendall, Tom Green and Williamson counties, officials said.

Rescuers are now scouring the devastated landscape as they search for the missing – including 10 girls and a counsellor from the camp.

A total of 41 people are confirmed missing across the state, according to Governor Greg Abbott, who warned that the number could still rise.

Donald Trump announced he signed a Major Disaster Declaration for Kerr County to help search efforts.

Taking to Truth Social, the US president said the declaration will “ensure that our Brave First Responders immediately have the resources they need”.

“These families are enduring an unimaginable tragedy, with many lives lost, and many still missing,” he added, noting that the administration is working closely with state and local officials.

Heartbreaking photos from the wrecked site show sodden mattresses and teddies strewn across dormitories.

Meanwhile, outside, trucks and heavy machinery were swept away -evidence of the floods’ deadly force.

Teams working tirelessly in harsh conditions to find victims have witnessed the atrocities first-hand, with dozens of bodies discovered.

Officials said more than 850 people had been rescued in the last 36 hours.

Bobby Templeton, superintendent of Ingram Independent School District, said: “We still have people coming here looking for their loved ones. We’ve had a little success, but not much.”

Worst-hit was Kerr County, particularly areas around the Guadeloupe River where waters rose by 26ft in 45 minutes following a freak dump of rainfall.

The danger was not over as rains continued pounding communities outside San Antonio on Saturday and flash flood warnings and watches remained in effect.

About a third of a year’s worth of rain fell in a few short hours, completely overwhelming the waterways and creating an “extraordinary catastrophe”.

Dalton Rice, Kerville city manager, said on Saturday: “We’ve been rescuing people out of these camps by the hundreds. There’s a lot of folks that are shelter in place, so we leave them in place to make sure that we get them food, water.”

Multiple people lost their lives in other counties, bringing the current confirmed death toll to 59 – though this is sadly expected to rise.

The parents of all the missing children have been notified – and many turned to social media to share desperate pleas for information about their girls.

Local reports suggest that up to six girls have been confirmed dead, citing their families.

Janie Hunt, 9, was among the dead, her distraught mother told CNN.

A relative of nine-year-old Renee Smajstrla revealed on Facebook that the girls’s body had been found.

Shawna Salta wrote: “We are thankful she was with her friends and having the time of her life, as evidenced by this picture from yesterday.”

Lila Bonner’s family also released a statement confirming her death.

They wrote: “In the midst of our unimaginable grief, we ask for privacy and are unable to confirm any details at this time.

“We ache with all who loved her and are praying endlessly.”

Lila shared a cabin with her best friend Eloise Peck, 8, who also lost her life.

Her mom, Missy Peck, told Fox4: “Eloise was literally friends with everyone. She loved spaghetti but not more than she loved dogs and animals.

“She passed away with her cabinmate and best friend Lila Bonner who also died.

“Eloise had a family who loved her fiercely for the 8 years she was with us. Especially her Mommy.”

Sarah Marsh, from Mountain Brook, Alabama, has also been confirmed dead.

Stewart Welch, the Mayor of Mountain Brook, wrote on social media: “This is an unimaginable loss for her family, her school and our entire community,”

He added: “Sarah’s passing is a sorrow shared by all of us, and our hearts are with those who knew her and loved her.”

Camp Mystic’s owner and director Dick Eastland is amongst those confirmed to have died.

Source: https://www.the-sun.com/news/14637855/texas-flood-death-toll-climbs-children-camp-mystic/

Govt sources earlier said that no action was taken against either outlet while the IT Ministry hinted at confusion from X’s side.

The X accounts of UK-based news agency Reuters and Turkish broadcaster TRT World appeared to have been restored in India late Sunday evening, a day after users noticed they were being withheld in the country. Government sources speaking to CNN-News18 earlier in the day had clarified that India did not instruct X (formerly Twitter) to block either handle and said both outlets are free to operate in the country.

The blockade of the X account in India “seems like a technical issue or confusion from the X side”, the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology said.

Source: https://www.news18.com/india/reuters-trt-world-x-accounts-restored-in-india-after-brief-outage-ws-kl-9424665.html

THIS is the shocking moment a three-car pile-up caused a burning SUV to smash into a Domino’s pizza store causing a devastating explosion.

Three people were injured and evacuation orders were issued after the terrifying incident at a strip mall in Herriman, Utah, on Saturday night.

The explosion tore through the building occupied by several businesses after the vehicle hit a gas line, a Unified Fire Authority spokesperson said.

As well as damaging a Domino’s, a Jimmy John’s sandwich shop and a Supercuts barber shop were also impacted.

Crews were called to the scene around 10:15 pm local time to a three-vehicle accident that caused one to smash into the strip mall.

Shocking footage shows the moment the explosion tore the roof off the building, lighting up the night sky and sending debris into the air before plunging everything back into darkness.

Taking to X, locals who captured the incident were left stunned.

“Crazy night! I pray everybody got out but we witnessed this as the car slammed into the Domino’s pizza and the whole damn building blew up!” resident Dave Young wrote.

“I was maybe 100 feet away and it took my breath away as the mushroom cloud exploded! Unreal,” he added.

Alongside the post he shared videos taken seconds after impact showing the extent of the horrifying blaze.

Over 60 firefighters from Unified Fire, South Jordan, West Jordan, West Valley City, Sandy and Draper Fire Departments were dispatched to the scene, a spokesperson told The Salt Lake Tribune.

They continued working through the night into Sunday morning to quash the blaze.

Those who were injured in the incident were taken to nearby hospitals with their conditions currently unknown.

According to ABC News affiliate KTVX-TV, the three injured were the drivers of each of the vehicles with the conditions of their passengers not released.

One vehicle had a 70-year-old driver and a 72-year-old male passenger, per the outlet.

Another reportedly had a teenage learner driver with several passengers and the third had a single 26-year-old male driver.

No members of law enforcement or the fire services were harmed, officials have said.

A spokesperson from Unified Fire shared on X how two heroic witnesses rushed to help those trapped in the burning SUV.

“Two courageous bystanders risked their lives to rescue the driver and passenger from the burning vehicle just moments before it was engulfed in flames,” they wrote on X.

Josh Lee with Riverton City told KTVX-TV that all occupants of the businesses were able to flee the building before the explosion.

Officials evacuated nearby residents after the incident sparked a gas leak which has now been contained.

The cause of the crash is under investigation and all evacuation orders have been lifted.

The U.S. Sun has reached to the Herriman Police Department for an update.

SENDING PRAYERS
Herriman City Mayor Lorin Palmer wrote the following statement on Facebook:

“Our thoughts are with all of those affected by the tragedy on 134th South tonight.

“To those involved in the accident, to those businesses affected by the fire, and to the employees that were on scene…we are thinking of you!

“Thank you to those first responders that handled such a crazy scene with such professionalism!

Source: https://www.the-sun.com/news/14639196/shocking-moment-dominos-explosion-herriman-utah-suv-crash/

Israel will send a delegation to Qatar on Sunday (Jul 6) for talks on a possible Gaza hostage and ceasefire deal, although Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office said the changes requested by Hamas to a ceasefire proposal were unacceptable.

Palestinian group Hamas said on Friday it had responded to a US-backed Gaza ceasefire proposal in a “positive spirit”, a few days after US President Donald Trump said Israel had agreed “to the necessary conditions to finalise” a 60-day truce.

But in a sign of the potential challenges still facing the two sides, a Palestinian official from a militant group allied with Hamas said concerns remained over humanitarian aid, passage through the Rafah crossing in southern Israel to Egypt and clarity over a timetable for Israeli troop withdrawals.

“The changes that Hamas seeks to make to the Qatari proposal were conveyed to us last night and are not acceptable to Israel,” Netanyahu’s office said in a statement late on Saturday.

The prime minister’s office added that the delegation will still fly to Qatar for talks over a possible deal to “continue the efforts to secure the return of our hostages based on the Qatari proposal that Israel agreed to”.

Netanyahu, who is due to meet Trump in Washington on Monday, has repeatedly said Hamas must be disarmed, a position the militant group, which is thought to be holding 20 living hostages, has so far refused to discuss.

The latest bloodshed in the decades-old Israeli-Palestinian conflict was triggered on Oct 7, 2023, when Hamas attacked southern Israel, killing around 1,200 people and taking 251 hostages, according to Israeli tallies.

Source : https://www.channelnewsasia.com/world/israel-gaza-ceasefire-talks-qatar-hamas-demands-netanyahu-hostages-5222396

U.S. President Donald Trump drew criticism for using the antisemitic term “Shylock” to describe some bankers during remarks on his signature tax-cut and spending legislation that just passed Congress.
“Think of that: No death tax. No estate tax. No going to the banks and borrowing from, in some cases, a fine banker – and in some cases, Shylocks and bad people,” he said during remarks in Iowa late on Thursday.

Shylock is an unscrupulous Jewish money lender in Shakespeare’s 16th century play “The Merchant of Venice” and the term, shorthand for loan shark, has long been considered offensive.
“The term ‘Shylock’ evokes a centuries-old antisemitic trope about Jews and greed that is extremely offensive and dangerous,” the Anti-Defamation League said in a statement. “President Trump’s use of the term is very troubling and irresponsible.”
U.S. Representative Dan Goldman of New York, a Jewish Democrat, said, “This is blatant and vile antisemitism, and Trump knows exactly what he’s doing.”
Asked about his use of the term on his return to Washington, Trump said he did not know its connotations.

Source : https://www.reuters.com/business/finance/trump-criticized-using-antisemitic-shylock-describe-bankers-2025-07-04/

U.S. President Donald Trump said Ukraine would need Patriot missiles for its defenses, after speaking with President Volodymyr Zelenskiy on Friday, and voiced frustration over Russian President Vladimir Putin’s failure to end the fighting.
Trump told reporters aboard Air Force One that he had a good call with Zelenskiy, repeating that he was “very unhappy” about his call with Putin a day earlier, given what he called the Russian leader’s refusal to work on a ceasefire.

Asked whether the United States would agree to supply more Patriot missiles to Ukraine, as requested by Zelenskiy, Trump said: “They’re going to need them for defense… They’re going to need something because they’re being hit pretty hard.”
Trump touted the efficacy of the Patriot missiles, calling the weapon “pretty amazing.”
Asked about the prospects for a ceasefire, Trump said, “It’s a very tough situation… I was very unhappy with my call with President Putin. He wants to go all the way, just keep killing people – it’s no good.”
Zelenskiy said he had agreed to work on increasing Kyiv’s capability to “defend the sky” as Russian attacks escalate, adding in a message on Telegram that he discussed joint defense production, as well as joint purchases and investments with the U.S. leader.

Ukraine has been asking Washington to sell it more Patriot missiles and systems that it sees as key to defending its cities from intensifying Russian air strikes.
A decision by Washington to halt some shipments of weapons to Ukraine prompted warnings by Kyiv that the move would weaken its ability to defend against Russia’s airstrikes and battlefield advances. Germany said it is in talks on buying Patriot air defense systems to bridge the gap.
A source briefed on the Trump-Zelenskiy call told Reuters they were optimistic that supplies of Patriot missiles could resume after what they called a “very good” conversation between the presidents.

RUSSIA PUMMELS KYIV

Trump said he also spoke with German Chancellor Friedrich Merz about Ukraine’s request for Patriot missiles but that no decision had been made to supply the advanced missiles.

U.S. news outlet Axios reported, citing unnamed sources, that the call lasted around 40 minutes and that Trump told Zelenskiy he would check what U.S. weapons due to be sent to Ukraine, if any, had been put on hold.
Zelenskiy, in his nightly video address, said he and Trump had agreed to “arrange a meeting between our teams to strengthen air defenses.
“We had a very detailed discussion on joint production. We need it, America needs it.”
The conversation came a day after Trump said he had a disappointing call with Putin.
Russia pummeled Kyiv with the largest drone attack of the war across the capital hours after Trump’s conversation with Putin on Thursday.
Zelenskiy called the attack “deliberately massive and cynical.”
Kyiv in the past received Patriot batteries and ammunition from the U.S. in the form of aid under then-President Joe Biden.

Source : https://www.reuters.com/business/aerospace-defense/trump-zelesnkiy-discuss-weapons-escalating-russian-strikes-2025-07-04/

Asked last month whether he was planning to join Israel in attacking Iran, US President Donald Trump said “I may do it. I may not do it. Nobody knows what I’m going to do”.

He let the world believe he had agreed a two-week pause to allow Iran to resume negotiations. And then he bombed anyway.

A pattern is emerging: The most predictable thing about Trump is his unpredictability. He changes his mind. He contradicts himself. He is inconsistent.

“[Trump] has put together a highly centralised policy-making operation, arguably the most centralised, at least in the area of foreign policy, since Richard Nixon,” says Peter Trubowitz, professor of international relations at the London School of Economics.

“And that makes policy decisions more dependent on Trump’s character, his preferences, his temperament.”

Trump has put this to political use; he has made his own unpredictability a key strategic and political asset. He has elevated unpredictability to the status of a doctrine. And now the personality trait he brought to the White House is driving foreign and security policy.

It is changing the shape of the world.

Political scientists call this the Madman Theory, in which a world leader seeks to persuade his adversary that he is temperamentally capable of anything, to extract concessions. Used successfully it can be a form of coercion and Trump believes it is paying dividends, getting the US’s allies where he wants them.

But is it an approach that can work against enemies? And could its flaw be that rather than being a sleight of hand designed to fool adversaries, it is in fact based on well established and clearly documented character traits, with the effect that his behaviour becomes easier to predict?

Bilawal Bhutto said Pakistan would be willing to arrest any “individual of concern” if India is willing to participate in the process and present evidence of the same.

Former Pakistani Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari said his country had no objection to extraditing “individuals of concern” to India as a confidence-building measure, as long as India shows willingness to cooperate with its neighbour.

In an interview with Al Jazeera on Friday, Bilawal responded to a question about extraditing Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) chief Hafiz Saeed and Jaish-e-Muhammad (JeM) chief Masood Azhar as possible concessions and good-faith gestures to India.

“As part of a comprehensive dialogue with Pakistan, where terrorism is one of the issues that we discuss, I am sure Pakistan would not be opposed to any of these things,” he said, while accusing India of not complying with Pakistan to stop cross-border terrorism.

‘If India Cooperates…’

“India is refusing to comply with certain basic elements that require that conviction to take place. It’s important … to present evidence within these courts, for people to come over from India to testify, to put up with whatever the counter-accusations will be,” said Bilawal. “If India is willing to be cooperative in that process, I am sure there will be no hurdle in extraditing any individual of concern.”

Masood Azhar, who has been linked to a string of terror attacks in India- including the 2001 Parliament attack, the 26/11 Mumbai attacks, the 2016 Pathankot airbase assault and the 2019 Pulwama suicide bombing- was designated a UN global terrorist in 2019. Meanwhile, Saeed – the mastermind of the 26/11 attack – is currently serving a 33-year sentence for terror financing.

Bilawal also stressed that Pakistan had no knowledge of the location of Azhar and said he would be arrested if New Delhi provides credible evidence that he is on Pakistani soil. The Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) chairman also suggested that Azhar may be in Afghanistan.

‘New Abnormal’

Furthermore, Bilawal expressed concern about India’s renewed policy to pursue terrorists, saying it does not serve the interests of either country and termed it a “new abnormal”.

India said any further discussions with Pakistan would only be on terrorism and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK), after ties deteriorated sharply following a terror attack by Lashkar-linked terrorists in Jammu and Kashmir’s Pahalgam on April 22.

Source : https://www.news18.com/world/bilawal-bhutto-says-pakistan-has-no-objection-to-extraditing-individuals-of-concern-to-india-ws-kl-9422949.html

EIGHTEEN people were injured after a fire alert onboard a Ryanair plane bound for Manchester sent passengers into panic in Majorca.

The alarm went off just after midnight on the runway of Palma Airport and passengers were forced to evacuate.

Passengers were filmed clambering out of the plane onto one of its wings before jumping to the tarmac as firefighters and police rushed to the scene.

Local emergency teams said 18 people needed treatment for injuries, with six being taken to hospital.

Footage uploaded to social media shows terrified passengers leaping from the plane’s wing down onto the tarmac, before sprinting away.

In the clip, an airport worker can be heard saying: “Do you know the plane has emergency exits?

“Now the people are jumping from the wing onto the ground.

“Something’s happening, something’s happening, they’re evacuating the plane. Now the firefighters are coming.”

The video shows other passengers using an emergency exit slide on the other side of the plane, which is the usual procedure.

The mother of one passenger on the flight said her daughter, who had been on a mini-break with her boyfriend, said flight attendants “froze” after the alert.

She said: “People were falling over each other to get off, running all over the place.

“One attendant shouted, ‘Get off’, the other froze and she didn’t know what was going on.

“She looked as shocked as the passengers.”
The shell-shocked mother added: “My daughter called me and said,

‘Mum, I’m trying to get down the slide, I might not survive this and I love you’.”

“It was horrible. I couldn’t sleep all night, even after I knew she was safe. They got no support when she got in the airport.”

It was confirmed this morning the plane was about to leave the airport for Manchester.

Airline staff onboard the plane are said to have alerted the emergency services with a call at 12.35am this morning.

Four ambulances were sent to the scene along with airport-based firefighters and police.

A spokesman for a Majorca’s emergency response crews said this morning: “We received an alert about a fire on a plane on the ground at Palma airport at 00.36am today.

“Four ambulances were sent to the scene which were two basic life support units and two advanced life support unit.

“Eighteen people were injured and received medical assistance of whom six were taken to hospital.

“They were all minor. Three went to the Clinica Rotger and three to the Palmaplanas Hospital.”

A spokesperson for Ryanair said: “This flight from Palma to Manchester discontinued take-off due to a false fire warning light indication.

“Passengers were disembarked using the inflatable slides and returned to the terminal.

“While disembarking, a small number of passengers encountered very minor injuries (ankle sprains, etc.) and crew requested immediate medical assistance.

Source : https://www.the-sun.com/news/14634206/people-injured-fire-ryanair-plane-majorca-airport/

ASTRONAUTS visiting Mars could unearth a museum of alien fossils that may have belonged to an intelligent civilisation.

Professor Chandra Wickramasinghe backed NASA’s plan to send humans to Mars in the 2030s and Elon Musk’s bid to colonise the planet.

The Buckingham Centre for Astrobiology astrobiologist thinks alien life “unquestionably” existed on the Red Planet.

And he’s even suggested explorers could unearth fossils pointing to alien life, possibly more intelligent than us.

Prof Wickramasinghe told The Sun: “I think it is entirely plausible that Mars, sometime in the past, was a green planet full of life.

“Then something happened that made it a virtually dead planet or nearly a dead planet.

“This could have happened after impact. An episode of comet asteroid impacts could have destroyed all life that existed on it if it did exist on Mars. It could have destroyed it just as on the Earth.

“If there was a huge protracted episode of asteroid comet impacts, then this planet would be a dead planet.

“The fact that Mars and Earth are very similar, geologically very similar, have seasons and they have very similar patterns of oscillation of temperature and so on makes it entirely possible that, in the past, Mars was the home of life.

“I don’t rule out intelligent life.

He added: “I think astronauts will explore all those fossils discussed by Barry DiGregorio, examine them more carefully and decide whether they’re artifacts or real fossils.

“They would encounter bacteria and I think they would find a planet that is very easy to terraform, to make it a living planet like the earth.

“If you go with enough resources, you could build houses and build a civilisation on Mars, and I don’t think that’s impossible.

“I can’t rule out an intelligent civilisation.”

Asked what that life may have looked like, he said: “It’s speculation. It could have been as intelligent as you or I or maybe even more intelligent.

“Who knows? I think evidence has been virtually stamped out of existence possibly through an impact episode, if it did exist.”

DiGregorio had claimed alien fossils had been discovered by NASA’s Curiosity rover in 2018.

He accused NASA of failing to investigate properly so it could boost publicity for a manned mission to Mars.

NASA said it believed the images likely showed signs of crystal growth, not alien fossils.

Billionaire Musk has long signalled his intent to colonise Mars through his SpaceX company.

Last year, the X owner even suggested humans could land there in four years and be living in a self-sustaining city in 20.

NASA says on its website it intends to send humans to Mars in the 1930s.

In 1976, NASA landed two Viking landers on Mars.

NASA scientist Gilbert Levin ran an experiment to test the soil and concluded there were positive signs of life through the presence of radioactive gas.

NASA and its other scientists disagreed, and separate experiments from Viking concluded the soil did not show signs of life.

But Levin spent the rest of his life claiming he’d found signs of alien life until his death in 2021.

Prof Wickramasinghe said: “We have unquestionably found microbial life on Mars, the most secure discovery was the Gilbert Levin discovery in the 1970s when they did the Viking land experiments.”

He added: “That result was overwhelmingly positive. They got the result that they wanted.

“So almost immediately Levin, who I’d known for a long time, made the announcement on behalf of NASA that we have discovered life on Mars.

“This was a step too far for the NASA establishment, and they then revoked that statement.”

On its website, NASA says: “Mars remains our horizon goal for human exploration because it is one of the only other places we know where life may have existed in the solar system.

Source : https://www.the-sun.com/tech/14329268/aliens-live-mars-smarter-humans/

THE male escort “The Punisher” who participated in Sean “Diddy” Combs’ alleged “freak-offs” has opened up about the battle against a storm of negativity since testifying at the music mogul’s trial.

The high-profile federal trial of Combs ended on Wednesday with the jury’s stunning verdict that acquitted the Bad Boy Records executive, 55, of racketeering conspiracy and sex trafficking charges.

Throughout seven grueling weeks, the prosecution laid out their expansive case that consisted of testimony from 34 witnesses, including law enforcement officials, former employees of Combs, as well as two former girlfriends.

Cassandra Ventura, the singer who goes by Cassie, disclosed to jurors how Combs allegedly proposed a “freak-off” to her months into the start of their relationship in 2007, when she was 22.

An emotional Ventura told the court that the alleged drug-fueled sex marathons with paid male escorts became a weekly occurrence, describing how her music career took a backseat while her participation in the “freak-offs” became “her job.”

Ventura testified how she soon began organizing “freak-offs” at Combs’ direction and “because it was what was expected of her.”

She told the court she would at times hire the male escorts, book the hotel rooms, and ensure the rooms were set up with red lighting, towels, drugs, candles, and baby oil.

“I just felt pretty horrible about myself. I felt disgusting. I felt humiliated,” Ventura said on the stand.

Sharay Hayes, a male escort who goes by the nickname “The Punisher,” was among the dozens of escorts who participated in the sex marathons with Combs and Ventura.

Hayes described the “freak-offs” as choreographed encounters where Combs would always be hovering around him and Ventura.

“We started every interaction the same. It was a routine and there was a specific procedure to use baby oil,” Hayes told The U.S. Sun days before the jury delivered its verdicts in the trial.

“Me putting baby oil on myself, or her doing it to herself.

“That was the visual type of desire for the moment. So, it was very consistent every single time, every situation I interacted and involved in.”

‘DAMAGE CONTROL’

Hayes was the ninth witness called to the stand by the prosecution and since his testimony on May 20, the former escort turned author has been trying to navigate the “storm of negativity” that emerged from Combs’ federal trial.

“Honestly, my mindset now is all damage control,” Hayes, who authored the men’s self-help book In Search of FREEZER MEATS, said.

“When you’re thrust into this type of trial, especially under the umbrella as a male escort, you get a storm of negativity, negative perceptions.

“Listen, I’m not trying to sidestep. It’s a decision that I made in terms of a proposition, but doing these interviews and trying to at least control the narrative of who I am as a man, how I represent myself, what I’m trying to do to the best of my ability.

“If there’s going to be an opinion, at least let it be formulated off of someone actually seeing me speak and tell my side and put it out to the public to at least form whatever opinion you’re going.

“This stuff happened over a decade ago. So, the first thing from my mind is that it’s going to be in a public forum.

“And just the idea of these intimate details about yourself being basically broadcasted to the world that everybody can just form an opinion, embellish on that opinion.

“Then you being judged on these very intimate moments. It’s an unfortunate thing. I don’t I don’t wish it on anybody.

“It’s a tough thing to have your name synonymous with those type of acts and that type of atmosphere for the rest of your days.

“So, I don’t know what it’s going to look like in the future, but I’m just trying my best to manage it.”

COMBS STILL IN JAIL

Combs and his family’s post-verdict celebration was short-lived after the judge presiding over his case denied the music mogul bail.

Marc Agnifilo, Combs’ lead defense attorney, proposed a sprawling $1 million bail package to Judge Arun Subramanian that would have allowed his client to be on house arrest at his Star Island estate in Miami while he awaited sentencing.

Agnifilo said Combs would have willingly surrendered his passport and restrict his travels to New York, New Jersey, Miami, and Los Angeles.

Throughout the trial and during closing arguments, Combs and his defense team admitted to his violence behavior towards his staff and former girlfriends.

However, the strategy ended up backfiring and in his ruling, Judge Subramanian used the defense’s own admission against them in their effort to release Combs on bail.

“Even if the defendant was solely required to show that he is not a danger to the community, he could not meet that burden,” the judge told Agnifilo.

“The defense conceded the defendant’s violence. You full-throatedly in your closing arguments told the jury that there was violence here.”

The judge underscored the disturbing 2016 surveillance footage from the Inter-Continental hotel of Combs’ brutal assault on Ventura.

“There was the London Hotel incident. There was violence after the searches in this case,” Judge Subramanian added, referring to the raids on Combs’ properties in Beverly Hills and Miami.

“As to Jane, there was June 2024 after the searches of Combs’ residences. This evidences a disregard for the law and a propensity for violence.”

Agnifilo pushed back on the judge’s ruling, arguing that his client has been a “model prisoner” since his arrest in September 2024.

“I just think we should trust him. He’s not going to flee,” the defense attorney said.

At one point, Agnifilo brazenly told Judge Subramanian that Combs wished to speak with him, but the offer seemingly went unnoticed as the judge reaffirmed his position.

Combs hung his head as he was escorted out of the courtroom by US Marshals, who transported him back to the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn.

“The defense conceded the defendant’s violence. You full-throatedly in your closing arguments told the jury that there was violence here.

Before he left the courtroom, Combs faced his family and told them, “We’re gonna make it through this. I’ll see you when I get out,” according to CNN.

“I love you all. Be strong.”

The judge tentatively set sentencing for October 3, but scheduled a July 8 hearing where he will rule on whether to push the date up per the defense’s request.

Hayes, the former male escort, said that despite all the alleged sex marathons he participated in with Combs and Ventura, he holds no ill will towards the music executive.

“I’m trying to steer strongly away from judgment. Certain things are undeniable to domestic violence and stuff like that,” Hayes told The U.S. Sun.

“But we do understand people have low moments, so I don’t want to categorize a man in his 50s solely based on his low moments and a lot of misinformation that’s being spread.

Source : https://www.the-sun.com/entertainment/14610212/diddy-witness-the-punisher-storm-of-negativity-battle/

TWO people have died and several are injured after a mass shooting in Indianapolis as Fourth of July violence spilled into the weekend.

The horror shooting broke out in the early hours of Saturday morning where “hundreds” of juveniles had gathered near South Illinois Street and West Washington Street.

Cops had already been dealing with an incident in the area when they were called to another skirmish and heard gunfire as they approached the scene just before 1:30 am.

When they arrived, six people had been shot and one was pronounced dead at the scene.

Cops later confirmed that the fatality was a 16-year-old boy.

The six injured victims were transported to local hospitals where one later died – later confirmed to be a 15-year-old male.

A seventh shooting victim ended up walking to an area hospital and is said to be in a stable condition.

The identities of those who died and were injured have not been released.

But police said in a press conference that of those shot, one was 16, one was 17, two were 19 and one was 21.

A number of firearms were taken from the scene by cops and several people were detained for questioning as an investigation continues.

It is not known if the weapons seized and those being questioned were involved in the shooting.

Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department Chief Chris Bailey issued a stern warning to parents at a press conference from the scene on Friday night as he gave initial details about the night of violence.

As thousands of people gathered to celebrate Fourth of July by watching the organized fireworks displays, others including “hundreds of kids” gathered to cause trouble, Bailey said.

“This kind of violence, whether downtown or in any of our neighborhoods is completely unacceptable and unnecessary,” he told reporters.

“Thousands of people came downtown tonight, enjoyed the fireworks and went home.

“Thousands more chose to come down here and all night cause trouble.”

‘WAKE UP’

All night long, he spoke of how he and his officers “dealt with the disturbances, dealt with the utter disrespect for our city, for our laws, and for law enforcement.”

“Hundreds of unsupervised kids down here. I don’t know how many times I have to say it – We are not your children’s keepers. You are.

“Parents and guardians have got to step up.

“A kid is dead tonight. And we just don’t know the age of the young man down the street still here. Dead. He looks young. It’s unacceptable.”

Chief Bailey spoke of how around 20 arrests were made on Friday night alone and with guns seized from children before the mass shooting broke out.

One of the kids he referred to had an assault rifle in the front of his pants as the police chief called for the community to “wake up” to the state of its youth.

“We’re going to find out who did it and we are going to hold them accountable and if I can convince the prosecutor to hold parents accountable I’m going to do that too,” he vowed.

“I’m going to seek some kind of accountability to parents. There has to be more than just ‘what are the police doing?'”

“They ran toward the gunfire as they were working another fight,” he added of the officers who responded to the shooting.

The IMPD is set to release more information as the investigation continues.

Source : https://www.the-sun.com/news/14635126/indianapolis-mass-shooting-fourth-july-weekend-violence/

India has consistently refused to fully open its agriculture sector, particularly around genetically modified crops and dairy products

US President Donald Trump said on Friday he has signed letters to 12 countries outlining tariff levels they will face in what he described as “take it or leave it” offers, with the communications set to go out on Monday.

Speaking to reporters aboard Air Force One, Trump declined to name the countries involved. He also raised the stakes, saying tariffs could now reach as high as 70% – up from previously threatened levels of 50% – with most set to take effect August 1.

“I signed some letters and they’ll go out on Monday, probably twelve,” Trump said, according to news agency Reuters. “Different amounts of money, different amounts of tariffs.”

India appears likely to be among the 12 countries receiving the letters, according to officials familiar with the matter in New Delhi, after intensive negotiations failed to produce a complete breakthrough that would have averted higher tariffs.

“It may not be surprising if India figures in the list because outcomes of the bilateral trade negotiations since March this year until middle of current week were not as per Trump’s expectations,” said one person aware of the matter, speaking anonymously.

“Had it been so [if Trump accepted the terms], both Washington and New Delhi would have announced a deal by now.”

Trump’s announcement came immediately after India’s negotiating team returned from Washington following week-long talks that began June 26 – the fourth face-to-face negotiating round since March. The team, led by chief negotiator Rajesh Agrawal, had been pursuing what officials called an “early harvest” or mini trade deal.

Fundamental disagreements remain over market access, with “the US wanting unfettered access for American agriculture goods in the Indian market, a highly sensitive area for New Delhi as it involves the livelihood of millions of subsistence farmers,” the person said.

India has consistently refused to fully open its agriculture sector, particularly around genetically modified crops and dairy products. The country remains unwilling to allow items like soybean and corn unless certified as non-GM, since such crops are banned domestically.

Another major sticking point is “duty-free access in the Indian automobile sector,” the person added. “The Trump administration wants all without committing to withdraw the Liberation Day tariff, and other punitive tariffs on Indian steel, aluminium, automobiles and auto parts.”

Faced with the deadlock, India escalated the dispute beyond bilateral channels, the person added.

“Hence on return of its negotiating team from Washington, India on July 3 put the US on 30-day notice at the WTO before suspending concessions or other obligations on American imports,” the person explained.

Officials of the commerce ministry did not respond to requests for a comment on the matter.

A second person said bilateral discussions continue through virtual channels and a breakthrough remains possible.

“If India’s interest is served, an initial deal can still be achieved by July 9,” this person added, requesting anonymity. He added that “irrespective of deadlines, India will not sign any deal that is not balanced, equitable and a win-win.”

“Both countries remain committed to reaching the first tranche of a bilateral trade agreement by October 2025, as directed by Modi and Trump during their February 13 meeting”. That broader deal would include services and investment provisions beyond the current focus on goods.

New Delhi and Washington have been attempting to thrash out a trade deal since Trump’s February 13 summit with Prime Minister Narendra Modi, where both leaders agreed to more than double bilateral trade to $500 billion by 2030.

Despite the ambitious target, tensions escalated as Trump reimposed and expanded tariffs.

In March, the US imposed 25% tariffs on steel and aluminium imports from all countries, ending exemptions that had protected some trading partners. On March 26, Trump added 25% duties on passenger vehicles, light trucks and certain automobile parts, specifically targeting imports from countries including India.

The situation deteriorated further when Trump declared April 2 as “Liberation Day,” announcing a global 10% baseline tariff plus additional country-specific levies. India faced a combined 26% tariff – the 10% baseline plus an additional 16% reciprocal tariff.

Trump suspended the additional tariffs for 90 days to allow negotiations, but that reprieve expires July 9. India had initially demanded complete withdrawal of all punitive tariffs but softened its position to focus on partial relief in exchange for limited agricultural concessions.

Commerce minister Piyush Goyal on Saturday defended India’s approach, saying the country “negotiates from a position of strength and not under deadlines.”

He reiterated this position on Saturday when he rebutted opposition leader Rahul Gandhi’s charge that the Modi government would “meekly bow” to Trump’s tariff deadline.

Goyal accused the previous Congress-led United Progressive Alliance government of “negotiating and signing agreements that were not in the national interest.”

The day before, Goyal had emphasised that “India never negotiates trade deals with a deadline” and would announce any agreement only when it is “fully finalised, properly concluded and in the national interest.”

Trump’s ultimatum strategy reflects broader challenges in completing complex trade agreements on an accelerated timeline. Most traditional trade deals take years to negotiate, but Trump’s administration has sought to compress that process into months.

To date, Trump has reached agreements with only Britain and Vietnam. Britain secured a deal in May but accepted a pact to keep tariffs at 10% with preferential treatment for sectors including autos and aircraft engines. Vietnam, threatened with a 46% combined rate, negotiated a reduction to 20% with many US products allowed to enter duty-free.

Source : https://www.hindustantimes.com/india-news/take-it-or-leave-it-tariff-letters-ready-us-prez-101751740934876.html

Reuters has not given a statement yet on what led to the blocking of its main account on X in India

The official X handle of the international news agency Reuters has been withheld in India due to a “legal demand”.

Reuters has not given a statement yet on what led to the blocking of its main account on X in India.

Source : https://www.ndtv.com/india-news/reuters-x-account-in-india-withheld-in-response-to-legal-demand-8831016

The 85-year-old leader appeared in a video aired by state media on Saturday, which showed dozens of people attending an event at a mosque to mark Ashura, the holiest day of the Shia Muslim calendar.

In the footage, Khamenei is seen waving and nodding to the chanting crowd, which rose to its feet as he entered the mosque.

State TV said the clip was filmed at the Imam Khomeini Mosque in central Tehran.

Khamenei has avoided public appearances since the start of the fighting on June 13, and his speeches have all been prerecorded.

The United States, which joined in the Israeli attacks by bombing three key nuclear sites in Iran on June 22, had sent warnings to Khamenei, with US President Donald Trump saying on social media that Washington knew where the Iranian leader was, but had no plans to kill him, “at least for now”.

On June 26, in prerecorded remarks aired on state television, Khamenei rejected Trump’s calls for Iran’s surrender, and said Tehran had delivered a “slap to America’s face” by striking a US airbase in Qatar

Trump replied, in remarks to reporters and on social media: “Look, you’re a man of great faith. A man who’s highly respected in his country. You have to tell the truth. You got beat to hell.”

Iran has acknowledged that more than 900 people were killed in the war, as well as thousands injured. Iran’s retaliatory missile attacks on Israel killed at least 28 people there.

The ceasefire between the two countries took hold on June 24.

Since then, Iran has confirmed serious damage to its nuclear facilities, and denied access to them for inspectors from the United Nations’s nuclear watchdog, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).

The IAEA’s inspectors had stayed in the Iranian capital throughout the fighting, even as Israel attacked Iranian military sites and killed several of the country’s most senior commanders and top scientists, as well as hundreds of civilians.

However, they left after Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian signed a law suspending cooperation with the IAEA on Wednesday.

IAEA Director-General Rafael Grossi on Friday stressed “the crucial importance” of dialogue with Iran to resume monitoring and verification work of its nuclear programme as soon as possible.

Iran was holding talks with the US on its nuclear programme when Israel launched its attacks. The US has been seeking a new agreement after Trump pulled the US out of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), which Tehran signed with world powers in 2015.

Source : https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2025/7/6/irans-supreme-leader-makes-first-public-appearance-since-war-with-israel

It comes as The U.S. Sun exclusively revealed the fate of the Kelly Clarkson Show during the singer’s Sin City residency

KELLY Clarkson shocked fans when she canceled her first live Vegas shows – just minutes before she was due to go on stage.

The much-loved singer, 43, announced earlier this year that she’ll perform a multi-month residency at Caesars Palace in Sin City.

Kelly Clarkson: Studio Sessions – The Las Vegas Residency was due to kick of yesterday and was promising to “bring the studio experience” to the stage.

But, with just an hour and a half until show time, she broke the bad news to fans.

Taking to Instagram, Kelly penned: “We have been working 24/7 to make Studio Sessions the most intimate and extraordinary experience with and for my incredible fans.

“I am beyond grateful that you always show up for me and I am devastated to have to postpone tonight and tomorrow’s opening at Caesars.”

Kelly said that both “prep and rehearsals” had “taken a toll” on her voice, and that she wanted “the shows to be perfect for y’all.”

The Because Of You singer added: “I need to protect myself from doing serious damage so I am taking this weekend and next week to rest up so that we can deliver what you all deserve.

“The show is truly incredible. The musicians and singers are outstanding, and I want us all to start out strong.”

She concluded the heartfelt post with: “I can’t wait to be back next weekend and show y’all what we’ve been working on.”

The announcement came just hours after she got fans going to the show excited with behind-the-scenes snaps, and wrote: “TONIGHT!!”

After news of Kelly cancelling this weekend’s shows, fans commented with one saying: “‘Totally bummed that we flew all the way to Vegas only to find out that the show was cancelled 1 1/2 hours prior to show time. So so sad!!”

While this one added: “‘I’m outside the doors”, followed by crying face emojis.

Kelly will now start her Vegas show later this month, with dates in August as well.

The residency will then take a break and resume in November.

FUTURE OF TALK SHOW

Last month, there was concern from fans that her Vegas residency could put Kelly’s talk show in jeopardy of being canceled.

However, an insider recently assured The U.S. Sun that this wasn’t the case,

In fact, the team at NBCUniversal worked to make sure the residency did not interfere with the talk show.

“NBCUni worked with the Caesars group to make sure filming didn’t overlap. Kelly’s show won’t be impacted by the residency,” the source told us.

“Everyone walked away from it happy. Caesars gets their show, NBC gets their show, and they’ll cross-promote, respectively.”

The source then added: “The Kelly Show is NBC’s number one daytime priority and is in no way in any danger of being canceled.

“There are big plans for the future of the franchise and the network encourages Kelly to take gigs outside of the show because it only helps her talk show’s viewership too.”

Her NBC daytime show is on hiatus for the summer, so it will not be impacted by the July and August Vegas dates.

Source : https://www.the-sun.com/entertainment/14634275/kelly-clarkson-las-vegas-residency-first-shows-cancelled/

A YOUNG woman was miraculously rescued after being swept 20 miles downriver in floods that have killed at least 27 and left dozens of young girls missing.

The 22-year-old was scooped up by fast-moving water from her campsite in Kerr County, Texas by deadly flash floods at 4am, and found clinging to a tree four hours later, reports KENS 5.

A third of a year’s worth of rain fell in a few hours in the area, creating an “extraordinary disaster”, with an enormous search-and-rescue mission still underway.

A Center Point resident, Carl, heard screaming when he stepped into his yard at around 8am on Friday morning.

He spotted the woman clinging to a huge Cyprus tree near Lion’s Park Dam as the river thundered beneath her.

She had for been holding on for several hours after a terrifying 20-mile journey down dams and dodging debris.

Emergency calls weren’t connecting, so the local resident desperately flagged down a police car for help.

Two rescue boats were scrambled and battled perilous currents to rescue the stranded camper.

By this time, the water level had receded considerably, so the woman was stranded 12ft above the water’s surface.

She was forced to drop into the rescue boat, and was finally brought to safety.

Carl said: “It was a true miracle. There’s no other way to explain it.

“We bought her into our house and gave her clothes and something to drink. We had a long talk with her.”

Carl’s family members told KENS 5 that the woman had been with her parents, sister, aunt and uncle at the campsite.

She reportedly was washed from her car with both of her parents, and became separated from the two of them.

Their condition is not yet clear.

The woman had suffered only minor injuries during her hellish journey downstream.

She recounted plunging down four dams and fighting refrigerators, vehicle and other debris along the way.

There are hopes that others missing after floods will be found clinging on somewhere like this woman.

On Saturday morning, Trump posted on Truth Social: “Our Secretary of Homeland Security, Kristi Noem, will be there shortly.

“Melania and I are praying for all of the families impacted by this horrible tragedy.

“Our Brave First Responders are on site doing what they do best. GOD BLESS THE FAMILIES, AND GOD BLESS TEXAS!

Rescue teams were working through Friday night in a desperate bid to locate two dozens girls who were swept away from Camp Mystic – and all-girls summer camp by the Guadeloupe River.

The camp said on Friday morning that the parents of missing children had been notified, but that most of the 750 kids were safe.

Texas Lieutenant Governor Dan Patrick said on Friday afternoon of the missing girls: “That does not mean they’ve been lost. They could be in a tree or out of communication.”

Frantic parents and families posted photos of missing loved ones and pleas for information.

Local media has confirmed that among the missing girls are 9-year-old Laiey Landry, friends Eloise Peck and Lila Bonner, and Renee Smajstrla from the same cabin

The authorities have drafted in helicopters, specialised swimmers, drones and military vehicles in the hope of finding the girls alive.

Elinor Lester, 13, who was at the camp when the flood hit said it had been completely destroyed.

She said: “A helicopter landed and started taking people away. It was really scary.”

Addressing the floods, President Trump said: “It’s terrible, the floods. It’s shocking.”

Asked if Texas would received federal aid, he said: “Oh yeah, sure, we’ll take care of it. We’re working with the governor.”

The flooding in the middle of the night on the Fourth of July holiday caught many residents, campers and officials by surprise.

The Texas Hill Country, which sits northwest of San Antonio, is a popular spot for camping and swimming, especially around the summertime holiday.

Questions have been raised about whether enough warnings and preparations were made.

Source : https://www.the-sun.com/news/14635426/woman-swept-miles-texas-floods-clinging-tree-rescue/

CITIES across the US have canceled their July 4 festivities – just weeks after protesters took to the streets demonstrating against Donald Trump’s illegal immigration crackdown.

Firework displays in some locations have been axed while other celebrations have been scaled back.

Last month, Los Angeles saw six days of protests with some rioters clashing with law enforcement.

Since June 6, around 2,000 migrants have been arrested in Los Angeles County as immigration agents executed raids.

National Guard personnel and hundreds of Marines were deployed in a bid to quell the unrest.

Los Angeles officials have since taken the decision to cancel some events across the county and city.

Bell Gardens’ July 4 event has been axed as chiefs decided to cancel all events scheduled between June 24 and July 10.

The concert, starring the Latin music group Gabrielito Y La Verdad, scheduled for July 3 was subsequently axed.

Officials revealed why they took the decision to pull events and said it was made “out of an abundance of caution.”

Chiefs alluded to concerns for the safety of locals, according to an Instagram post.

But, local officials have slammed the immigration raids.

Jorgel Chavez, the Bell Gardens mayor, labeled the raids in California un-American.

He claimed the presence of masked agents sparked fear among some.

The East Los Angeles Rock’in 4th of July celebration will not take place this year.

Officials at the Los Angeles Department of Parks and Recreation alluded to safety concerns.

On social media, they explained the decision to cancel the event was made with a “heavy heart.”

The Gloria Molina Grand Park’s Summer Block Party has also been shelved.

But in a boost to revelers, organizers said the party, which is a free event, will take place later in the summer.

Independence Day celebrations have been toned down in Cudahy, also located in Los Angeles County.

On June 25, city officials canceled a gig and firework show that was scheduled for July 3.

In Cudahy, 97% of the population identify themselves as Latino or Hispanic, according to US Census Bureau data.

It’s not just across Los Angeles County where July 4 festivities have been canceled or watered down.

Independence Day celebrations in SeaTac will not take place this year, or in 2026, as per the city.

The city’s Angle Lake Park will close at 6pm local time.

DRONE DEBACLE

Last year, around 10,000 revelers flocked to the park despite it only having a capacity of 3,200.

And, a drone show that cost $40,000 appeared to turn into a shabby spectacle.

Fifty out of the 200 flying machines fell into the lake, as reported by the local Fox affiliate KCPQ-TV.

However, there will still be firework displays across Washington on Friday.

Revelers will be treated to bursts of color in cities such as Federal Way, Kent, and Seattle.

But, a spectacle that has previously been labeled the largest in Illinois will not take place.

Itasca’s display has been canceled for the first time in almost three decades, as revealed by city officials.

Construction plans in the village had scuppered plans for the annual show.

Officials at the American Automobile Association estimate that 72.2 million people will travel at least 50 miles away from their home across this week.

“With the holiday falling on a Friday, travelers have the option of making it a long weekend or taking the entire week to make memories with family and friends,” Stacey Barber, the vice president of AAA Travel, said.

Transport officials estimate that the hours between 12pm and 7pm are the worst times to travel.

Last month, protests erupted in Los Angeles and other major cities.

The flare-up in violence saw Waymo robotaxis set alight and other motors vandalized.

Almost 5,000 National Guard personnel and Marines combined were deployed to Los Angeles.

Demonstrations against ICE were reported in New York, Austin, Charlotte, and Chicago.

Protests and rallies also occurred in cities such as Memphis, Detroit and Oklahoma City.

Source : https://www.the-sun.com/news/14629077/july-4-celebrations-canceled-ice-raids-protests-arrests/

DONALD Trump has revealed plans to host the UFC title fight at the White House next year to celebrate America’s 250th birthday.

The “championship” punch up could take place on the presidential lawn and draw over 20,000 fans.

Trump, 79, who is pally with UFC president Dana White and a big UFC fan, announced his ambitious plan at an event in Des Moines, Iowa on Thursday.

It comes just weeks after the president was pictured at the UFC 316 in New Jersey.

Speaking emphatically to the crowd, he called on White to help organise the fight, which he said could take place at the White House because there is “a lot of land”.

He said: “Does anybody watch UFC? The great Dana White?

“We’re going to have a UFC fight. We’re going to have a UFC fight – think of this – on the grounds of the White House.

“We have a lot of land there, we’re going to build a little — we’re not, Dana is going to do it.

“Dana is great, one of a kind — going to be UFC fight, championship fight, full fight, like 20,000 to 25,000 people, and we’re going to do that as part of ‘250.'”

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt later confirmed the plans on X, adding that the president is “dead serious”.

The announcement marks the start of a whole year’s worth of festivities to celebrate 250 years since American gained independence from the British.

Trump’s connections with the UFC date back over two decades, while his relationship with White has always been strong.

The UFC boss backed the president’s political career from the start, calling Trump a “fighter” and endorsing his presidential bid in 2016.

When Trump survived a failed assassination attempt the White declared the president a “tough guy”.

He later called the 79-year-old “the legitimate, ultimate, American badass of all time”.

Later, in an interview with Tucker Carlson at Fox News, he touched on the pair’s strong relationship, calling Trump “great” and a “good friend”.

He said: “This guy has been so good to me it’s unexplainable.

“He’s been a very good friend to me since the day I met him.

“When we bought this company it had such a bad stigma attached to it and the sport that we couldn’t even get into venues, they didn’t want us.

“Donald Trump saw that this thing could possibly be big.

“Plus he’s a sports guy who loves sports, and he offered us to come do the event at the Trump Taj Mahal in Atlantic City.

Source : https://www.the-sun.com/sport/14627683/trump-ufc-white-house-fight/

RUSSIA last night blitzed Ukraine with the heaviest air strikes since the beginning of the war – pounding capital Kyiv with 550 drones and 11 missiles.

The overnight strikes came just moments after Donald Trump had a phone call with Vladimir Putin.

Fires broke out in multiple locations as almost every district in the capital city was struck, according to Tymur Tkachenko, head of Kyiv’s military administration.

Dozens of Ukrainians were injured as toxic smoke engulfed the city.

The Svyatoshynskyi and Solomanskyi districts were among the hardest hit, with blazes on rooftops and in courtyards.

Short on air defence systems, Ukraine could only down two of 11 missiles.

Another nine missiles – one Kinzhal [Dagger], two Iskander-K, and six Iskander-M – wreaked havoc in the city.

The barrage came hot on the heels of Trump’s phone conversation with Putin, which ended in “no progress at all”, according to the US president.

“I didn’t make any progress with him at all,” the US President told reporters outside a Washington air base on Thursday.

The nearly hour-long call appeared to achieve little as Moscow stood firm on its war ambitions.

While Trump emphasised the need to end military hostilities, Kremlin aide Yury Ushakov said Putin was firm, stating: “Russia will continue to pursue its goals.”

He added that Moscow “will not back down” and is focused on addressing what it calls the “root causes” of the war.

It is a thinly veiled reference to Nato expansion and Western military support for Ukraine.

The call took place amid a growing outcry over the US decision to halt some critical arms shipments to Ukraine.

This includes the MIM-104 Patriot surface-to-air missile system (SAM), which is used to stop incoming missiles, precision-guided GMLRS missiles and thousands of high-explosive Howitzer rounds.

Trump defended the pause, blaming his predecessor, Joe Biden.

He said: “Biden emptied out our whole country giving them weapons, and we have to make sure that we have enough for ourselves.”

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said he hoped to speak with Trump about the weapons pause, warning that the delay could embolden Moscow.

Speaking from Denmark on Thursday, he said: “In Russia, only Putin makes decisions, which is why we need a meeting at the leadership level if we want to have peace.”

But peace seemed more distant than ever as the death toll mounted.

In Poltava on Thursday, two people were killed and 47 injured in a Russian airstrike that also ignited a fire at a military draft office — part of what Ukraine called a targeted effort to disrupt its mobilisation efforts.

Another drone attack earlier in the week struck near a recruitment centre in Kryvyi Rih.

Meanwhile, Russia claimed to have captured the border village of Milove in Kharkiv region, opening a new front in the northeast. Ukraine has not confirmed the report.

Kyiv has ramped up its defences as it seeks to thwart Vladimir Putin’s final killer summer offensive, which military analysts say could start as early as July.

Some 125,000 Russian soldiers are reportedly massing along the Sumy and Kharkiv frontiers, according to Ukraine’s military intelligence.

Last week, Ukraine’s fierce resistance forced Russian troops to stop in the Sumy region’s border area, Kyiv’s military Commander-in-Chief Oleksandr Syrsky revealed.

Source : https://www.the-sun.com/news/14624773/trump-putin-kyiv-russia-attack/

PRINCE Harry is totally “whipped” by his wife Meghan Markle and even King Charles know it, a royal expert has claimed.

Writer and broadcaster Esther Krauke also added that the Duchess of Sussex, 43, will also hate her reduced status among the Royal Family.

Ms Krauke made the comments while appearing on the Royal Exclusive show with The Sun’s Royal Editor Matt Wilkinson, alongside co-guest royal biographer Phil Dampier.

She said: “We know that King Charles said something about him being whipped.

“We keep hearing things consistently coming out from courtiers and people that are close to the Royal Family.”

She implied Harry was under the thumb of his wife.

Ms Krauke added that both the late Queen’s and the country’s opinion of Meghan Markle had evolved over time.

She said: “The Queen’s opinion of Meghan involved, and it’s much like how the country’s opinion evolved.

“And much like the public, I think the Queen thought Meghan was a breath of fresh air.

“Very intelligent, very well-spoken, obviously from her acting background.

“And she worked, she welcomed her. I think, like much of the country with open arms, I think where things went wrong was clearly the cultural clash.”

She added: “And I think in some ways Meghan thought she was marrying a billionaire, but was marrying a millionaire with like sort of a reduced status.

“So that might have been not appealing eventually.

“But also I just I don’t think she fully understood or was even interested in what the role was supposed to become.

“She hadn’t earned enough brownie points to actually be able to choose the tools she wanted to go on in the way that she wanted to do or curate her image in the same way, you know, most people would just be like, oh, you have to kind of have skin in the game.

“You have to have, I’m sorry.

“Open schools in Wales on a rainy day for a number of years before you ingratiate yourself and garner that goodwill.

“But I don’t think she had that approach or attitude. And you could say it’s very American, you know, very can-do spirit.”

Mr Dampier previously gave his opinions on the views expressed by royal biographer Bedell Smith that Queen Elizabeth II had shared her alleged doubts over the new Duchess, and feared Harry was “weak”.

Mr Dampier said the author was extremely close to Lady Elizabeth Anson, who was a confidante and a cousin of the Queen.

“And Liza Shockley, as Sally Smith likes to call her, she was speaking to the Queen on a regular basis right up until her death, spoke to her every day, even in lockdown,” he continued.

Mr Dampier claimed, therefore, this meant information had come “right from the horse’s mouth”.

He also alleged “we can trust this information”, which is “very, very telling”.

In harsh comments, the expert shared his thoughts: “And to be honest, it confirms what we’d already suspected that you know, that at first the Queen was very keen on Meghan.”

Mr Dampier further alleged the Queen’s reported “doubts” about Meghan “ruined her close relationship with Harry”.

Bedell Smith also claimed Meghan was rude to the late Queen for 10 minutes over wedding details.

“She remarked that Harry was perhaps a little bit too much in love, was possibly besotted and a bit weak and being manipulated by Meghan,” he continued.

Sharing his own opinions, Mr Dampier added: “I think, unfortunately, that confirms what I’ve been saying or thought for the last few years that, sadly, Meghan never really had any intention of staying in the royal family.

“She saw as a stepping stone getting married to to Harry to to to new fame and fortune.

“And I think that’s what initially Prince William was concerned about. And that’s why they fell out. And now we are where we are. But to have this confirmed by somebody so close to the Queen is, is is really dynamite.”

This comes as for the first time, the Queen’s private concerns have been made public in heartbreaking detail — showing just how perceptive she proved to be.

This week Sally published “explosive” revelations made to her by one of Her Majesty’s closest confidantes, her first cousin once removed, Lady Elizabeth Anson, in several conversations in 2018 and 2019.

Lady Elizabeth claimed there were serious concerns in the upper echelons of the Palace, long before Harry and Meghan made themselves royal pariahs.

Just days before the wedding, she had told Sally: “We hope but don’t quite think [Meghan] is in love.

“We think she engineered it all.”

She added: “It’s worrying that so many people are questioning whether Meghan is right for Harry.

“The problem, bless his heart, is that Harry is neither bright nor strong, and she is both.”

The observations by Lady Elizabeth, who died from lung cancer in November 2020 aged 79, show the warning signs were there from the start — and proved well-founded.

She said Meghan had initially appeared “natural, intelligent and thoughtful” after getting engaged to Harry in 2017.

But as their wedding approached, they both caused a stir with their poor behaviour — and blatant disrespect for the Queen.

Harry was reportedly “rude to her for ten minutes” in one meeting and upset her by asking the Archbishop of Canterbury to perform the wedding service in May 2018, without first seeking permission from the Dean of Windsor.

In January 2020, Harry and Meghan announced they had chosen to “transition this year in starting to carve out a progressive new role within this institution”.

At first, it seemed they wanted to keep one foot in the royal fold, while pursuing financial opportunities on the outside.

But after months of negotiations, the Queen and the then Prince Charles laid down the law — they were either fully in or fully out.

Source : https://www.the-sun.com/royals/14631605/prince-harry-meghan-markle-whipped-king/

JULIAN McMahon is dead at the age of 56 following a ‘private battle’ with cancer, his family announced in an emotional statement on the 4th of July.

It was not publicly known that the actor, best known for his starring roles on Nip/Tuck, Fantastic Four, Charmed and FBI: Most Wanted, was sick prior to his death.

On Friday, Julian’s family announced that he passed away on Wednesday, July 2nd, in Clearwater, Florida, after a private cancer battle.

His wife, Kelly McMahon, said in a statement: “With an open heart, I wish to share with the world that my beloved husband, Julian McMahon, died peacefully this week after a valiant effort to overcome cancer.

“Julian loved life. He loved his family. He loved his friends. He loved his work, and he loved his fans.

“His deepest wish was to bring joy into as many lives as possible. We ask for support during this time to allow our family to grieve in privacy.”

Kelly concluded in the heartfelt message she first shared with Deadline: “And we wish for all of those to whom Julian brought joy, to continue to find joy in life. We are grateful for the memories.”

Julian and his third wife, Kelly, tied the knot in 2014 and shared no kids together – although he has a daughter from his second marriage.

He was married to Baywatch star Brooke Burns from 1999 until 2001 and welcomed daughter Madison McMahon in 2000.

His first marriage was to singer and actress Dannii Minogue, sister of Kylie Minogue, whom he wed in 1994 after meeting on the set of their film, Home and Away, in 1991.

Their marriage lasted just a year and a half as he resided in LA to pursue his acting career while she was living in England for music.

HIS FINAL POST

Julian’s last social media post celebrated what would end up being his final film.

The actor boasted about his psychological thriller, The Surfer, which co-starred Nicolas Cage and was released earlier this year.

He posted a series of promos for the movie after taking a year-long break from Instagram.

Before his February posts, Julian last updated his Instagram page back in July 2024.

He also recently appeared on TV screens alongside Uzo Aduba in the Netflix series, The Residence.

Julian starred in six episodes of the show, which premiered on March 30 this year.

ROAD TO HOLLYWOOD

The Australian actor was born in Sydney on July 27, 1968 and his father, Billy McMahon, served as Prime Minister of Australia from 1971 to 1972.

He started his career in entertainment as a model but quickly transitioned to acting when he starred in the Australian soap opera, The Power, The Passion, in 1989.

Julian’s feature film acting debut came when he was cast as a lead opposite Elliott Gould in the 1992 Australian-American movie, Wet and Wild Summer!

Following the success of the fan-favorite movie, Julian had his eyes set on Hollywood and moved to Los Angeles.

He found early success by becoming a series regular on NBC’s primetime crime drama, Profiler, for its four-season run.

It wasn’t until he got the starring role as charmer-turned-demon Cole Turner in WB’s iconic series, Charmed, that would catapult him to TV stardom.

Following his three-season run on the show alongside love interest Alyssa Milano, he went on to star on a hit series of his own.

Julian was tapped by Ryan Murphy to star in the 2003 plastic surgery drama, Nip/Tuck.

He scored a Golden Globe nomination during his six years of starring as the provocative Dr. Christian Troy.

The role established Julian’s star power as a leading man, which helped him nab one of his more recent roles – a starring spot on CBS’ FBI: Most Wanted.

He played team leader Jess LaCroix for three seasons until his shocking and abrupt exit from the show in 2022.

Although fans were not given a solid reason for the departure, Julian mentioned pursuing other career options at the time.

“Over the past few months, the producers of FBI: Most Wanted and I have had discussions about my departure from the show in favor of additional creative pursuits and the transition of my character Jess LaCroix.

Source : https://www.the-sun.com/entertainment/14633438/julian-mcmahon-dead-cancer-nip-tuck-fantastic-four-charmed/

SWIMMERS should double check before heading to the beach this July 4 weekend as a disgusting problem has washed up on more than 100 shores.

The closures and advisories are affecting coastlines and lakes in at least 12 US states.

Officials are warning beachgoers of a growing and dangerous health threat lurking in the water.

The issue stems from alarming levels of fecal bacteria found in swimming areas, with experts linking the surge to sewage, storm runoff, and warm temperatures.

At least 12 states have issued alerts, shutting down more than 100 beaches or flagging them with warnings.

Massachusetts has the highest number of impacted sites, with 26 closures or advisories in effect.

Illinois comes next, flagging at least 24 beaches for above-safe bacteria levels.

Vermont has closed 19 beaches, while Wisconsin has reported 14 closures or advisories.

New York, New Jersey, Michigan, California, Oregon, Missouri, New Hampshire and Washington have also issued alerts.

Most alerts are triggered when E. coli levels exceed 235 colonies per 100 milliliters of water.

The bacteria can cause diarrhea, vomiting, and serious infections, especially in children and the elderly.

Edward Dudley, director of the E. Coli Reference Center at Penn State University, told NBC News that testing is standard, and closures are common.

The Environmental Protection Agency sets the threshold, but states decide how often to test and how quickly to act.

Illinois, for example, monitors public beaches every two weeks.

Experts say bacteria levels rise in the summer due to increased human activity, heat, and heavy rainfall.

But the danger doesn’t stop at E. coli.

Vibrio vulnificus, a flesh-eating bacteria that thrives in warm saltwater, is also on the radar.

“It’s a rare thing right now with increasing trends in the entire country, but that’s something that we are really concerned about — what is going to be present in the coastal waters,” said Antarpreet Jutla, a University of Florida researcher.

The bug can enter the body through small cuts and kills one in five infected patients.

One Florida woman, Debbie King, needed her leg amputated after a minor scrape led to a vibrio infection in 2023.

She initially thought it was sunburn but ended up in the emergency room days later, the Daily Mail reported.

Another deadly microbe, Naegleria fowleri, is found in freshwater and attacks the brain through the nose.

It has a 97 percent fatality rate, with only five known US survivors.

Maryland resident Ryan Perry was one of them, infected after jet skiing on a river in 2019.

He was hospitalized for weeks and had to relearn basic movements during recovery.

New York officials warned in Suffolk County that contaminated water can also lead to ear, eye, nose, and throat infections.

North Carolina officials flagged Lake Norman for a different threat – toxic algae blooms that look green or scummy.

Source : https://www.the-sun.com/travel/14631479/dozens-us-beaches-shut-down-before-holiday-weekend/

China spared major cognac producers Pernod Ricard, LVMH and Remy Cointreau from hefty duties on EU brandy on Friday, a rare bright spot at a time of trade tensions between Brussels and Beijing as the two sides row over tariffs on Chinese-made EVs.
China will from Saturday levy duties of up to 34.9% for five years on brandy originating in the European Union, most of it cognac from France, the Chinese Commerce Ministry said in a final ruling of an investigation lasting more than a year.

But most of France’s cognac industry, including big brands LVMH-owned Hennessy and Remy Martin, will be exempt from the duties provided they sell at a minimum price, the ministry said in a statement. It did not disclose the minimum prices.
Beijing launched its anti-dumping probe on EU brandy in January last year, in what was widely viewed as retaliation for the EU’s decision to impose big import tariffs on China-made electric vehicles.
French cognac makers generate global exports of $3 billion a year combined. With premium aged bottles of the liquor selling for hundreds of dollars, they have complained they are collateral damage in the broader trade row between Brussels and Beijing.

In addition to the reprieve, China’s commerce ministry will give back deposits made by brandy makers since October, when provisional duties were imposed. The refund issue, which weighed particularly heavily on smaller producers, was one of the sticking points in months-long negotiations, two industry sources said.
China is the world’s biggest market for cognac in value terms. China’s commerce ministry said in a statement on Saturday that 34 firms secured agreements for minimum price commitments instead of tariffs.
Remy Martin owner Remy Cointreau (RCOP.PA), said in a statement that the deal on minimum price commitments constituted “a substantially less punitive alternative”, enabling “the strengthening of some investments in China”.
Pernod Ricard (PERP.PA), said it regrets the increase in the cost of operating in China, but additional costs are significantly less than would be the case if tariffs had been made permanent.

LVMH (LVMH.PA), and Campari (CPRI.MI), did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
There was little sign that the rift between China and the EU was easing.
Olof Gill, the European Commission’s spokesperson for trade, said the tariffs were unfair and unjustified.

WANG AND MACRON

China’s Foreign Minister Wang Yi is visiting Europe this week, seeking to lay the groundwork for a summit between EU and Chinese leaders later this month, with the EV dispute and China’s curbs on the export of rare earths high on the agenda.
At a meeting with French President Emmanuel Macron on Friday, Wang said China and Europe have resolved the brandy issue via friendly consultations, state news agency Xinhua reported.

Wang said he hoped France, as a core power in the European Union, will urge the EU to properly address China-EU trade and economic disputes and actively respond to China’s concerns, the report said.
Asked about media reports that China was poised to shorten the summit to a single day instead of two, a European Commission spokesperson said the programme was still being finalised.
“Nothing has been cancelled because nothing has been announced and no final programme has been agreed yet,” the spokesperson added.
Last week, Reuters reported that French cognac makers had reached a tentative deal on minimum import prices for the Chinese market but that China would only finalise the deal if progress was made regarding EU tariffs on Chinese-made EVs.

INVESTOR RELIEF

Shares of French spirits makers were mixed as investors digested the ruling, with many relieved Beijing had agreed to drop tariffs in return for price commitments, likely reviving sales that have suffered due to the tariffs.
Remy Cointreau shares were up 0.54% and Pernod was down 0.3%, having regained some ground lost earlier in the day. LVMH was down 1.5%.
Monthly cognac exports to China have fallen by as much as 70% due to the trade dispute, according to data from the Bureau National Interprofessionnel du Cognac, a French industry group.
Citi analysts said they expected upgrades to earnings forecasts for Pernod and Remy.
Remy, which makes 70% of its sales from cognac, mostly in the U.S. and China, said it would update its annual guidance when it releases quarterly numbers on July 25.
European spirits makers have also been grappling with a downturn in sales in the United States where inflation has deterred drinkers from pricier spirits. President Donald Trump has also threatened tariffs on imports from the EU.
The minimum price pledges could translate into some price increases, but they will likely be small and it is too early to tell whether there could be an impact on shelf prices, a senior industry source with knowledge of the China negotiations said.
“The French government has been raising this repeatedly with the Chinese government and saying this is a major bone of contention,” said a senior French industry source with knowledge of the China negotiations, who declined to be named because of the sensitivity of the matter.
“I think both sides, France and China, did not want this to get out of hand. They wanted to find a resolution.”
The cognac industry association said the deal for minimum price commitments will be “less unfavourable” than anti-dumping duties but still worse for its members than the historical pre-investigation norm.

Source : https://www.reuters.com/world/china/china-impose-duties-up-349-eu-brandy-starting-july-5-2025-07-04/

It’s only a matter of time before disgraced rappers Kanye West and Sean “Diddy” Combs release a full song — potentially even an album — a source close to the rapper told Page Six.

“I’ll Be Missing You” rapper Diddy, who was found guilty of two counts of transportation to engage in prostitution on Wednesday — but acquitted of more serious charges — will likely fully collaborate with the equalled-canceled West, who now goes by Ye.

“Music was a salvation for him, Diddy, like it was for Ye. Diddy’s looking to make amends. I think a song would be the best way to communicate a change,” said one source who regularly works with Kanye.

“Be on the lookout for the song,” the source added.

“Ye is brave enough to touch a hot [rod like] Diddy right now. I don’t think any other artists would,” the source added.

In fact, their collaboration has already started. In March, West released a snippet of a new track he was working on which featured Combs, 55, recorded in jail at the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn, where he was then being held while awaiting his trial on sex trafficking charges. He had been holed up there since his September 2024 arrest.

A source close to Combs at the time told The Post he was not aware the call was being recorded on video and Combs thought West was simply “checking in” on his kids.

In the call, which could be heard on West’s track, Bad Boy Records founder Diddy urged him to be careful of people trying to “end” them both.

“You be careful out there ’cause they definitely trying to end us,” Combs told West.

“They can’t do it and they ain’t gonna do it. I’m going to beat this s–t and get next to you,” Combs added, referring, to his then-upcoming federal trial over sex trafficking and racketeering charges, which could have seen him sent to prison for life.

Source : https://pagesix.com/2025/07/04/celebrity-news/kanye-and-diddy-full-song-potential-album-collaboration-may-well-happen-source/

Ukraine has been asking Washington to sell it more Patriot missiles and systems that it sees as key to defending its cities from intensifying Russian attacks. A decision by Washington to halt some shipments of weapons to Ukraine prompted warnings by Kyiv that the move would weaken its ability to defend against Russia’s airstrikes

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said he discussed air defences in a conversation with US President Donald Trump on Friday (Jul 4), and agreed to work on increasing Kyiv’s capability to “defend the sky” as Russian attacks escalate.

He added in a message on Telegram that he discussed joint defence production, as well as joint purchases and investments with the US leader.

Ukraine has been asking Washington to sell it more Patriot missiles and systems that it sees as key to defending its cities from intensifying Russian airstrikes.

A decision by Washington to halt some shipments of weapons to Ukraine prompted warnings by Kyiv that the move would weaken its ability to defend against Russia’s airstrikes and battlefield advances. Germany said it is in talks on buying Patriot air defence systems to bridge the gap.

One source briefed on the call told Reuters they were optimistic that supplies of Patriot missiles could resume after what they called a “very good” conversation between the presidents.

US outlet Axios reported, citing unnamed sources, that the call lasted around 40 minutes, and that Trump told Zelenskyy he would check what US weapons due to be sent to Ukraine, if any, had been put on hold.

Zelenskyy, speaking later in his nightly video address, said he and Trump had agreed to “arrange a meeting between our teams to strengthen air defences.

“We had a very detailed discussion on joint production. We need it, America needs it.”

The conversation came a day after Trump said he had a disappointing call with Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Russia pummelled Kyiv with the largest drone attack of the war across the capital, hours after Trump’s conversation with Putin on Thursday.

Zelenskyy called the attack “deliberately massive and cynical.”

Trump spoke with German Chancellor Friedrich Merz on Thursday, according to Spiegel magazine, citing government sources. The two leaders discussed the situation in Ukraine, including strengthening its air defences, as well as trade issues, Spiegel reported on Friday.

Source : https://www.channelnewsasia.com/world/trump-zelenskyy-discuss-weapons-and-escalating-russian-strikes-5221081

Dutch and German intelligence agencies have gathered evidence of widespread Russian use of banned chemical weapons in Ukraine, including dropping a choking agent from drones to drive soldiers out of trenches so they can be shot, they said on Friday.
Dutch Defence Minister Ruben Brekelmans called for tougher sanctions against Moscow.

“The main conclusion is that we can confirm Russia is intensifying its use of chemical weapons,” he told Reuters.

“This intensification is concerning because it is part of a trend we have been observing for several years now, where Russia’s use of chemical weapons in this war is becoming more normalized, standardized, and widespread.”
Germany’s BND foreign intelligence agency confirmed the findings, saying in a statement that it had obtained the evidence alongside its Dutch counterparts. Reuters was first to report on the intelligence.
The head of the Dutch Military Intelligence Agency (MIVD), Peter Reesink, said the conclusions followed “our own independent intelligence, so we have observed it ourselves based on our own investigations.”

Reuters has not been able to independently verify the use of banned chemical substances by either side in the Ukraine war.
The United States first accused Russia of using chloropicrin, a chemical compound more toxic than riot control agents and first used by Germany during World War One, in May last year.
Ukraine alleges thousands of instances of Russian chemical weapons use.
Russia’s defence ministry did not immediately respond to a request to comment for this article. Russia has denied using illegal munitions and it has accused Ukraine of doing so.
Maria Zakharova, spokeswoman for the Russian foreign ministry, said on Wednesday that the Federal Security Service discovered a Ukrainian cache of explosive devices in the east of the country containing chloropicrin.
Ukraine has consistently denied such accusations.

The Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW), a disarmament agency in The Hague with 193 member states, said last year that initial accusations levelled by both countries at each other were “insufficiently substantiated”.
It has not been asked to conduct a full investigation, which must be initiated by member states.
At least three Ukrainian deaths have been tied to chemical weapons use, Brekelmans said, while more than 2,500 people injured on the battlefield reported chemical weapons-related symptoms to Ukrainian health authorities.
Increased use of chemical weapons by Russia poses a threat not only to Ukraine but to other countries, Brekelmans added.
“We must further increase the pressure. This means looking at more sanctions and specifically not allowing them (Russia) to participate in international bodies like the Executive Council of the OPCW,” he said.

Reesink spoke of “thousands of instances” of chemical weapons use, while also citing a Ukrainian figure of 9,000.
Rotating two-year seats on the OPCW council will be up for negotiation in the coming months.
The intelligence findings were presented in a letter to the Dutch parliament on Friday.

LARGE-SCALE PROGRAM

Russia is a member of the OPCW and, like the United States, has destroyed its declared chemical weapons stockpiles.
Increased sanctions could happen in conjunction with the European Commission, which has proposed listing 15 additional new entities and individuals to its sanctions framework, including for suspected use of chemical weapons in Ukraine.
The Dutch military and general intelligence agencies, working with foreign partners, say they have uncovered concrete evidence of intensified Russian chemical weapons production.
This includes heightened research capabilities and the recruitment of scientists for chemical weapons development, Reesink said. He added that Russian officials have given instructions to soldiers on the use of poisonous warfare agents.
“This isn’t just some ad-hoc tinkering at the frontline; it is truly part of a large-scale program. And that is, of course, also concerning because if we don’t clarify and publicize what Russia is doing, it’s highly likely these trends will continue,” Reesink said.
He called the use of chemical weapons by Russian armed forces “almost standing operating procedure.”
“We specifically linked the use of chloropicrin to improvised munitions, such as filled light bulbs and empty bottles that are hung from a drone. When it comes to teargas, we see that they are also misusing and converting existing munitions to act as the carrier for the gas,” he said.

Source : https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/russian-use-chemical-weapons-against-ukraine-widespread-dutch-defence-minister-2025-07-04/

The Western Indian town of Kolhapur has found itself in an unlikely global spotlight, as thousands of local artisans who hand-craft traditional leather footwear are mounting a collective attack on luxury fashion label Prada for plagiarising their designs without credit.

The rhythmic pounding of the hammer in 58-year-old Sadashiv Sanake’s dimly lit workshop bears witness to the hard grind behind handcrafting the iconic Kolhapuri leather sandals.

“I learnt the craft as a child,” he tells the BBC. A day’s toil goes into making just “eight to 10 pairs” of these sandals he says, that retail at a modest $8-10

Barely 5,000 artisans in Kolhapur are still in the profession – a cottage industry that struggles to compete in a mechanised world, caught in the funk of dismal working conditions and low wages.

It’s no surprise then that when Italian luxury brand Prada released a new line of footwear that bore a striking resemblance to the Kolhapuri sandals – but didn’t mention the design origins – local artisans were up in arms.

The backlash was swift. Social media was flooded with accusations of cultural appropriation, prompting Prada to issue a statement acknowledging the sandals’ roots.

Now local politicians and industry associations have thrown their weight behind the artisans who want better recognition of the craft and its cultural legacy.

Mr Sanake was not aware of Prada’s show until the BBC showed him a video of it. When told that that the sandals could retail for hundreds of pounds in luxury markets, he scoffed. “Do they have gold in them?” he asked.

Prada hasn’t revealed the price tag but its other sandals retail at between £600 to £1,000 in the UK as per its website.

The earliest records of Kolhapur sandals date back to the 12th Century.

“These sandals were originally crafted by members of the marginalised Charmakar (cobbler) community, also known as chamars,” said Kavita Gagrani, a history professor at the New College in Kolhapur.

Chamar is a pejorative caste term used to describe Dalits (formerly known as untouchables) who work with animal hides.

“But in the early 20th Century, the craft flourished when the then ruler of Kolhapur, Chhatrapati Shahu Maharaj granted royal patronage to this community,” Ms Gagrani said.

Today, nearly 100,000 artisans across India are engaged in the trade with an industry worth over $200m, according to the Maharashtra Chamber of Commerce, Industry & Agriculture (MACCIA), a prominent industry trade group.

Yet, most of them continue to work in unorganised setups under dismal conditions.

“I was never educated. This is all I know, and I earn about $4-5 a day, depending on the number of orders,” said 60-year-old Sunita Satpute.

Women like her play a critical role, particularly in engraving fine patterns by hand, but are not compensated fairly for their long hours of labour, she said.

That’s why Sunita’s children don’t want to continue the craft.

A short distance away from her workshop lies Kolhapur’s famous chappal gully, or sandal lane, a cluster of storefronts – many of them struggling to stay afloat.

“Leather has become very expensive and has pushed up our costs,” said Anil Doipode, one of the first sellers to open a shop here.

Traditionally, artisans would use cow and buffalo hide to make these sandals. But since 2014, when the Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) came to power, there have been several reports of vigilantes – self-appointed protesters or activists – cracking down on alleged cow slaughter, sometimes with physical violence. The cow is considered sacred by Hindus.

In 2015, Maharashtra state banned the slaughter of cows and the sale and consumption of beef, forcing artisans to rely on buffalo leather sourced from neighbouring states, pushing up their production costs.

Traditional sellers are also struggling to compete with synthetic copies flooding the market.

“Customers want cheaper sandals and can’t always tell the difference,” said Rohit Balkrishna Gavali, a second-generation Kolhapuri sandal seller.

Industry experts say the controversy highlights the need for a better institutional framework to protect the rights of artisans.

In 2019, the Indian government had awarded Kolhapuri sandals the Geographical Indication (GI) – a mark of authenticity which protects its name and design within India, preventing unauthorised use by outsiders.

Globally, however, there is no binding law that stops other countries or brands from aesthetic imitation.

Aishwarya Sandeep, a Mumbai-based advocate, says that India could raise the issue at the World Trade Organization under its TRIPS (Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights) agreement, of which it is a signatory.

But the system is cumbersome, expensive and often lacks enforceability, both in India and abroad, she adds.

Lalit Gandhi, the president of MCCIA, says his organisation is planning to patent the Kolhapuri sandal design, hoping to create a legal precedent for future cases.

But some say real change can only happen when India starts seeing its traditional heritage in a different light.

“It’s about ethical recognition. India must push for royalty-sharing and co-branding,” says Ritu Beri, a renowned designer. “The more we take pride in our culture, the less we will be exploited.”

Of course, this isn’t the first time a global fashion brand has been accused of appropriating Indian handicrafts.

Many big labels have featured Indian fabrics and embroidery work with little to no artist collaboration. “Take Chikankari (a delicate hand-embroidery style from the northern Indian city of Lucknow), Ikat (a cloth-dyeing technique), mirror work; they’ve all been used repeatedly. The artisans remain invisible while brands profit from their inspiration,” Ms Beri says.

Mr Gandhi, however, says that Prada’s endorsement of Kolhapuri sandals could also be beneficial for artisans.

“Under their label, the value [of Kolhapuri sandals] is going to increase manifold,” he says. “But we want some share of that profit to be passed on to artisans for their betterment.”

Rohit Balkrishna Gavali, a sandal-seller in Kolhapur, agrees – he has already begun to see the difference.

“The design Prada used wasn’t even very popular, but now people are asking for it, with clients from Dubai, the US and Qatar” placing orders, he says.

Source : https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cly801q2pw7o

A tiny, obscure animal often sold as aquarium food has been quietly protecting our planet from global warming by undertaking an epic migration, according to new research.

These “unsung heroes” called zooplankton gorge themselves and grow fat in spring before sinking hundreds of metres into the deep ocean in Antarctica where they burn the fat.

This locks away as much planet-warming carbon as the annual emissions of roughly 55 million petrol cars, stopping it from further warming our atmosphere, according to researchers.

This is much more than scientists expected. But just as researchers uncover this service to our planet, threats to the zooplankton are growing.

Scientists have spent years probing the animal’s annual migration in Antarctic waters, or the Southern Ocean, and what it means for climate change.

The findings are “remarkable”, says lead author Dr Guang Yang from the Chinese Academy of Sciences, adding that it forces a re-think about how much carbon the Southern Ocean stores.

“The animals are an unsung hero because they have such a cool way of life,” says co-author Dr Jennifer Freer from British Antarctic Survey.

But compared to the most popular Antarctic animals like the whale or penguin, the small but mighty zooplankton are overlooked and under-appreciated.

If anyone has heard of them, it’s probably as a type of fish food available to buy online.

But their life cycle is odd and fascinating. Take the copepod, a type of zooplankton that is a distant relative of crabs and lobsters.

Just 1-10mm in size, they spend most of their lives asleep between 500m to 2km deep in the ocean.

In pictures taken under a microscope, you can see long sausages of fat inside their bodies, and fat bubbles in their heads, explains Prof Daniel Mayor who photographed them in Antarctica.

Without them, our planet’s atmosphere would be significantly warmer.

Globally the oceans have absorbed 90% of the excess heat humans have created by burning fossil fuels. Of that figure, the Southern Ocean is responsible for about 40%, and a lot of that is down to zooplankton.

Millions of pounds is being spent globally to understand how exactly they store carbon.

Scientists were already aware that the zooplankton contributed to carbon storage in a daily process when the animals carbon-rich waste sinks to the deep ocean.

But what happened when the animals migrate in the Southern Ocean had not been quantified.

The latest research focussed on copepods, as well as other types of zooplankton called krill, and salps.

The creatures eat phytoplankton on the ocean surface which grow by transforming carbon dioxide into living matter through photosynthesis. This turns into fat in the zooplankton.

“Their fat is like a battery pack. When they spend the winter deep in the ocean, they just sit and slowly burn off this fat or carbon,” explains Prof Daniel Mayor at University of Exeter, who was not part of the study.

“This releases carbon dioxide. Because of the way the oceans work, if you put carbon really deep down, it takes decades or even centuries for that CO2 to come out and contribute to atmospheric warming,” he says.

The research team calculated that this process – called the seasonal vertical migration pump – transports 65 million tonnes of carbon annually to at least 500m below the ocean surface.

Of that, it found that copepods contribute the most, followed by krill and salps.

That is roughly equivalent to the emissions from driving 55 million diesel cars for a year, according to a greenhouse gas emissions calculator by the US EPA.

The latest research looked at data stretching back to the 1920s to quantify this carbon storage, also called carbon sequestration.

But the scientific discovery is ongoing as researchers seek to understand more details about the migration cycle.

Earlier this year, Dr Freer and Prof Mayor spent two months on the Sir David Attenborough polar research ship near the South Orkney island and South Georgia.

Using large nets the scientists caught zooplankton and brought the animals onboard.

“We worked in complete darkness under red light so we didn’t disturb them,” says Dr Freer.

“Others worked in rooms kept at 3-4C. You wear a lot of protection to stay there for hours at a time looking down the microscope,” she adds.

But warming waters as well as commercial harvesting of krill could threaten the future of zooplankton.

“Climate change, disturbance to ocean layers and extreme weather are all threats,” explains Prof Atkinson.

This could reduce the amount of zooplankton in Antarctica and limit the carbon stored in the deep ocean.

Source : https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c628nnz3rp9o

Fifty years ago Arthur Ashe pulled off an amazing feat, upsetting the odds and becoming the first black man to win the Wimbledon Men’s final when he beat fellow American Jimmy Connors – but it was not something he wanted to define his life.

His fight to break down barriers around racial discrimination was closer to his heart – and apartheid South Africa became one of his battle grounds.

“I don’t want to be remembered in the final analysis for having won Wimbledon… I take applause for having done it, but it’s not the most important thing in my life – not even close,” he said in a BBC interview a year before his death in 1993.

Nonetheless his Centre Court victory on 5 July 1975 was hailed as one of those spine-tingling sporting moments that stopped everyone in their tracks, whether a tennis fan or not, and it is being commemorated with a special display at the Wimbledon museum.

Ashe was already in his 30s, tall, serene and with a quiet and even-tempered demeanour. Connors, 10 years younger and the defending champion, was an aggressive player and often described as “brattish”.

Ashe’s achievements and the skills and courage he displayed on the court were certainly matched by his actions off it.

In the early 1970s, South Africa repeatedly refused to issue a visa for him to travel to the country alongside other US players.

The white-minority government there had legalised an extreme system of racial segregation, known as apartheid – or apartness – in 1948.

The authorities said the decision to bar him was based on his “general antagonism” and outspoken remarks about South Africa.

However, in 1973, the government relented and granted Ashe a visa to play in the South African Open, which was one of the top tournaments in the world at the time.

It was Ashe’s first visit to South Africa, and although he stipulated he would only play on condition that the stadium be open to both black and white spectators, it sparked anger among anti-apartheid activists in the US and strong opposition from sections of the black community in South Africa.

British journalist and tennis historian Richard Evans, who became a life-long friend of Ashe, was a member of the press corps on that South Africa tour.

He says that Ashe was “painfully aware” of the criticism and the accusation that he was in some way giving legitimacy to the South African government – but he was determined to see for himself how people lived there.

“He felt that he was always being asked about South Africa, but he’d never been. He said: ‘How can I comment on a place I don’t know? I need to see it and make a judgment. And until I go, I can’t do that.'”

Evans recalls that during the tour, the South African writer and poet Don Mattera had organised for Ashe to meet a group of black journalists, but the atmosphere was tense and hostile.

“As I passed someone,” Evans told the BBC, “I heard someone say: ‘Uncle Tom'” – a slur used to disparage a black person considered servile towards white people.

“And then one or two very vociferous journalists stood up and said: ‘Arthur, go home. We don’t want you here. You’re just making it easier for the government to be able to show that they allow someone like you in.'”

But not all black South Africans were so vehemently opposed to Ashe’s presence in the country.

The South African author and academic Mark Mathabane grew up in the Alexandra township – popularly known as Alex – in the north of Johannesburg. Such townships were set up under apartheid on the outskirts of cities for non-white people to live.

He first became aware of Ashe as a boy while accompanying his grandmother to her gardening job at a British family’s mansion in a whites-only suburb.

The lady of the house gifted him a September 1968 edition of Life magazine from her collection, and there, on the front cover, was a bespectacled Arthur Ashe at the net.

Mathabane was mesmerised by the image and its cover line “The Icy Elegance of Arthur Ashe” – and he set out to emulate him.

When Ashe went on the 1973 tour, Mathabane had only one mission – to meet Ashe, or at least get close to him.

The opportunity came when Ashe took time off from competing to hold a tennis clinic in Soweto, a southern Johannesburg township.

The 13-year-old Mathabane made the train journey to get there and join scores of other black – and mostly young – people who had turned out to see the tennis star, who they had given the nickname “Sipho”.

“He may have been honorary white to white people, but to us black people he was Sipho. It’s a Zulu word for gift,” Mathabane, now aged 64, told the BBC.

“You know, a gift from God, from the ancestors, meaning that this is very priceless, take care of it. Sipho is here, Sipho from America is here.”

The excitement generated at the Soweto clinic was not just contained to that township but had spread across the country, he said.

From rural reservations to shebeens or speakeasies (bars) – wherever black people gathered, they were talking about Ashe’s visit.

“For me, he was literally the first free black man I’d ever seen,” said Mathabane.

After the 1973 tour, Ashe went back to South Africa a few more times. In early 1976 he helped to establish the Arthur Ashe Soweto Tennis Centre (AASTC) for budding players in the township.

But not long after it opened, the centre was vandalised in the student-led uprisings against the apartheid regime that broke out in June of that year.

It remained neglected and in disrepair for several years before undergoing a major refurbishment in 2007, and was reopened by Ashe’s widow Jeanne Moutoussamy-Ashe.

The complex now has 16 courts, and hosts a library and skills development centre.

The ambition is to produce a tennis star and Grand Slam champion from the township – and legends such as Serena and Venus Williams have since run clinics there.

For Mothobi Seseli and Masodi Xaba, who were once both South African national junior champions and now sit on the AASTC board, the centre goes beyond tennis.

They feel that fundamentally it is about instilling a work ethic that embraces a range of life skills and self-belief.

“We’re building young leaders,” Ms Xaba, a successful businesswoman, told the BBC.

Mr Seseli, an entrepreneur born and raised in Soweto, agrees that this would be Ashe’s vision too: “When I think about what his legacy is, it is believing that we can, at the smallest of scales, move the dial in very big ways.”

Ashe was initially inclined to challenge apartheid through conversations and participation, believing that by being visible and winning matches in the country he could undermine the very foundation of the regime.

But his experience within South Africa, and international pressure from the anti-apartheid movement, persuaded him that isolation rather than engagement would be the most effective way to bring about change in South Africa.

He became a powerful advocate and supporter of an international sporting boycott of South Africa, speaking before the United Nations and the US Congress.

In 1983, at a joint press conference set up by the Organisation of African Unity (OAU) and UN, he spoke about the aims of the Artists and Athletes Against Apartheid, which he had just co-founded with the American singer Harry Belafonte.

The organisation lobbied for sanctions against the South African government, and at its height had more than 500 members.

Ashe joined many protests and rallies, and when he was arrested outside the South African embassy in Washington DC in 1985, it drew more international attention to the cause and helped to amplify global condemnation of the South African regime.

He was the captain of the US Davis Cup team at the time, and always felt that the arrest cost him his job.

Ashe used his platform to confront social injustice wherever he saw it, not just in Africa and South Africa, but also in the US and Haiti.

He was also an educator on many issues, and specifically HIV/Aids, which he succumbed to, after contracting the disease from a blood transfusion during heart surgery in the early 1980s.

But he had a particular affinity with South Africa’s black population living under a repressive regime.

He said that he identified with them because of his upbringing in racially segregated Richmond in the US state of Virginia.

No wonder then that Ashe was one of the key figures that South African anti-apartheid hero Nelson Mandela was keen to meet on a trip to New York, inviting him to a historic townhall gathering in 1990 shortly after his release from 27 years in prison.

The pair met on a few occasions, however Ashe did not live to see Mandela become president of South Africa following the 1994 election, which brought in democratic rule and the dismantling of apartheid.

But like Ashe, Mandela was able to use sport to push for change – by helping unify South Africa – notably during the 1995 Rugby World Cup when he famously wore the Springbok jersey, once a hated symbol of apartheid.

To celebrate this year’s anniversary of Ashe’s victory, the Wimbledon Championships have an installation in the International Tennis Centre tunnel and a new museum display about him. They are also taking a trailblazer workshop on the road to mark his achievement.

His Wimbledon title was the third of his Grand Slam crowns, having previously won the US and Australian Opens.

Source : https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/ckgdy59ey59o

As Donald Trump cheered the passage of his self-styled, and officially named, Big Beautiful Budget Bill through Congress this week, long-sown seeds of doubt about the scale and sustainability of US borrowing from the rest of the world sprouted anew.

Trump’s tax-cutting budget bill is expected to add at least $3 trillion (£2.2 trillion) to the US’s already eye-watering $37tn (£27tn) debt pile. There is no shortage of critics of the plan, not least Trump’s former ally Elon Musk, who has called it a “disgusting abomination”.

The growing debt pile leaves some to wonder whether there is a limit to how much the rest of the world will lend Uncle Sam.

Those doubts have been showing up recently in the weaker value of the dollar and the higher interest rate investors are demanding to lend money to America.

It needs to borrow this money to make up the difference between what it earns and what it spends every year.

Since the beginning of this year, the dollar has fallen 10% against the pound and 15% against the euro.

Although US borrowing costs have been steady overall, the difference between the interest rates paid on longer-term loans versus shorter-term loans – what’s known as the yield curve – has increased, or steepened, signalling increased doubts about the long-term sustainability of US borrowing.

And that is despite the fact that the US has lowered interest rates more slowly than the EU and the UK, which would normally make the dollar stronger because investors can get higher interest rates on bank deposits.

The founder of the world’s biggest hedge fund, Ray Dalio, believes that US borrowing is at a crossroads.

On its current trajectory he estimates the US will soon be spending $10tn a year in loan and interest repayments.

“I am confident that the [US] government’s financial condition is at an inflection point because, if this is not dealt with now, the debts will build up to levels where they can’t be managed without great trauma,” he says.

So what might that trauma look like?

The first option is a drastic reduction in government spending, a big increase in taxes or both.

Ray Dalio suggests that cutting the budget deficit from its current 6% to 3% soon could head off trouble in the future.

Trump’s new budget bill did cut some spending, but it also cut taxes more, and so the current political trajectory is going the other way.

Secondly, as in previous crises, the US central bank could print more money and use it to buy up government debt – as we saw after the great financial crisis of 2008.

But that can end up fuelling inflation and inequality as the owners of assets like houses and shares do much better than those who rely on the value of labour.

The third is a straightforward US default. Can’t pay won’t pay. Given that the “full faith and credit of the US Treasury” underpins the entire global financial system, that would make the great financial crisis look like a picnic.

Bilawal Bhutto, in an interview with Al Jazeera, said that Masood Azhar may be in Afghanistan, and denied that Hafiz Saeed is free. He also said that Pakistan is willing to act if India shares evidence.

In an interview with Al Jazeera, Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) leader Bilawal Bhutto Zardari said Islamabad has no knowledge of the whereabouts of Masood Azhar, chief of terrorist outfit Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM), and claimed the country would arrest him if India provided credible evidence that he was on Pakistani soil.

Bhutto claimed that, given Azhar’s involvement in the Afghan jihad, Pakistan believes he may be in Afghanistan. “It’s not possible for Pakistan to do what NATO couldn’t do in Afghanistan. There is no reason for us to want anyone of concern to be active,” he said, referencing the Western withdrawal and the Taliban’s return to power in the nation.

Bhutto, whose party is part of the ruling coalition in Pakistan, said, “If and when the Indian government shares information with us that he is on Pakistani soil, we would be more than happy to arrest him.” He added that so far, New Delhi had not done so.

Azhar, one of India’s most-wanted terrorists, has been linked to several major attacks in India, including the 2001 Parliament attack, the 26/11 Mumbai attacks, the 2016 Pathankot airbase assault, and the 2019 Pulwama suicide bombing.

He was designated a global terrorist by the United Nations in 2019 and was released from Indian custody in 1999 as part of the Kandahar hijacking hostage exchange.

When asked why Pakistan was waiting for India to act, Bhutto pointed to international counterterrorism cooperation, where countries exchange lists of suspects. “That’s how we’ve thwarted attacks in London, New York, and Pakistan,” he said.

He also responded to a report by The New York Times, claiming that Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) founder Hafiz Saeed was roaming free. “That’s factually not correct. Hafiz Saeed is in the custody of the Pakistani state,” Bhutto said.

Source : https://www.indiatoday.in/india/story/may-be-in-afghanistan-bilawal-bhutto-says-pakistan-doesnt-know-where-masood-azhar-is-2751079-2025-07-05

Several sharks were spotted prowling the waters at Rockaway Beach on the Fourth of July, prompting a stretch of the popular summer destination to close on the busy holiday weekend.

Chilling video shared on social media captured one of the beasts swimming “very close to beachgoers,” in the shallow waters off the Rockaways, officials said.

Two sharks were seen near Beach 32nd Street at about 11:30 a.m., another sighting was reported at Beach 144th Street and a third at Beach 30th Street, according to Kaz Daughtry, the Deputy Mayor of New York City for Public Safety.

The Beach 30th Street entrance was closed for an hour due to the scare.