Category: World

Having repeatedly described April 2 as ‘Liberation Day’, US President Donald Trump has promised to roll out from Wednesday reciprocal tariffs or taxes on imports from other countries, saying that it would free America from depending foreign goods.

Donald Trump said that he will impose “reciprocal” tariffs to match the duty rates other countries have imposed on US products, a report from The Associated Press said.

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt, however, on Monday said that the president will reveal his plans to impose reciprocal tariffs on all of US’ trading partners will elapse on Wednesday. She added that whether details of the tariffs be revealed, that depends on Trump himself.

Ever since he returned to office for a second term in January this year, Trump has constantly proved to be aggressive with tariff threats.

Why reciprocal tariffs?

The Republic leader has argued that tariffs will protect American industries from any unfair competition, raise money for the federal government and extend an anchor for demanding concessions from other nations. However, economists have reportedly suggested that broad tariffs at these rates might just backfire.

The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) has released satellite images of the widespread damages caused by the 7.7 magnitude earthquake that struck Myanmar and rattled neighbouring countries on Friday.

Using its most sophisticated Earth imaging satellite, the Cartosat-3, which can help with images at a resolution of less than 50 centimetres, the ISRO has managed to capture photos from a 500 kilometre altitude above the earth. The images show how a huge bridge over the Irrawaddy River collapsed. The damages to the Mandalay University and collapse of the Ananda Pagoda are also highlighted.

According to the space agency, Cartosat-3, which was launched in 2019, is a third generation agile advanced earth imaging satellite. ISRO rarely releases images from this highly sophisticated satellite.

The National Remote Sensing Centre, a part of ISRO, said the post-disaster Cartosat-3 imagery was acquired on Saturday, over the cities of Mandalay and Sagaing in Myanmar. Additionally, Cartosat-3 data acquired on March 18, covering the same area, was referred for change analysis and assessment of damage. Significant damage to infrastructure in Mandalay city was observed.

The damaged caused to Mandalay city and Ava bridge.

An earthquake of magnitude 7.7 struck Myanmar on Friday, followed by a strong aftershock of magnitude 6.4. The epicentre was located at a depth of 10km near Sagaing-Mandalay border. Mandalay, Myanmar’s second-largest city, registered severe damage.

The earthquake also rattled the Myanmar capital Naypyidaw and other regions, resulting in the collapse of infrastructure, roads and residential buildings. The tremors were felt not only in Myanmar but also in neighbouring countries and as far as Chiang Mai and northern parts of Thailand, where some places reported damages.

The images showed significant damage to infrastructure in Mandalay city, with major landmarks such as Sky Villa, Phayani Pagoda, Mahamuni Pagoda and Ananda Pagoda, University of Mandalay and several others suffering either complete or partial damage.

In Sagaing city, the Ma Shi Khana Pagoda and several monasteries and other buildings were damaged.

The damage caused to Mandalay city.

As seen from the imagery, the earthquake led to the collapse of the historic Ava (InnWa) Bridge on the Irrawaddy River, near Inn Wa City. Cracks in flood plains of the Irrawaddy river with associated liquefaction were also observed.

In its damage assessment summary, ISRO said Myanmar is located near the convergent boundary of the Indian and Eurasian plates, where the Indian Plate is moving northward toward the Eurasian Plate at a rate of about 5 cm per year.

Source : https://www.ndtv.com/world-news/isro-satellite-images-show-damage-after-earthquake-rattled-myanmar-8056364

The S&P 500 and the Nasdaq Composite posted on Monday their worst quarterly performances since 2022, as uncertainty around the Trump administration’s economic agenda roiled U.S. equity markets in the first quarter of 2025.
The two benchmarks also suffered heavily in March, recording their biggest monthly percentage drops since December 2022, as President Donald Trump rolled out a swathe of new tariffs which raised fears of a global trade war that would hurt economic growth and spur inflation.

For the quarter, the S&P 500 (.SPX) slumped 4.6%, while the Nasdaq Composite (.IXIC) plummeted 10.5%. The Dow Jones Industrial Average (.DJI) was not immune to the unease, slipping 1.3% in the opening three months.

“Investors, more or less in this first quarter, threw their hands in the air, as you really cannot trade around this,” said Adam Turnquist, chief technical strategist for LPL Financial.
The Magnificent Seven technology names, which drove markets higher over a bull market which stretched through 2023 and 2024, weighed heavily on U.S. equity markets as investors sold off growth names.

Tesla was down almost 36% in the first quarter, and Nvidia dropped nearly 20%.
“Our big lesson from the first quarter is diversification is not dead,” said Michael Reynolds, vice president of investment strategy at Glenmede.
“Whether you’re looking between, or within, asset classes, if you avoided the perils of market concentration, you actually held up quite a bit better versus some of the headline indexes.”
While information technology (.SPLRCT), and consumer discretionary (.SPLRCD), – both sectors with heavy influence from big-tech names – posted double-digit percentage declines for the quarter, a majority of the 11 S&P sectors were higher in the same period, led by energy’s (.SPNY) 9.3% increase.

On Monday, both the S&P 500 and the Dow temporarily shook off the uncertainty around the Trump administration’s upcoming tariff plans, which are expected to be outlined in greater detail on Wednesday.

Trump said on Sunday that expected tariffs he is set to announce will include all nations. He has already imposed tariffs on aluminum, steel and autos, along with increased tariffs on goods from China.
The S&P 500 (.SPX),  gained 30.91 points, or 0.55%, to 5,611.85 points, and the Dow Jones Industrial Average (.DJI), rose 417.86 points, or 1%, to 42,001.76. The Nasdaq Composite (.IXIC), lost 23.70 points, or 0.14%, to 17,299.29. The

Financial stocks helped boost the S&P 500 on Monday. Both Discover Financial Services (DFS.N) and Capital One Financial (COF.N) advanced, up 7.5% and 3.3% respectively, as investors bet their merger would ultimately be approved by regulators.

The S&P 500 consumer staples index (.SPLRCS), often considered a safe haven within stock markets, was the leading sector though with its 1.6% increase. Energy also rose, tracking a jump in crude prices.

The CBOE Volatility Index (.VIX), Wall Street’s so-called fear gauge, jumped to a two-week high at 22.28 points.

As a result of tariff uncertainties, Goldman Sachs raised the probability of a U.S. recession to 35% from 20%, cut its year-end target for the S&P 500 to 5,700, and forecast more interest rate cuts by the Federal Reserve.
Focus this week will also be on economic data, including ISM business activity surveys and the crucial non-farm payrolls report. Also due this week are speeches from several U.S. central bank officials, including Fed Chair Jerome Powell.
Drugmakers’ shares slid after reports the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s top vaccine official had been forced to resign. Moderna (MRNA.O) dropped 8.9%.

Source : https://www.reuters.com/markets/us/futures-tumble-tariffs-fuel-recession-worries-2025-03-31/

China began joint army, navy and rocket force exercises around Taiwan on Tuesday as a “stern warning” against separatism and called Taiwanese President Lai Ching-te a “parasite”, as Taiwan sent warships to respond to China’s navy approaching its coast.
The exercises around the democratically governed island, which China views as its own territory and has never renounced the use of force to bring under its control, come after Lai called Beijing a “foreign hostile force” last month.

China detests Lai as a “separatist,” and in a video accompanying the Eastern Theatre Command’s announcement of the drills depicted him as cartoon bug held by a pair of chopsticks above a burning Taiwan, calling him in English a “parasite”.
“The focus is on exercises such as combat readiness patrols at sea and in the air, seizing comprehensive control, striking maritime and land targets, and imposing blockade controls on key areas and routes,” the Eastern Theatre Command said in a statement.
Taiwan’s government condemned the drills, with the presidential office saying China was “widely recognised by the international community as a troublemaker” and that the government has the confidence and ability to defend itself.

TAIWAN DISPATCHES WARSHIPS

“CLOSING IN”

China’s military released a series of propaganda videos in quick succession after the drill announcement, depicting Chinese warships and fighter jets encircling Taiwan, Taipei being aimed at from above, and military vehicles patrolling city streets.
A video of a poster accompanying the drills titled “Closing In,” and showing Chinese forces surrounding the island, was released on the Eastern Theatre Command’s Weibo.
This was followed by a video titled “Shell”, depicting president Lai as a green cartoon bug spawning parasites across the island, on the Eastern Theatre Command’s WeChat page.
“Parasite poisoning Taiwan island. Parasite hollowing Island out. Parasite courting ultimate destruction,” the animation said.
Taiwan Defence Minister Wellington Koo said such rhetoric was not conducive to peace and “shows their provocative character,” when asked about Lai’s cartoon depiction.
A third video, “Subdue Demons and Vanquish Evils”, featured Sun Wukong, the magical monkey king from the Ming Dynasty epic “Journey to the West” as he is depicted in the “Black Myth: Wukong” hit video game.
It opens with the video’s title flashing across the screen and the Chinese mythical warrior riding on clouds before cutting to footage of Chinese fighter jets.
“The joint exercise and training conducted by the Eastern Theatre of the Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) in the vicinity of Taiwan Island is a resolute punishment for the Lai Ching-Te authorities’ rampant ‘independence’ provocations,” said Zhu Fenglian, a spokesperson for China’s Taiwan Affairs Office.
Taiwan’s Koo told reporters the PLA should focus first on resolving its issues with corruption instead of destroying peace and stability in the region.
China’s military has undergone a sweeping anti-corruption purge over the past few years, which saw former Chinese Defence Minister Li Shangfu ousted in October 2024.
China’s defence ministry did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Koo’s remarks.
The Taiwan security source, citing internal intelligence assessments, said China was trying to busy its military with exercises as a way of distracting and stopping its soldiers from discussing the corruption crackdown amongst themselves on base.
China’s coast guard said it was also taking part in the drills, saying it was simulating “inspection and capture, interception and detention operations against unwarranted vessels” to show its exercise of “legitimate jurisdiction” over Taiwan.
The Global Times, which is owned by the People’s Daily newspaper of the governing Chinese Communist Party, said the drill had not been given a code name to show that Chinese military forces surrounding the island “has become a normal practice,” citing Zhang Chi of National Defence University.

Source : https://www.reuters.com/world/asia-pacific/chinese-military-says-it-is-conducting-exercises-around-taiwan-2025-03-31/

The United Arab Emirates on Monday sentenced three people to death for the murder of an Israeli-Moldovan rabbi who was killed in November in the Gulf country, state news agency WAM reported.
The Abu Dhabi Federal Appeal Court ruled the murder of Zvi Kogan, 28, was committed by the defendants in pursuance of a “terrorist purpose,” according to WAM.

Kogan, who had been living in the UAE, was a representative in the UAE of Chabad, an Orthodox Jewish group that has chapters around the world and seeks to build links with non-affiliated and secular Jews or other sects of Judaism.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office had denounced Kogan’s killing as an “antisemitic terrorist act”.
Three of the defendants were found guilty of Kogan’s murder, while a fourth defendant was sentenced to life in prison in connection with the killing. Death penalty sentences can be challenged on appeal under Emirati law.
The UAE interior ministry said in November that three of the people arrested were citizens of Uzbekistan.
Such crimes are rare in the UAE, which is largely viewed as one of the safest places in the Middle East.

Kogan had been living in the UAE for several years and had been involved in outreach to the country’s Jewish community. He was reported missing in November with his body discovered days later in the Emirati city of Al Ain which borders Oman.
The UAE’s Israeli and Jewish community has grown more visible since 2020, when the UAE became the most prominent Arab state in 30 years to establish formal ties with Israel under a U.S.-brokered agreement dubbed the Abraham Accords.
The UAE has maintained the relationship during the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza, which has killed tens of thousands of people since it began in October 2023. However, Israelis and Jews have been less evident in public since the Hamas attack on Israeli communities of October 7, 2023, that triggered the Gaza conflict.

Source : https://www.reuters.com/world/middle-east/uae-sentences-killers-israeli-moldovan-citizen-death-2025-03-31/

A French court on Monday barred French far-right leader Marine Le Pen from running in the 2027 presidential election after she was convicted of embezzlement, in a seismic ruling that could fuel global tensions over judicial efforts to police politics.
The French court’s ruling was a catastrophic setback for Le Pen, 56. The National Rally (RN) party chief is one of the most prominent figures of the European far right, and a front-runner in polls for France’s 2027 contest.

The ruling could have wide-ranging repercussions on French politics, upending the race to succeed President Emmanuel Macron and placing additional pressure on his weak minority government enfeebled after months of consecutive crises.
It is also likely to exacerbate growing global anger among right-wing leaders over unelected judges meddling in their mandates.
In a prime time TV interview on TF1, Le Pen said she was innocent, and would appeal as soon as possible against what she described as a politicized ruling aimed at blocking her presidential bid. She said she was currently out of the running for 2027, but would continue to fight for her future.

“Tonight there are millions of French people who are outraged, outraged to an unimaginable degree, seeing that in France, in the country of human rights, judges have implemented practices that we thought were reserved for authoritarian regimes,” she said.
Le Pen’s five-year public office ban cannot be suspended by appeal, although she will retain her parliamentary seat until her term ends. She also received a four-year prison sentence – two years of which are suspended and two years to be served under home detention, and a 100,000-euro ($108,200) fine, but they will not apply until her appeals are exhausted.
Billionaire Elon Musk, who has led calls to impeach U.S. judges blocking President Donald Trump’s agenda, while also lending his support to European far-right figures, alleged an establishment plot behind Le Pen’s defenestration.

“When the radical left can’t win via democratic vote, they abuse the legal system to jail their opponents,” he wrote on X. “This is their standard playbook throughout the world.”
Judge Benedicte de Perthuis said Le Pen had been “at the heart” of a scheme to misappropriate more than 4 million euros ($4.3 million) of EU funds and use them to pay the far-right party’s staff back home.
The lack of remorse by Le Pen and other defendants was among the reasons that prompted the court to ban them from running for office with immediate effect, de Perthuis said.
Le Pen’s allies, as well as far-right leaders from Europe and around the world, joined in condemning the ruling as judicial overreach.
“Today it is not only Marine Le Pen who was unjustly convicted: It was French democracy that was killed,” said Le Pen’s right-hand man, RN president Jordan Bardella.
Former Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro, who was barred from office until 2030 for abuse of power, told Reuters Le Pen’s sentence was “left-wing judicial activism.”

‘POLITICAL DEATH’?

Kanye West did not want to have kids with Kim Kardashian so soon in their relationship.

In a bizarre new interview with DJ Akademiks, the “All Falls Down” rapper explained why he did not see himself becoming a father while dating his now-ex-wife.

Akademiks, 33, said, “When you speak about Kim, people might be like, ‘Well, you picked her. You put yourself in that.’”

West — who wore an all-black Ku Klux Klan outfit, complete with the hate group’s infamous pointed hood, during the disgraceful interview — replied, “Absolutely, I did. That was my fault. No, that was my fault.”

The Grammy winner, 47, added: “I didn’t want to have children with this person after the first two months of being with them, but that wasn’t God’s plan.”

Page Six has reached out to Kardashian’s rep for comment but did not immediately hear back.

West and the Skims co-founder, 44, share four children: daughters North, 11, and Chicago, 7, and sons Saint, 9, and Psalm, 5.

Recently, the Yeezy founder and the reality TV star had a war of words over their eldest child, whom West wanted to have featured on one of his songs with disgraced rapper Sean “Diddy” Combs.

Kardashian tried to get a judge to stop the song from being released because she did not want her daughter tied to the Bad Boy Records founder, who is awaiting trial on charges of sex trafficking.

A source told Page Six, “Kim’s priority is the well-being and safety of her children and to protect them from being around Kanye’s controversial behavior.”

Despite Kardashian’s concerns, West dropped the track anyway on social media and demanded she amend her trademark of North’s name to include him.

He then accused his ex and the “Kardashian mob” of restricting his parenting and compared their current custody agreement to “visitation” in “jail.”

“ALL THESE RIGHTS HAVE BEEN TAKEN FROM ME BY THE KARDASHIAN MOB HULU AND DISNEY AND THE BIGGER AGENDA TO USE THE SELECTIVELY BRED BLACK CHILDREN TO BE PLATFORMS TO INFLUENCE BLACK PEOPLE,” he wrote via X on March 15.

Source : https://pagesix.com/2025/03/31/parents/kanye-west-says-he-didnt-want-to-have-kids-with-kim-kardashian/

South Korean star Kim Soo-hyun has made a tearful public statement denying allegations made by the family of actress Kim Sae-ron, who died in an apparent suicide in February.

“I can’t admit to something I didn’t do,” the 37-year-old said on Monday at a press conference in Seoul.

At the centre of the controversy are two allegations: that Kim Soo-hyun dated Kim Sae-ron when she was 15 – a minor – and that his agency pressured her to repay a loan she owed him.

The scandal has shocked South Korea and its entertainment industry – and has generated a backlash against Kim Soo-Hyun, whose roles in multiple hit drama series and films has made him one of its best-known stars.

Kim wept as he said that although he dated the actress for a year when she was an adult, they never dated while she was underage.

Monday’s media conference came after weeks of accusations and counter-accusations between Kim Sae-ron’s family and Kim Soo-hyun’s camp in the wake of her death.

The scandal broke on 10 March, less than a month after Kim Sae-ron’s death. A YouTube channel, known for its controversial political content, claimed that the two had dated for six years, when she was 15. The channel has since released videos and photos it claims were taken during their relationship.

Last week, the attorney representing Kim Sae-ron’s family held a press conference, revealing more chat history allegedly between the two actors from 2016, when she was 16.

Kim Soo-hyun’s agency initially denied the allegations but later clarified that they dated, though only between 2019 and 2020, when she was an adult.

The actor himself had remained silent until Monday. At the press conference, he became emotional, reiterating to reporters that they only dated as two adults.

“Many people are suffering because of me,” he said, apologising to his fans and staff. “I also feel sorry that the late actress [Kim Sae-ron] isn’t able to rest in peace.

“I never dated her when she was a minor,” he continued. “Except for the fact that both of us were actors, our relationship was just like that of any other ordinary couple.”

He also explained why he denied the relationship when she uploaded a later-deleted photo of the two of them to her Instagram account in 2024 during the airing of Netflix hit show Queen of Tears, in which he played the lead role.

“I had so much to protect as its lead actor. What would have happened if I had admitted to a year-long relationship? What would happen to the actors, the staff who were working overnight and the production team who had everything staked on that project?” he said. “The more I thought of it, the more I thought that shouldn’t be what I do.”

Any admission of a romantic relationship or a partner is still seen as scandalous to fans in South Korea’s entertainment industry, where celebrities’ personal lives come under intense scrutiny.

Kim Sae-ron herself was a victim of online hate by fans after she was fined 20 million won (£11,000; $14,000) for a 2022 drink-driving incident.

Prior to that, she had been seen as one of the most promising young actresses in South Korea.

At the time, she was managed by the same agency as Kim Soo-hyun, which was co-founded by his relative. Kim Sae-ron joined GoldMedalist in January 2020 and left in December 2022.

Kim Sae-ron’s family claimed that GoldMedalist covered the compensation for her drunk-driving incident. They allege that the agency later pursued legal action for repayment and that, while the actress asked Kim Soo-hyun for more time to settle the debt, her request went unanswered.

On Monday, Kim Soo-hyun denied claims that “she made the tragic choice because of me or my agency pressuring her over a debt”.

He released a voice recording of a phone call from a year ago, allegedly between his agency and Kim Sae-ron’s representative.

In the recording, the CEO of GoldMedalist appears to explain that the document they sent her regarding the debt was merely for “procedural reasons” and that her team could take time to respond.

He also accused Kim Sae-ron’s family of manipulating chat records as evidence and stated that he had submitted his own evidence to the relevant authorities for verification. He urged her family to do the same.

Kim Soo-hyun, 37, is an A-list actor in South Korea, known for his roles in multiple hit drama series and top-grossing movies, including My Love from the Star, Netflix’s Queen of Tears, and the film Secretly, Greatly.

He has also been a favourite among advertisers in the country, though many brands have now distanced themselves from him amid the controversy. On 17 March, fashion brand Prada announced that it had mutually decided to end its collaboration with him, according to Reuters. This followed similar moves from Dinto, a Korean cosmetic brand.

Source : https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cx278d4702xo

Greenland’s new prime minister has issued a strong message to Donald Trump following the US president’s claims over the island. In a defiant message, Jens-Frederik Nielsen said: “We must listen when others talk about us. But we must not be shaken. President Trump says the United States is ‘getting Greenland.’

“Let me make this clear: The U.S. is not getting that. We don’t belong to anyone else. We decide our own future. We must not act out of fear. We must respond with peace, dignity and unity.

“And it is through these values that we must clearly, clearly and calmly show the American president that Greenland is ours. It was like that yesterday. That’s how it is today. And that’s how it will be in the future.”

Mr Nielsen is the leader of the Demokraatit party, the largest in parliament. After officially becoming prime minister last week, the PM took to social media to hit back at Mr Trump’s bid for Greenland.

On Saturday, the U.S. president told NBC News that he will “not take anything off the table” after being questioned on the use of military force to take control of the country.

The Trump administration says they want to take over the world’s biggest island for national security purposes.

Greenland is rich in natural resources and offers a number of strategic advantages, especially as shipping through the Arctic region becomes easier due to warming temperatures.

Greenland is a semiautonomous territory of Denmark and has been part of the NATO nation for 600 years.

On Friday, vice-president JD Vance touched down on the island with his wife, Usha, where they proceeded to the U.S. military’s Pituffik Space Base for a national security briefing.

Mr Vance said during his visit: “Our message to Denmark is very simple: you have not done a good job by the people of Greenland.

Source : https://www.express.co.uk/news/world/2033439/greenland-prime-minister-donald-trump

At the relatively young age of 27, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt approaches the podium with confidence and a smile. Don’t let her age fool you, though. She has proved to be unflappable and, as those in the press room can attest, her approach is no-nonsense and fearless.

When recently facing a reporter who tried to tout his personal ideas about the impact of tariffs, she replied, “I think it’s insulting that you’re trying to test my knowledge of economics and the decisions that this president has made.”

In our one-on-one sit-down, Leavitt told CBN News how she draws that strength immediately before each briefing.

“I think that team prayer before is just a moment to be silent and still and ask God for confidence and the ability to articulate my words, knowledge, prayer, protection, and it is a nice moment to reset. It’s the last thing I do before I go out there, and then it just gives me the confidence to do a briefing,” she says.

That confidence comes from a childhood filled with love from blue-collar parents growing up in New Hampshire.

“I think that value of hard work and determination and drive was instilled in me in a very young age, just by watching my parents work so hard to earn a living,” Leavitt says.

She adds how Catholic education instilled discipline and shaped who she is today.

“My faith is incredibly important to me, I would argue, now more than ever, being in a role that is very demanding and at times controversial, and there’s a lot of public pressure and discussion online about who you are and your family. And you know, it could be difficult for someone who doesn’t have faith but with faith, all things are possible.”

Sports played a role as well. She excelled on her high school softball team and received a scholarship from Saint Anselm college in Manchester – good enough to be third on the team in homeruns. She’s still hitting homeruns, but of a different kind today.

“The game of softball in sports prepared me for the game of politics, no doubt about it,” Leavitt says. “Discipline, hard work, teamwork and also competing against yourself to be the best that you can in athletics, I think, has prepared me especially for this job now. You know, I can have a good briefing, but the next day I can go on television. I have to perform again, right? So every day is a new game in this job.”

She wouldn’t even be in her current job, however, without bumps along the way. She ran for Congress in 2022 and lost the general election.

“Well, certainly, God has a plan for everyone. I believe that firmly…” she says. “So God knew what He was doing, I believe, and you just have to trust the process and trust that he’s working in your life, and stay grounded in your faith throughout the way.”

She leans on that faith inside the briefing room as questions come fast and furious from all directions. But Leavitt says she’s ready for what’s coming. “Oftentimes, the questions are predictable.”

With liberal reporters everywhere in the press briefing room, it begs the question: Is political journalism dead in America today? “I think there are true journalists out there that still exist,” she says. “They are few and far between. I think many people in the briefing room here are trying out for their next big show…so I think the media has had to take a look in the mirror, especially after President Trump’s resounding victory on November 5th, and the American public sent a very strong message to the anti-Trump media that we don’t listen to you.”

Legacy media often still push back. New York Times Reporter Peter Baker has complained that outlets are losing direct access to the president if they print something the White House doesn’t like.

“That is utter fallacy and completely ridiculous,” Leavitt says. “We have expanded the pool to new voices, independent journalists, podcasters, social media content creators, while continuing to invite legacy media outlets like the one Peter Baker works for. The New York Times are still in the briefing room, still have access to the press pool, and we are going to continue to move forward with this method.”

In the middle of these ongoing battles, this administration is also facing rogue judges it sees as trying to stop the Trump agenda. Leavitt labels them part of the “resistance movement.”

“Absolutely,” she says. “Almost every single one of them is a registered Democrat, has been involved in Democrat campaigns or causes, have donated to Democrat candidates. Some of them have even put their anti-Trump bias on social media. They have not been shy about their hatred for this president and his policies, and they are abusing their judicial power.”

She also sees a much larger fight taking place: the one between good and evil.

“I certainly believe in spiritual warfare. And I think I saw it firsthand, especially throughout the campaign trail with President Trump. And I think there certainly were evil forces. And I think that the president was saved by the grace of God on July 13th in Butler, Pennsylvania, and he’s in this moment for a reason.”

While that event is seen as a miracle, many believe Leavitt pulls one off each day in her high-level role that includes being a full-time mom to an eight-month-old baby boy.

“It’s certainly challenging. There’s no doubt about it. I think every working mother understands the demands. And no matter where you are, what you’re doing, there is a sense of guilt,” she says. “But I spend every second that I possibly can with my son when I’m home on weekends and evenings. I try to make it home for bedtime as much as I can throughout the week.”

Which doesn’t leave too much time for sleep.

“Actually, it’s usually about five to six hours a night is what I’m doing, which is all we need. As President Trump says, when you love your job and you love your life, you don’t need to sleep much.”

While awake, she soldiers on despite critics taking shots at her. While those critics might want to define her, how does Karoline Leavitt define Karoline Leavitt?

Source : https://cbn.com/news/politics/god-she-trusts-karoline-leavitts-journey-white-house-podium

“I’m President Donald J. Trump … and I approve this hookup” is essentially what No. 47 said of Tiger Woods’ new relationship with Vanessa Trump — telling reporters he’s giving the coupling a yuuuuge thumbs up.

POTUS was asked about El Tigre’s romance on Monday … and he couldn’t say enough good things about the golf superstar.

“Well, I love Tiger and I love Vanessa,” Trump stated before giving his take on what he thinks torpedoed his son Don Jr.’s marriage to Woods’ new lady after 13 years.

“They had a great relationship. I happen to think their relationship with my son … I happen to think their relationship was hurt very badly by the witch hunt that went on. Russia, Russia, Russia and all the crap that they put Don through, who knew nothing about it.”

“But Vanessa and Don had a very good relationship. They have incredible children, five incredible children, all good athletes, all great students. They broke up quite a while ago, which to me was very sad.”

Trump has spoken a lot about the claims Russia interfered with the 2016 presidential election and he was in bed with the country …. but it’s unclear why he thinks that could’ve spelled trouble for Don Jr.’s relationship.

Trump then got back to his thoughts on Tiger … saying the athlete hit him up a few weeks ago to tell him about dating Vanessa, to which he replied it “was good.”

“I’m very happy for both, let them both be happy. They’re both great.

Source : https://www.tmz.com/2025/03/31/president-trump-tiger-woods-vanessa-trump-relationship/

Virginia Giuffre, who accused the now-deceased Jeffrey Epstein of sex trafficking, has shared a troubling IG post from a hospital … claiming docs have told her she has 4 days to live — now down to 3 — after an apparent car crash.

In a Sunday IG post, Giuffre shared a photo of her bruised face from her hospital bed … asserting in the caption that she went into renal failure after a school bus crashed into her at a whopping “110km” (68 miles per hour) while she was slowing down for a turn.

Giuffre claimed her injuries were so severe that doctors gave her just days to live and transferred her to a specialist urology hospital … but despite supposedly being at death’s door, she still managed to muster up the strength to update her IG followers.

She seemed to accept her alleged fate, writing she was “ready to go” but wanted to see her kids one last time, but seemed to cast doubt on that happening — and ended the post by thanking her fans for being a great part of her life.

Right now, the details of Virginia’s hospital visit are unclear … and there don’t appear to be any media reports from Perth — the city where she lives with her 3 kids — or anywhere in Australia confirming her claim of a car accident involving a speeding school bus.

Source : https://www.tmz.com/2025/03/31/virginia-giuffre-4-days-to-live-instagram-traffic-crash-australia/

GENE Hackman and wife Betsy Arakawa’s autopsies can be released – alongside any documents, pictures, and videos that do not show their bodies, a judge has ruled.

Judge Matthew Wilson sealed off any public records containing images of the bodies on Monday after the late actor and his wife’s estate pushed for privacy around the deaths.

A temporary hold had been placed on all records as the estate argued that Hackman, who was notoriously private, should be afforded the same rights after his death.

The hold was released on Monday but only on any files that don’t include the body images.

Hackman, Arakawa, and one of their dogs were found dead under mysterious circumstances at their sprawling New Mexico estate on February 26.

Santa Fe sheriff officials found the Academy Award-winning actor, 95, fully clothed in a mud room off the kitchen with his cane next to him.

Meanwhile, Arakawa, 65, was later discovered on the bathroom floor near a space heater with tablets from a prescription bottle scattered on the floor.

Arakawa’s body was said to have been found in a state of partial mummification.

Police and medical professionals quickly ruled out any foul play.

Dr. Heather Jarrell, the chief medical examiner of New Mexico, revealed that Arakawa died of hantavirus pulmonary syndrome, which is caused by contact with rodents like rats and mice.

Hackman’s cause of death was ruled as hypertensive and atherosclerotic cardiac disease, Jarrell added.

An autopsy showed that Hackman had advanced Alzheimer’s, which played a significant role in his death.

While most of the details from the autopsy were released in a press briefing on March 7, lawyers had argued over whether the full reports should be made public.

The hearing was attended by lawyers for Hackman’s estate, one of the actor’s children, attorneys for Sante Fe County, and the University of New Mexico for the Medical Examiner.

Lawyers for CBS and the Associated Press were also present at the First Judicial District Court.

“Gene and Betsy Hackman’s names, likenesses and images are valuable and need to be protected and that is clearly proven out by virtue of the press wanting to get their hands on the documents to exploit them for their own personal profit and gain,” Kurt Sommer, a lawyer for Hackman’s estate, argued before the judge.

“This estate has a duty to protect Gene and Betsy’s property, including photographs and videos of their dead bodies,” he added.

RIGHT TO PRIVACY

During his closing statement, Sommer stated that his clients, the Hackman children, have the right of privacy not to have pictures of their father’s body posted online.

Despite the pair’s public personas, Somer argued that the couple “took great pains” to make their lives private.

“They lived in a private gated community. They lived very quietly in Santa Fe and unfortunately, they died a very tragic death,” he said.

Sommer noted that Hackman would only ever do two hours of press for his movies and repeatedly denied CBS News Sunday Mornings’ interview requests.

The attorney called the media’s request to unseal photos and videos of Hackman’s death “nothing more than backdoor exposure to the Hackmans’ lifestyle that could not be attained by the press during their lifetime.”

“There’s no damage to the media by waiting until these matters are decided, a significant amount of videos have already been released to the press,” Sommer said.

Arguing for the release of the documents to the media, Walker Boyd said it was not common for a judge “to stop state entities from doing their statutory required jobs.”

Boyd mentioned that New Mexico’s privacy laws do not grant a person the same privileges in death as it does in life.

“The estate and intervening family members do not possess the right of privacy being asserted here,” he argued.

BODYCAM RELEASE

Some footage from the Hackmans’ home after their deaths was already released last week.

It was also revealed the couple had complained of a mystery man stalking them in the weeks before their deaths.

The footage showed a hairstylist telling police that Betsy Arakawa confided in him about a stranger who followed the pair twice in December.

In a video obtained by Fox News, the hairstylist, identified as Christopher, claimed Arakawa told him a man parked outside their gate and followed them on more than one occasion.

“She mentioned to me that there was a man that had parked outside of their gate and followed them,” he told officers.

“On two separate occasions. One occasion is when they went to White Rock.

“They went and had lunch there and the guy followed them from parked [outside of their gated community], followed them all the way to White Rock.

“She said, ‘Christopher, I’m surprised that security didn’t [know] how he got there… because when we left, I noticed that this car had followed us from the residence to White Rock.’”

REPORTS SCHEDULED

It is not clear when the remaining body cam footage will be released.

The New Mexico Office of the Medical Investigator also confirmed on Monday that it had not finalized all reports but would respect the judge’s ruling.

“As of today, the NM OMI has not finalized the post-mortem examination reports of Mr. Eugene Hackman and Mrs. Betsy Hackman,” the agency said.

“However, once those reports are finalized, the NM OMI will release the reports and will not release photos, as ordered.

“The NM OMI will release documents to those who have requested them through it’s normal protocol, which is through The University of New Mexico’s public records portal. The NM OMI offers condolences to the Hackman Family.”

Hackmen’s estate has not yet commented on the ruling.

The couple died on separate dates, as authorities believe Arakawa was last alive on February 12, while Hackman is suspected to have died around February 18 – the last day his pacemaker reported heart data.

Jarrell, the chief medical examiner, said that because of Hackman’s advanced Alzheimer’s, it is possible he did not know his wife was dead in the home.

“Mr. Hackman showed evidence of advanced Alzheimer’s disease. He was in a very poor state of health,” she said at a March 7 press conference.

“He had significant heart disease, and I think ultimately that’s what resulted in his death.”

Source : https://www.the-sun.com/entertainment/13909740/gene-hackman-betsy-arakawa-death-verdict-new-mexico/

ASTRONAUTS left on the ISS for 286 days due to a fault with Boeing’s spacecraft have spoken out for the first time about their whirlwind trip.

Butch Wilmore, 62, and Suni Williams, 59, finally arrived back to Earth on March 18 travelling back in one of Elon Musk’s SpaceX capsules instead of Boeing’s Starliner they originally blasted out on.

The pair were asked who was to blame for the botched mission, which was only supposed to last eight days.

Butch said there is equal blame to share – including himself.

However, they hit back at suggestions Boeing “failed” them.

“There are many questions that as the commander of CFT (Crew Flight Test), I didn’t ask, so I’m culpable, I’ll admit that to the nation,” he told America’s Newsroom on Fox News, their first media interview since returning.

“There are things that I did not ask that I should have asked. I didn’t know at the time I needed to ask them.

“But in hindsight, the signals, some of the signals were there.

“Is Boeing to blame? Are they culpable? Sure. Is NASA to blame? Sure.

“Everybody has a piece in this because it did not come off.

“There were some shortcomings in tests, shortcomings in preparation that we did not foresee.”

The pair also spoke about suggestions they were “stuck” or “abandoned” in space.

“Okay, in certain respects, we were stuck,” Butch continued.

“In certain respects, maybe we were stranded.

“But based on how they were couching this, that we were left and forgotten and all that, we were nowhere near any of that at all.

“So stuck? Okay. We didn’t get to come home the way we planned.

“So in one definition, we’re stuck.

“But in the big scheme of things, we weren’t stuck. We were planned, trained.”

Despite the issues, the duo said they would go back into space again.

“Okay, in certain respects, we were stuck,” Butch continued.

“In certain respects, maybe we were stranded.

“But based on how they were couching this, that we were left and forgotten and all that, we were nowhere near any of that at all.

“So stuck? Okay. We didn’t get to come home the way we planned.

“So in one definition, we’re stuck.

“But in the big scheme of things, we weren’t stuck. We were planned, trained.”

Despite the issues, the duo said they would go back into space again.

Rabea Rogge made history on Monday as the first German woman in space, launching aboard a SpaceX rocket on the first-ever crewed mission to fly directly over Earth’s polar regions.

The days-long, privately funded orbital mission launched aboard a SpaceX Crew Dragon capsule atop a Falcon 9 rocket at 9:46pm ET on Monday (0146 GMT Tuesday) from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center, in Florida.

Cheers erupted in Elon Musk’s SpaceX control room as the powerful rocket soared toward Earth’s North and South Poles.

The Fram2 mission sent four private astronauts into polar orbit, the company’s livestream showed. The mission will orbit Earth from pole to pole, a trajectory in which no humans have traveled before.

The mission is led by Chinese-born Maltese entrepreneur Chun Wang. The other members of the crew include Norwegian filmmaker Jannicke Mikkelsen, Australian polar guide Eric Philips and Rogge, a robotics researcher.

Spaceship on an untraveled path

Fram2, named after the famous 19th-century Norwegian ship built for Arctic and Antarctic expeditions, aims to conduct groundbreaking experiments, including the first human X-ray in space and mushroom cultivation in microgravity.

After returning to Earth, the crew aims to exit the spacecraft without additional medical assistance, helping researchers assess astronauts’ ability to perform basic tasks post-spaceflight.

“With the same pioneering spirit as early polar explorers, we aim to bring back new data and knowledge to advance the long-term goals of space exploration,” mission commander Chun Wang said before the launch.

The crew trained for eight months, including an Alaskan wilderness expedition to simulate living in close quarters under harsh conditions.

Source : https://www.dw.com/en/first-german-woman-in-space-on-historic-spacex-polar-orbit-mission/a-72101943

In one of its first major foreign policy moves, the Trump administration has imposed sanctions on six senior officials from China and Hong Kong for their roles in what it calls “transnational repression” and undermining Hong Kong’s autonomy.

The US State Department announced on Monday that the individuals had used the controversial national security law — legislation which gives the Hong Kong government more power to crush dissent — to target pro-democracy activists, including Americans.

According to the statement, Beijing and Hong Kong authorities were accused of extending the reach of the law beyond their borders to “intimidate, silence, and harass” 19 activists living abroad — among them, one US citizen and four US residents.

Those sanctioned include Dong Jingwei, a former high-ranking official in China’s civilian intelligence agency who now heads Beijing’s Office for Safeguarding National Security in Hong Kong.

Previously, Dong was known as China’s chief counterintelligence official, tasked with tracking foreign spies and dissidents.

The other officials targeted are Sonny Au, Dick Wong, Margaret Chiu, Raymond Siu — Hong Kong’s police commissioner — and Paul Lam, the city’s secretary for justice.

Lawmakers and activists applaud the move

The sanctions, issued under a 2020 executive order first signed by US President Donald Trump during his first term, freeze any assets the individuals may have in the United States and bar American entities from conducting financial transactions with them.

Authorities in Washington described the move as a response to continued erosion of freedoms in Hong Kong, particularly following the enforcement of the national security law in 2020.

The law, which allows for life imprisonment for acts like subversion or collusion with foreign forces, was imposed after massive pro-democracy protests in 2019. While Chinese officials claim the law has restored order, Western governments — including the US — argue it has been used to imprison opposition figures, dismantle media outlets, and restrict civil society.

Source : https://www.dw.com/en/us-sanctions-6-over-hong-kong-security-crackdown/a-72101752

A Nigerian professional boxer passed away after collapsing during a fight in Accra, Ghana, local media have reported.

Gabriel Oluwasegun “Success” Olanrewaju, a former Nigerian and West African light-heavyweight champion, was fighting Ghanaian boxer Jon Mbanugu in a Ghana Professional Boxing League bout on Saturday.

However, he collapsed onto the ropes in the third round — without having received a punch.

After receiving first aid in the ring at the Bukom Boxing Arena, he was rushed to the Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital where he was pronounced dead 30 minutes after arrival, the Ghana Boxing Authority (GBA) confirmed.

“Oluwasegun, a few seconds before the end of round 3, stepped back during the fight and leaned on the ropes with his back without any punch whatsoever from his opponent,” read a GBA statement on Sunday.

“The referee, sensing danger, waved his hand for the end of the fight and immediately invited the ringside physician with the support of paramedics from the national ambulance service to attend to the boxer to help resuscitate him.”

Was Olanrewaju’s fight officially sanctioned?

The GBA insisted that Olanrewaju, 40, had been “declared medically fit by the Nigeria Boxing Board Control (NBBC)” and that it had therefore “sanctioned and approved the international contest.”

However, the NBBC told Nigerian newspaper The Punch on Monday that it hadn’t approved the ultimately fatal bout, which was reportedly arranged at short notice after Olanrewaju had been judged too heavy to compete in a scheduled fight on Friday.

“[Olanrewaju] got our approval to fight in Ghana, a fight that was proposed to take place on a Friday,” NBBC secretary Remi Aboderin told The Punch. “Unfortunately, they did [the] weigh-in on Thursday and he was found to be overweight and they told him the person he was to fight was not his weight.”

Was Olanrewaju in debt?

According to Aboderin, Olanrewaju was on his way back to Nigeria and had reached the border between Ghana and Togo when he decided that he couldn’t return home empty-handed due to significant debts he had to pay.

“They called the matchmaker, who informed him that there was a fight on Saturday night, but we didn’t give him the approval for that,” said Aboderin, claiming the GBA got it wrong. “So, he turned back and went back to Ghana because he needed the money; he owed a lot of people money.”

Babatunde Ojo, one of Olanrewaju’s former coaches, told The Punch that he advised the boxer against fighting on short notice.

“These are the things I advise my boxers against,” he said. “You can’t just pick a fight at short notice; you need at least one month. I am very saddened by his loss; may his soul rest in peace.”

Source : https://www.dw.com/en/nigeria-boxer-dies-after-collapsing-during-fight/a-72100403

South Korea, China and Japan held their first economic dialogue in five years on Sunday, seeking to facilitate regional trade as the three Asian export powers brace from U.S. President Donald Trump’s tariffs.
The countries’ three trade ministers agreed to “closely cooperate for a comprehensive and high-level” talks on a South Korea-Japan-China free trade agreement deal to promote “regional and global trade”, according to a statement released after the meeting.

“It is necessary to strengthen the implementation of RCEP, in which all three countries have participated, and to create a framework for expanding trade cooperation among the three countries through Korea-China-Japan FTA negotiations,” said South Korean Trade Minister Ahn Duk-geun, referring to the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership.
The ministers met ahead of Trump’s announcement on Wednesday of more tariffs in what he calls “liberation day”, as he upends Washington’s trading partnerships.

Seoul, Beijing and Tokyo are major U.S. major trading partners, although they have been at loggerheads among themselves over issues including territorial disputes and Japan’s release of wastewater from the wrecked Fukushima nuclear power plant.

They have not made substantial progress on a trilateral free-trade deal since starting talks in 2012.
RCEP, which went into force in 2022, is a trade framework among 15 Asia-Pacific countries aimed at lowering trade barriers.
Trump announced 25% import tariffs on cars and auto parts last week, a move that may hurt companies, especially Asian automakers, which are among the largest vehicle exporters to the U.S.
After Mexico, South Korea is the world’s largest exporter of vehicles to the United States, followed by Japan, according to data from S&P.

Source : https://www.reuters.com/world/asia-pacific/south-korea-china-japan-agree-promote-regional-trade-trump-tariffs-loom-2025-03-30/

Richard Chamberlain, the Emmy-nominated actor and 1960s heartthrob who rocketed to fame in the TV medical drama “Dr. Kildare” and starred in the mini-series “Shogun” and “The Thorn Birds” has died at the age of 90, publicist Harlan Boll said.
Chamberlain died late on Saturday in Hawaii from complications from a stroke, he said in a statement on Sunday.

Chamberlain was an instant hit, and became a teen idol, as the handsome Dr. James Kildare in the series that ran from 1961-1966. The Guardian newspaper said the then 27-year-old actor “looked like he had been sculpted by a loving god out of butter, honey and grace.”

The breakout role was the start of a six decade-career that spanned theater, films and television.
Chamberlain was dubbed the “king of the mini-series” after appearing in several TV dramas in the 1980s and earned plaudits on stage in roles ranging from Professor Henry Higgins in “My Fair Lady” and Captain von Trapp in “The Sound of Music” to Shakespeare’s Hamlet and Richard II.
He also was the original Jason Bourne in the 1988 mini-series “The Bourne Identity.”
“What’s fascinating about Richard is that his range is enormous. His ability to be different each time out is what makes him such a valuable property,” producer Susan Baerwald told the New York Times in 1988.

PRETENDING TO BE SOMEONE ELSE

The versatile actor was nominated for four Emmys — as an English navigator in 17th century Japan in “Shogun” (1981), a love-torn priest in “The Thorn Birds” (1983), Swedish diplomat Raoul Wallenberg in “Wallenberg: A Hero’s Story” (1985) and for the title role in the 1975 TV movie “The Count of Monte-Cristo.”
Most of his roles were as romantic leading men, which is why he did not publicly reveal he was a homosexual until he was 68 years old. He feared it would ruin his career. For much of his life he said he pretended to be someone else.
“When you grow up in the ’30s, ’40s and ’50s being gay, it’s not only ain’t easy, it’s just impossible,” he told the New York Times in 2014. “I assumed there was something terribly wrong with me. And even becoming famous and all that, it was still there.”

Chamberlain said it was a tremendous relief after he acknowledged his sexuality in his 2003 autobiography “Shattered Love: A Memoir.”
“I had no fear left,” he said in a 2019 interview. “It was a wonderful experience. People were open, friendly and sweet.”

HONING HIS ACTING SKILLS

Born George Richard Chamberlain on March 31, 1934, in Los Angeles, he was the youngest of two sons. He had hoped to be an artist but switched to acting after attending Pomona College in California.
His acting career was put on hold when he was drafted into the U.S. Army in 1956 and served in Korea. After his discharge, Chamberlain returned to Los Angeles, where he co-founded a theater group and had small parts on TV before becoming Dr. Kildare.
The success of the TV show led to a brief singing career and film roles opposite Julie Christie in “Petulia” (1968) and “The Madwoman of Chaillot” (1969) with Katherine Hepburn. He had a brief run in the musical “Breakfast at Tiffany’s” with Mary Tyler Moore. The show closed after four previews.

In the late 1960s, Chamberlain moved to England where he honed his acting skills in the BBC series “The Portrait of a Lady” and as Hamlet at the Birmingham Repertory Theater.
“Dr. Kildare was a huge hit in England, and I heard that all the London reviewers were coming to rip this interloper to pieces,” he said in an interview. “But we got very good reviews.”
Chamberlain returned to the big screen as Lord Byron in the drama “Lady Caroline Lamb” (1972), “The Three Musketeers” (1973) and as a villain in the disaster film “The Towering Inferno” (1974).
Throughout his career he mixed roles in Broadway plays, including Tennessee Williams’ “The Night of the Iguana,” with musicals, TV and films.
After coming out publicly, he played both gay and straight characters in TV shows including “Brothers & Sisters,” “Will & Grace” and “Desperate Housewives.”
The actor released a book of haiku poetry in 2012 and narrated Audubon environmental television specials.
Chamberlain lived in Hawaii for many years and had a three-decade relationship with actor and writer Martin Rabbett, his co-star in the 1986 adventure film “Allan Quatermain and the Lost City of Gold.” The couple parted in 2010 but remained close friends.

Source : https://www.reuters.com/lifestyle/heartthrob-actor-richard-chamberlain-star-thorn-birds-dies-aged-90-2025-03-30/

The new prime minister of Greenland has pushed back against claims from Donald Trump that the US will take control of the island.

Jens-Frederik Nielsen also urged Greenlanders to “calmly show the American president” that the island “is ours” after Mr Trump didn’t rule out using military force to capture the territory.

In a Facebook post shared two days after becoming prime minister, Mr Nielsen wrote: “We must listen when others talk about us. But we must not be shaken.

“President Trump says the United States is ‘getting Greenland’. Let me make this clear: The US is not getting that.

“We don’t belong to anyone else. We decide our own future.”

Mr Nielsen also told islanders “they must not act out of fear” and must respond to Mr Trump’s remarks with “peace, dignity and unity”.

He continued: “And it is through these values that we must clearly, clearly and calmly show the American president that Greenland is ours.

“It was like that yesterday. That’s how it is today. And that’s how it will be in the future.”

Greenland, a huge, resource-rich island, is a self-governing territory of Denmark – a NATO ally of the US.

Mr Trump has said he wants to annex the territory, claiming the US needs it for national security purposes.

Meanwhile, a White House official has said Greenland’s supply of rare earth minerals would power the next generation of the US economy.

On Saturday, the US president told Sky News’ US partner network NBC News that military force was not off the table with regards to acquiring Greenland.

In Saturday’s interview, Mr Trump said: “I think there’s a good possibility that we could do it without military force.

“This is world peace, this is international security.”

He added: “I don’t take anything off the table.”

A star on Season 3 of The White Lotus revealed in a new interview that the show’s creators opted to cut one storyline in particular after Donald Trump won reelection last November.

Carrie Coon, who plays Laurie on the hit HBO series, claimed that the show opted to cut out a scene featuring a conversation about her character’s nonbinary, or possibly transgender child following President Donald Trump’s election win.

“There was a bit more context to her home life,” Coon explained of her character, Laurie, in an interview with Harper’s Bazaar published Friday. “You originally found out that her daughter was actually non-binary, maybe trans, and going by they/them.”

“You see Laurie struggling to explain it to her friends, struggling to use they/them pronouns, struggling with the language, which was all interesting,” she continued. “It was only a short scene, but for me, it did make the question [in episode 3] of whether Kate voted for Trump so much more provocative and personally offensive to Laurie, considering who her child is in the world.”

Coon proceeded to clarify that The White Lotus’ third season was written before the election, and that the show’s creator, Mike White, felt the scene was too “small” to handle a “topic so big” in the aftermath of Trump’s win—and his administration’s attacks against the transgender community.

“The season was written before the election. And considering the way the Trump administration has weaponized the cultural war against transgender people even more since then, when the time came to cut the episode down, Mike felt that the scene was so small and the topic so big that it wasn’t the right way to engage in that conversation,” Coon explained.

Set in Thailand, The White Lotus’ third season sees Coon playing a recent divorcée balancing motherhood with her career while reuniting with her longtime friends Jaclyn (Michelle Monaghan) and Kate (Leslie Bibb) for an all-inclusive and incredibly toxic girls trip.

As noted by Coon, in the season’s third episode, the trio—or as White has coined, The Blonde Bob—talk Trump during dinner after an awkward slip-up from Kate leads her friends to realize that she may have voted for Trump during the 2016 election—much to their surprise (and annoyance).

Source : https://www.thedailybeast.com/obsessed/white-lotus-star-carrie-coon-reveals-trans-storyline-was-cut-after-trumps-reelection/

Taxpayers in South Dakota paid a whopping $150,000 for Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem to jet-set across the country last year, an analysis from the Associated Press found.

Camera-ready Noem—who has garnered the nickname “ICE Barbie” for dolling up for photo ops at immigration raids and detention centers—racked up the charges during her tenure as governor of South Dakota when President Donald Trump was campaigning for president.

That bills include almost $8,000 for plane tickets to a right-wing conference in Paris, a book tour through New York, and a bear-hunting trip to Canada with her niece, according to the AP. Noem also spent money for “numerous” trips to Palm Beach, Fla., where Trump lived before assuming office in January.

The news agency also reported Noem spent roughly $2,200 on a visit to a Texas dental clinic, which drew scrutiny after Noem posted a video showcasing her new pearly whites on Instagram last March.

A spokesperson for Noem declined to answer detailed questions about the expenses but said Noem paid out of her own pocket for trips that were not connected to her work as governor.

“Unfortunately, bad guys tend to make threats against high-profile public officials,” the spokesperson told the AP. “When it was a political or personal trip, she paid for her own travel out of her political or personal funds.”

Noem has repeatedly refused to disclose how much her various trips cost South Dakota taxpayers before she stepped down to assume her new role as Trump’s secretary for Homeland Security in the wake of his victory at the November polls.

The revelations add to the fevered debate about wasteful government expenditure as Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency hacks away at the federal government.

“It seems like an incredible amount of money,” Taffy Howard, a Republican state senator in South Dakota who’d previously clashed with the former Governor over her travel expenses, told the AP.

Source : https://www.thedailybeast.com/taxpayers-picked-up-150k-tab-on-kristi-noems-jet-setting-for-donald-trumps-presidential-campaign/

WELL, well, well — pot, meet kettle.

In a rather delicious twist of irony, Prince Harry has found himself embroiled in a row over bullying allegations, the very charge he and his wife, Meghan Markle, famously levelled against the Royal Family.

Harry will no doubt be reeling—especially because he’s modelled himself as the ultimate victim and made a fortune doing it.

The saga began last week when Prince Harry stepped down as patron of Sentebale, the charity he co-founded nearly two decades ago in memory of his mother, Princess Diana.

The organisation, which supports orphans and vulnerable children with HIV/AIDS in Lesotho and Botswana, now finds itself in the limelight for all the wrong reasons.

This shift occurred after the charity’s chair, Dr Sophie Chandauka, threw down a heavy gauntlet by levelling serious accusations against it.

Dr Sophie alleges that for months, Harry tried to eject her from her position using tactics she describes as “bullying, harassment, and intimidation”—ouch!

Adding to the drama, Chandauka took the extraordinary step of reporting the charity to the Charity Commission.

Her allegations? A litany of governance failures: poor management, abuse of power, bullying, harassment, misogyny, and a cover-up.

This does not exactly paint the picture of the peaceful, community-led development Sentebale advocates for.

It’s hard to miss the irony here.

We have Prince Harry, who has made a substantial part of his post-royal career (and fortune) by claiming to be a victim of similar mistreatment.

He and Meghan have secured lucrative deals speaking out against the alleged injustices they faced while part of the Royal Family, including a reported $100 million deal with Netflix and a headline-making interview with Oprah. Yet, here he is, accused of similar—if not identical—behaviour.

Sophie’s narrative doesn’t stop at boardroom bullying.

At a charity polo event, Meghan’s unexpected appearance supposedly threw the event into chaos, culminating in an awkward shuffle on stage that left Chandauka in an unenviable position.

According to Chandauka, Harry even asked her to issue a statement in support of Meghan post-chaos, a request she declined, asserting that the charity could not be an extension of the Sussexes’ PR machine.

What’s more, when Prince Harry’s efforts to remove Chandauka via a vote failed due to legal challenges, he allegedly tried to sabotage the charity.

This included a suspicious release of news to the press, supposedly authorised by Harry, which only added fuel to the firestorm already engulfing the charity and its governance.

You simply couldn’t make it up. The Duke of Sussex, having departed from royal duties partly due to allegations of mistreatment and bullying within the Royal Family, now faces similar accusations in his own charitable organisation.

It appears that Harry’s dramatic exit from royal life was not so much an escape from the tribulations of royalty but rather a prelude to similar strife in his philanthropic endeavours.

Dr. Chandauka, despite her criticisms, praised Harry as an individual, noting his commitment when she asked him to visit Africa for the first time in five years.

Yet, the undercurrents of tension between the UK staff and those in Lesotho, as she described, suggest deeper issues of power and control, hinting at a discord that echoes the very disputes Harry aimed to leave behind.

As this royal saga unfolds, you can’t help but notice the cyclical nature of conflict and controversy surrounding Prince Harry. It’s like clockwork.

What began as a quest for freedom and fairness seems to have spiralled into a replication of the very dynamics he sought to escape.

Echoes of old disputes

Whether these allegations hold true or not, they have undoubtedly cast a shadow over Harry’s image as a reformer and advocate for fairness.

Reflecting on the journey from Buckingham Palace to the boardrooms of Sentebale, it’s apparent that escaping royal drama is not as simple as stepping down and moving away.

The issue, it seems, is the Sussexes themselves. These problems keep following them around like flies on rotting fruit.

In this theatrical twist, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle are no longer just narrators of their own story but have become characters in a larger narrative about power, privilege, and the complexities of public life.

‘Doing good’ (as the Sussexes keep bleating on about) is about more than just noble intentions.

You have to turn up, do the work, and admit when you make mistakes.

I find it astonishing that he hadn’t been to sub-Saharan Africa for over five years, even though he had set up a charity there almost 20 years ago.

Sentebale employs over 500 people. Can the prince even name up to 10% of them?

Source : https://www.the-sun.com/news/13904428/prince-harry-meghan-markle-bullying-sophie-chandauka/

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian on Sunday rebuked the idea of direct negotiations with US President Donald Trump’s administration over its nuclear program.

Pezeshkian: US must ‘build trust’ after earlier breached promises

“We responded to the US president’s letter via Oman and rejected the option of direct talks, but we are open to indirect negotiations,” Pezeshkian said during a sitdown with his cabinet broadcast on Iranian TV.

“We don’t avoid talks; it’s the breach of promises that has caused issues for us so far,” Pezeshkian said. “They must prove that they can build trust.”

During Trump’s first term in 2018, he pulled the US out of a nuclear agreement with Iran known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA).

That deal provided sanctions relief for Iran, with the Iranian government in exchange curbing its nuclear program and allowing inspectors from the International Atomic Energy Agency to periodically view its enrichment sites. France, Germany, Russia, the UK and the EU are some of the other parties signed onto the JCPOA.

Trump vows ‘bombing’ if no new Iran nuclear deal

Trump sent a letter to Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamenei earlier this month, urging Iran to reach a new nuclear deal with the US in his second term in the White House.

In an interview with US broadcaster NBC News, Trump made new threats towards Iran if there is no new nuclear agreement with the US.

“If they don’t make a deal,” Trump told the outlet on Saturday evening, referring to Iran. “There will be bombing. It will be bombing the likes of which they have never seen before.”

Trump claimed that representatives from the US and Iran are “talking” on the matter.

Source : https://www.dw.com/en/iran-rejects-direct-nuke-talks-as-trump-threatens-bombing/a-72089397

Clocks were turned forward by one hour on Sunday morning in most European countries as daylight saving time started ahead of summer.

The controversial time-change sees clock go forward an hour every year on the last Sunday of March and back an hour on the last Sunday of October.

Initially introduced in the previous century as a power-saving strategy, nowadays many question the relevance of the time changes, with the European Union going as far as attempting to abolish the system back in 2018.

What is daylight saving time, and why did it come about?

During summer, central Europe therefore moves from Central European Time (CET) to Central European Summer Time (CEST). In Britain, where clocks are one hour behind, the kingdom moves from Greenwich Mean Time (GMT) to British Summer Time (BST).

The practice was introduced in Germany during World War I to add an hour of light to the evening, before spreading across Europe. It returned again during World War II, then was abandoned until the oil crisis in the 1970s, when the measure was reintroduced to save energy.

Since then, Europe has been changing its clocks twice a year.

Why is daylight saving time controversial?

The practice has been generally divisive, with proponents appreciating the “extra hour” won while opponents argue against the potential disruption to sleep schedules. Research suggests that the practice has a negative impact on the economy as well as people’s health.

In 2018, the EU held an open consultation for citizens of its then 28 member states — before Britain’s formal exit. Nearly 4 million people supported abolishing daylight saving time, prompting the EU to put a proposal forward, and parliament to back it the next year.

However, the proposal was opposed by some EU states and has since fallen to the wayside.

What is the future of daylight saving time in Europe?

Poland, which holds the EU’s rotating presidency until July, plans to put the issue back on the agenda despite acknowledging opposition within the now 27-member bloc.

“We are planning to informally consult member states to see whether it is still feasible to take the proposal forward,” the Polish presidency said. “As the clock is ticking, we will take our time to assess the situation.”

Opponents to abolishing the decades-old time change argue that it would be a waste of time, with the EU engaged in major challenges ranging from Russia’s 2022 full-scale invasion of Ukraine to the threat of trade war with Washington.

Source : https://www.dw.com/en/europe-turns-clocks-to-daylight-saving-time-despite-controversy/a-72087988

For weeks, the Ukrainian authorities have been looking for ways to repair a large hole in the protective shell that covers the fourth reactor of the decommissioned Chernobyl nuclear plant. On February 14, a Russian drone hit the structure, which is called the New Safe Confinement, or NSC, because it is meant to “confine” the reactor’s radioactive remains. The drone started a fire that caused considerable damage and was only extinguished three weeks later on March 7.

“The main mission is to close the hole, which is about 15 square meters [around 162 square feet] in size, but also the more than 200 small holes that the State Emergency Service of Ukraine drilled into the shell during firefighting operations,” said Hryhoriy Ishchenko, the head of the State Agency of Ukraine on Exclusion Zone Management, which is responsible for the area around the Chernobyl power plant.

He told DW that experts would soon be arriving on site to examine the structure and that “preliminary recommendations on the repair work should be available within a month.”

A €1.5 billion megaproject

The NSC was erected over a pre-existing protective shell called the sarcophagus, which is there to prevent the release of radioactive contaminants from the reactor, which exploded in 1986. The NSC was built after 45 donor countries came together and gathered around €1.5 billion for the project. Eventually 10,000 people from 40 countries would play a part in the shell, which took 12 years, from the signing of contracts to the moment the NSC was ready in 2019.

Ishchenko pointed out that there was still no preliminary estimate of the damage caused by the Russian attack. Research institutes involved in the investigation would provide estimates, he added.

“Radiation levels are normal” Ishchenko said. “The staff is still working normally too. Only the pressure regulation system is no longer functioning, and slightly higher humidity levels have been detected. This is because of the impact and the drop in pressure below the shell, which is no longer sealed.”

Although experts say the drop in pressure in the NSC does not pose any immediate threat, there are other dangers. Dmytro Humeniuk, a safety analysis expert at Ukraine’s State Scientific and Technical Center for Nuclear and Radiation Safety said it was currently impossible to dismantle the old sarcophagus. The NSC was built in part to replace the old shell but inside the old shell, there are still 18 unstable beams. Three of the main beams could reportedly collapse at any time. If this were to happen under the new-but-now-damaged protective structure, radioactive dust could be stirred up and radioactivity released, Humeniuk said. “The protective shell is currently not fulfilling its function, which is to contain the nuclear fission products beneath it.”

No need to stockpile iodine

Despite this, experts in Ukraine say that people should not start stockpiling iodine tablets or start worrying about evacuation. What they do regret, however, is that the efforts of the international community, which collected funds to build the NSC, have gone to waste.

“It is impossible to weld and repair the damaged shelter on site because the radiation levels there are very high and the workers would be contaminated,” Humeniuk explained. “The protective shelter was constructed some distance away and then with the use of rails it was slid over the old sarcophagus. Now that the rails have been dismantled, we will have to do something else.”

For Jan Vande Putte, a nuclear expert at Greenpeace Ukraine, there are very few options. “Due to the high radiation levels above the sarcophagus, the entire Chernobyl protective shell will probably have to be moved back to the place where it was built on rails before the expensive repairs can be carried out,” he said adding that the costs of doing this were completely unknown.

Source : https://www.dw.com/en/risks-posed-by-hole-in-protective-shell-over-chernobyl/a-72078360

Rumours about Vladimir Putin’s health have circulated for years, driven by his occasional bloated appearance and stiff movements. Amid the ongoing conflict in Ukraine, President Volodymyr Zelensky has added to the speculation, questioning the Russian leader’s well-being. But are these claims based on fact, or are they merely wartime rhetoric?

During a meeting with French President Emmanuel Macron in Paris, Zelensky bluntly stated that Putin “will die soon,” reinforcing long-standing speculation about the Russian leader’s deteriorating health.

‘He (Putin) will die soon, and that’s a fact, and it will come to an end,’ Zelensky said. Even as he tries to portray a very strong image, rumors about Putin’s health have persisted. Observations of his sometimes swollen face, unsteady leg, and reddened eyes, particularly in recent years, have only amplified those concerns.

2022: Signs Of Declining Health Emerge

A prominent 2022 event revealed the president’s apparent discomfort as he slouched, gripped a table and spoke with unclear diction in a meeting with then-Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu. Reports also mention his ongoing cough and sudden, uncontrolled movements of his hands and feet.

Furthermore, he has been seen walking with a noticeable limp on multiple occasions. Claims have surfaced, as reported by MailOnline, indicating potential cancer and Parkinson’s Disease diagnoses.

Zelensky Levels Grave Charges

During his interview, Zelensky also alleged that Putin is attempting to ‘hit the European Union from within,’ referencing Russia’s more sympathetic members within the group, such as Hungary. European leaders will convene with Macron and Zelensky on 27 March to discuss and establish security guarantees for Ukraine, contingent on a ceasefire in the more than three-year war.

Macron, speaking with Zelensky in Paris, stressed that this marked a ‘decisive phase to put an end to the war of aggression’ against Ukraine, especially as the United States, under Donald Trump, seeks dialogue with Moscow.

As Macron announced, France will provide Ukraine with a fresh £1.70 billion (two-billion-euro) military aid package. The nation is ready to quickly supply hardware from its current stockpiles.

Macron: End War Amid US Overture

Accusing Moscow of still displaying a ‘desire for war’, he insisted that Russia accept Ukraine’s 30-day ceasefire ‘without preconditions’ and commended Kyiv for having ‘taken the risk of peace.’ Macron said: ‘Russia shall have no right of say regarding the support we are providing and will provide Ukraine, nor shall they set the conditions.’

‘There is just one aggressor and one party that is resisting,’ he said. According to him, Russia had failed to respond to the ceasefire offer and was instead establishing ‘new conditions.’

‘Ukraine has clearly expressed to the United States its agreement to a full and unconditional 30-day ceasefire, even though it is the victim of the aggression,’ said Macron. ‘We expect the same commitment from Russia,’ he added.

Expecting ‘strong decisions’, Zelensky looked forward to Thursday’s meeting, set to be attended by German Chancellor Olaf Scholz and British Premier Keir Starmer, among others. ‘Now is definitely not the time to reduce pressure on Russia or weaken our unity for the sake of peace,’ he said.

Russia Dragging Out War?

Despite American attempts at peace, Zelensky maintained that Russia was prolonging the conflict. ‘Russia wants this war to continue. It is dragging it out. We need to put pressure on Russia so that the war ends indeed,’ he said.

A potential settlement might involve the deployment of European forces to deter future Russian aggression against Ukraine. While discussing the specific roles of these forces was premature, according to Zelensky, his key aide, Igor Zhovkva, emphasised to AFP in Paris that Ukraine required a strong European presence, exceeding mere peacekeeping.

Zelensky emphasised that the crucial question is ‘who will be ready’ to participate in potential missions. ‘It’s too early to say,’ he added, regarding the potential roles of those forces. ‘No one wants to drag any country into a war,’ he noted. He also emphasised that European contingents would be crucial for oversight.

‘In any case, a contingent is a combat force, but they are there primarily to control the situation, monitor the situation, conduct joint training, and ensure that Russia does not have any desire to return with aggression,’ he said.

Macron has clearly stated that it is ‘much too early’ to consider lifting sanctions against Russia. ‘Ultimately, sanctions depend solely on Russia’s choice of aggression, and therefore, their lifting depends solely on Russia’s choice to comply with international law,’ he said.

Source : https://www.ibtimes.co.uk/bloated-limping-twitching-putin-dying-zelensky-thinks-so-1732190

Why won’t India buy even a single bushel of American corn?

That’s the question US Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick raised recently while criticising India’s trade policies, taking a swipe at its market restrictions.

In another interview, Lutnick accused India of blocking US farmers and urged it to open its agricultural market – suggesting quotas or limits as a possible approach.

Agriculture is a key battleground in US President Donald Trump’s escalating trade war, with tit-for-tat or reciprocal tariffs set to kick in on 2 April.

Tariffs are taxes charged on goods imported from other countries.Trump has repeatedly branded India a “tariff king” and a “big abuser” of trade ties.

For years, Washington has pushed for greater access to India’s farm sector, seeing it as a major untapped market. But India has fiercely protected it, citing food security, livelihoods and interests of millions of small farmers.

To be sure, India’s transformation from a food-deficient nation to a food-surplus powerhouse is one of its biggest success stories.

In the 1950s and ’60s, the country relied on food aid to feed its population, but a series of agricultural breakthroughs changed that. India became self-sufficient in staples, and became the world’s largest milk producer. Rapid growth in horticulture, poultry and aquaculture expanded its food basket.

Today, India is not just feeding its 1.4 billion people but, as the world’s eighth-largest agri-produce exporter, also shipping grains, fruits and dairy worldwide.

Yet, despite such major gains, Indian agriculture still lags in productivity, infrastructure and market access. Global price volatility and climate change add to the challenge. Crop yields lag far behind the global best. Small landholdings worsen the problem – Indian farmers work with less than a hectare on average, while their American counterparts had over 46 hectares in 2020.

No surprise then that productivity remains low – agriculture employs nearly half of India’s workforce but accounts for just 15% of GDP. In comparison, less than 2% of the US population depends on farming. With limited manufacturing jobs, more people are stuck in low-paying farm work, an unusual trend for a developing country.

This structural imbalance also shapes India’s trade policies. Despite its farm surplus, India keeps tariffs high to shield its farmers from cheap imports. It maintains moderate to high tariffs – ranging from zero to 150% – on farm imports.

The weighted average tariff – the average duty rate per imported product – in India on US farm products is 37.7%, compared to 5.3% on Indian goods in the US, according to the Delhi-based think tank Global Trade Research Initiative (GTRI).

Bilateral farm trade between India and the US is modest, at just $8bn (£6.2bn).

India mainly exports rice, shrimp, honey, vegetable extracts, castor oil and black pepper, while the US sends almonds, walnuts, pistachios, apples and lentils.

But as the two countries work on a trade deal, experts say Washington now wants to push “big-ticket” farm exports – wheat, cotton, corn and maize – to narrow its $45bn trade deficit with India.

“They’re not looking to export berries and stuff this time. The game is much bigger,” says Biswajit Dhar, a trade expert from the Delhi-based Council for Social Development think tank.

Pushing India to lower farm tariffs, cut price support and open up to genetically modified (GM) crops and dairy ignores the fundamental asymmetry in global agriculture, experts argue.

The US, for instance, heavily subsidises its agriculture and protects farmers through crop insurance.

“In some cases,” says Ajay Srivastava of GTRI, “US subsidies exceed 100% of production costs, creating an uneven playing field that could devastate India’s smallholder farmers.”

Farming is India’s backbone, supporting over 700 million people, nearly half the country’s population.

“The key thing to remember is that agriculture in the two countries is entirely different,” says Abhijit Das, former head of the Centre for WTO Studies at the Indian Institute of Foreign Trade.

“The US has commercial agriculture, while India relies on intensive, subsistence farming. It’s a question of the livelihoods of millions of Indians versus the interests of US agribusiness.”

But India’s agricultural challenges aren’t just external. Mr Dhar says much of the sector’s struggles are “its own doing”. Farming has long been underfunded, receiving less than 6% of India’s total investment – funds meant for infrastructure, machinery and other long-term assets crucial for growth.

To protect millions of livelihoods, the government shields key crops like wheat, rice and dairy with import duties and price support. “But even that doesn’t inspire confidence,” he says.

Four years ago, tens of thousands of farmers held protests demanding better prices and legal guarantees of minimum government support-price for staples, mainly wheat and rice.

“Even relatively well-off farmers selling surpluses don’t see a turnaround anytime soon. And if they feel that way, imagine the plight of subsistence farmers,” says Mr Dhar.

Beyond domestic discontent, trade negotiations add another layer of complexity.

Mr Das says the real challenge for India will be how “to have an agreement with the US that takes into account US export interest in agriculture while balancing India’s interests in the farm sector”.

So what’s the way forward?

“India must not yield to US pressure to open its agriculture sector,” says Mr Srivastava. He warns that doing so would disrupt millions of livelihoods, threaten food security and flood local markets with cheap imports.

“India must prioritise its national interest and protect its rural economy. Trade cooperation should not come at the cost of our farmers, food sovereignty or policy autonomy.”

In the long run, experts say India must modernise its agriculture, making farming more remunerative, and become more competitive to boost exports. Unupom Kausik of agri-business Olam estimates that with top global yields, India could generate a surplus of 200 million metric tonnes of paddy – enough to supply global trade and combat hunger.

“In a way, Trump is holding up a mirror to us. We’ve done little to invest in agriculture’s productive capacity,” says Mr Dhar. “For now, buying time is the best strategy – maybe offering the US cheaper imports of industrial goods as a trade-off.”

But for the best outcome, he says, India will have to “play hardball. Basically, tell the US – we’re open to negotiations on other fronts, but don’t destabilise our agriculture”.

Source : https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c204q6n0lzvo

Sir Keir Starmer and Donald Trump have agreed “productive negotiations” about an economic deal between the UK and US will “continue at pace”, Downing Street has said, ahead of a looming deadline on US tariffs.

The Sunday night phone call between the pair comes after sources at No 10 said the government was prepared to retaliate against US trade taxes if needed.

British negotiators are trying to win a last-minute exemption ahead of Trump’s 25% levy on car imports, which is expected to come in on Wednesday.

Trump has imposed a series of tariffs targeting goods from other countries in the first few months of his second term in the White House, with threats of wider taxes also being imposed.

The prime minister has previously said he does not want to jump into a trade war with the US. But Sir Keir has also said the UK “reserves the right” to introduce reciprocal tariffs on the US if a deal to exempt the UK cannot be reached.

The government has argued the UK has a relatively equal trading relationship with the US, compared to its other partners.

The independent Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR) has warned a reciprocal trade war would wipe billions off economic growth and all but eliminate the headroom Chancellor Rachel Reeves has to stay within her self-imposed fiscal rules.

The OBR’s latest economic forecast, published on Wednesday, said GDP would be 0.6% lower than forecast this year and 1% lower next year in the most “severe” scenario, in which the UK and other nations retaliated to Trump’s tariffs.

This scenario would “almost entirely eliminate” Reeves’ £9.9 billion headroom against her fiscal rules, which could lead her to implement tax rises or further spending cuts if she wanted to stay within them.

In an alternative scenario where the UK does not retaliate, the OBR has forecast a smaller reduction in growth, with GDP 0.4% lower than expected this year and 0.6% lower next year.

It is unclear how the UK would retaliate if tariffs do come into effect. There are a range of options available, from duties on sectors where British products are particularly important to the US, to focusing on specific products like Harley Davidson motorcycles.

UK car exports are worth about £7.6bn per year, and the US is the second largest market for UK cars after the European Union, according to car industry body the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT).

Trump’s plan is expected a to hit British luxury car makers such as Rolls-Royce and Aston Martin.

The US president argues his measures will help American manufacturers and protect jobs, despite warnings prices could go up for consumers.

Earlier on Sunday, Trump said that he “couldn’t care less” if carmakers raise prices as it meant “people are gonna buy American-made cars”.

During a meeting between the prime minister and president at the White House last month, Trump hinted at “a real trade deal”, which could see the UK avoid the kind of tariffs he has been threatening other countries with.

Also in their call on Sunday, the two leaders discussed continuing to pressure Russia over the Ukraine war, Downing Street’s spokesperson said.

“Discussing Ukraine, the prime minister updated the president on the productive discussions at the meeting of the Coalition of Willing in Paris this week,” they said.

“The leaders agreed on the need to keep up the collective pressure on Putin.”

Source : https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/crrzl1l9w95o

The Mayor of Amsterdam has given a “hero’s medal” to an English tourist who chased a knifeman through busy alleys and pinned him to the ground, bringing an end to his rampage.

Footage shows a man, in casual clothes, kneeling on top of the suspect and threatening to punch him as he waits for police while shoppers file past him near the central Dam’s Square on Thursday.

In a message on Instagram, Mayor Femke Halsema thanked him for his heroic actions.

He received a hero’s badge in her official residence, she told reporters.

“He is a very modest British man,” Halsema told Amsterdam news channel AT5. “He has no desire to become famous. He is now mainly concerned with the victims, he feels responsible for them.”

She said the man made a decision in “a split second for which there should be a lot of appreciation”.

“The tourist was walking on Nieuwendijk and heard a commotion”, she said.

“He saw someone pass by and instinctively thought ‘this is not right, something bad is happening here’. He managed to tackle him to the ground.”

She said the five victims were now all stable, adding: “Everything is being done to determine the identity of the perpetrator.

“At this point that is not clear. As long as there is no clarity about that, we know little about the motive.”

An Amsterdam police spokesman told Dutch news outlet AD the British man did a great job performing a “rare citizens arrest”.

“We’re very proud of him, but we also want to point out that you need to be very careful if you want to make a citizen’s arrest. Most people are not trained for this sort of thing.”

The mystery man’s actions were hailed on social media with locals saying he should be made an honorary “Amsterdamer”.

One said on a TikTok: “What a hero! What a stunner! He sees danger and immediately intervenes and ensures that other fellow human beings are safe. Respect!”

The stabbings reportedly took place in various locations. The seriously injured victims were identified as a 67-year-old woman and a 69-year-old man from the United States, a 73-year-old woman from Belgium, a 26-year-old man from Poland and a 19-year-old Dutch woman from Amsterdam.

Source : https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/amsterdam-knife-attack-hero-tiktok-b2723427.html

Tesla facilities worldwide have been the target of protests objecting to Tesla CEO Elon Musk’s influential role in the Trump administration. On Saturday, anti-Musk protesters gathered again in what were their most ambitious and widespread rallies yet.

As part of the “Tesla Takedown” campaign, nonviolent demonstrations took place across the U.S. and even abroad on Saturday. Organizers called it a “global day of action” and said protests occurred in at least 253 cities around the world.

For weeks, the movement’s organizers have been encouraging people to boycott the EV maker by selling their Tesla cars and stocks. According to Tesla Takedown, thousands of grassroots groups and individuals worldwide are driving the decentralized effort.

Musk and the White House did not respond to NPR’s request for comment.

Protests erupt nationwide, raising alarms about Musk, democracy and the future of Social Security

At a rally in Los Angeles on Saturday, Phil Ansell, 65, said he felt compelled to join because he believes President Trump and Musk pose a threat to democracy.

“I want to do everything possible to protect democracy in this country,” he said. “Trump and Musk are acting like kings.”

Ansell added that he was especially excited to participate, seeing how far and wide the protest movement had spread.

Many people at the Los Angeles rally voiced deep concern over the devastating effect that the Trump administration’s cuts and proposed changes could have on Social Security.

Francine Coeytaux, 72, who also attended the LA protest, said she showed up because she has a 37-year-old daughter with special needs who relies on Social Security benefits.

“It’s what allows her to live independently and to be able to pay rent and pay [for] food,” she said. “She’s literally existing and living thanks to Social Security.”

Beyond Los Angeles, demonstrations took place across small and major cities, in both red and blue states.

In Dallas, demonstrators held up a banner reading “Store closing. Everything must go!” outside of a Tesla dealership, according to a photo from an attendee posted on Facebook.

On a busy street in St. Louis County, Mo., protesters waved signs that read “No one elected Musk” and “Drive Tesla out of Biz” as cars passed by, FOX 2 reported.

And in New York City, near a Tesla showroom, a massive crowd chanted “Elon Musk shame on you. We deserve a future too,” according to a video on Facebook.

How the Tesla Takedown movement began

Organizers say the Tesla Takedown movement is fueled by anger over Musk’s slashing of the federal government, and that it aims to hit the billionaire where it hurts — the electric vehicle company that’s become his main source of wealth.

Joel Lava, who has been helping lead Tesla Takedown protests in Los Angeles, says Musk’s work to dismantle government agencies and workforce through the unofficially named DOGE initiative is the primary motivator for the movement’s members.

“He’s spearheading DOGE, which is spearheading our country’s destruction — literally destroying our country’s infrastructure,” Lava said. “Therefore, we are taking direct aim at his power, which is his wealth, which is Tesla.”

Musk critics point to a litany of other grievances, including his attacks on diversity, a gesture he made on the Inauguration Day stage that was widely interpreted to be a Nazi salute, and his support for far-right parties.

Musk’s response to the pushback against Teslas

Since Musk’s political turn, Tesla sales have slumped, and investors have grown uneasy. But market analysts question how much the dip in Tesla sales and shares can be pinned on its CEO’s actions. Tesla has been losing market share to EV competitors for years. And the stock price has fallen in anticipation of auto tariffs. But the Trump administration’s recently announced 25% import tariffs on cars made outside the U.S. could give the stock a welcome boost; auto industry analysts say that among domestic carmakers, Tesla will be the least impacted by the tariffs.

Some of the anti-Musk backlash has been violent. Tesla vehicles, dealerships and charging stations across the U.S. and in Europe have been the target of arson and vandalism. Some have taken to spray-painting swastikas on Tesla sedans and Cybertrucks.

Tesla Takedown organizers say its participants are exercising their right to peacefully protest and that they oppose violence and property destruction.

But Musk did not make that distinction when he went after Valerie Costa, a community activist who has helped organize recent peaceful protests in the Seattle area as part of the Tesla Takedown demonstrations.

Musk, in a post on X earlier this month, accused Costa of “committing crimes,” without giving evidence or specific allegations. That was after he claimed that an environmental activist group she cofounded was backed by the ActBlue, a fundraising platform for Democrats.

Costa told NPR that the accusations were false, and that Musk supporters subsequently targeted her in direct messages that included threats of physical violence.

“When one of the most powerful, if not the most powerful person in the world is saying you’ve committed a crime, it doesn’t matter what the truth is,” Costa said.

Source : https://www.npr.org/2025/03/29/nx-s1-5343986/anti-musk-protests-planned-worldwide

Arnold Haro held up a single bullet to his cellphone camera, loaded it into his Smith & Wesson and spun the chamber.
It was 3:28 p.m. on Feb. 21, and he was in his ranch home in an isolated corner of California. He seemed in distress, scratching his scalp, breathing heavily. “If I die, I hope you guys turn this into a meme coin,” he told his followers on X, where he was livestreaming.
About three hours later, his dying wish came true. A crypto token named after Haro’s social media handle skyrocketed to more than $2 million in total value, before crashing back to earth. It wasn’t an isolated event. A gold rush ensued, and dozens of other copycat coins sprang up, some branded with stills from the livestream, as the meme coin community tried to profit on Haro’s suicide.
Meme coins started out as a joke in 2013 with the rise of dogecoin, a digital token meant as a sendup of the crypto world. Over time, an online subculture developed around the idea that any cultural moment could merit its own cryptocurrency. Tokens tied to celebrities, political leaders and anonymous edgelords hit the market, carrying no intrinsic value while hyping internet memes and personalities.

The marketplace has grown into a multibillion-dollar slice of the wider $2.8 trillion crypto market. But it has also proven to be a hotbed of scams—a world of boom-and-bust speculation where coin creators reap fortunes and everyone else is left holding worthless symbols of a brief digital supernova. Federal authorities have treated memecoins as entertainment, not securities, meaning that many of the protections available to investors in traditional assets don’t apply.
The coins created in the wake of Haro’s death illustrate, in the extreme, the lack of boundaries in the meme coin world: It is a place where anything can be turned into a coin—even a horrific tragedy.
Maria Lucero Haro, Haro’s sister, said his immediate family had no comment on the events leading up to his death. “My brother’s death will no longer be anybody’s news line or entertainment,” she said.

Lucas Sielaff was in a car queue waiting to cross from Mexico into the US when a border guard, seeing his German passport, began bombarding him with questions.
The 25-year-old tourist, who had been travelling with his American fiancée, was shackled, taken in for questioning, and then interrogated for hours. He spent 16 days in detention before being escorted to the airport and allowed to fly back to Germany earlier this month.
“I still have nightmares [about the experience] and I’m not yet back to normal,” Sielaff told the Financial Times. “I’m trying to process everything properly. It’ll take a while.”
Sielaff, who had a valid visa waiver entry permit and had visited the US several times previously, is one of a string of high-profile cases of European and Canadian tourists to have suffered hostile treatment at the hands of border guards since Donald Trump’s return to the White House.

Others have included Becky Burke, a Welsh backpacker who was detained for 19 days. Her parents complained she was taken to the airport for deportation “in leg chains, waist chains and handcuffs” after being accused of travelling on the wrong visa. “She’s not Hannibal Lecter,” her father Paul Burke told the BBC.
Canadian actress Jasmine Mooney said she felt like she had been kidnapped and forced to take part in “some sort of insane . . . psychological, social experiment”. She spent 12 days in detention after trying to renew an expired work visa at a border.
The apparent shift has prompted several nations to change their travel advice and triggered a frenzy of questions in online travel forums about whether it is safe to go to the US.
“Every day I’m getting calls from citizens, visa holders, immigrants and travellers,” said David Leopold, chair of the immigration practice group at UB Greensfelder. “There’s huge concern out there . . . The administration is creating an atmosphere that is very restrictive to immigrants and even visitors and tourists.”
The publicised cases of detentions and deportations are part of a pattern of “more aggressive enforcement” at the border since the start of Trump’s second presidency in January, according to Noor Zafar, a staff attorney at the American Civil Liberties Union.
Immigration lawyers said that, while some nationalities have long been subject to enhanced scrutiny, any non-citizen arriving into the US should now expect more questioning than they were previously accustomed to.
No rules have officially changed for most visitors, said Ted Chiappari, head of the immigration law group at Duane Morris. But he warned that border officers’ discretion was “being applied differently”.

In some of the recent cases that have made the headlines, there appears to have been at least some legitimate grounds for the US authorities to act.
Sielaff, the German tourist, believes his ordeal may have stemmed from a misunderstanding caused by language issues. He said he had incorrectly said he lived in Las Vegas, rather than staying there temporarily, leading the border guard to believe he was residing in the country illegally.
US Immigration and Customs Enforcement did not respond to a request for comment.
In some instances US authorities have been accused of acting with more sinister motives. The French government last week claimed an academic who was travelling to a conference in Houston was denied entry to the US for expressing critical views about Trump in messages to friends and colleagues on his mobile phone.
The US interior department rejected that suggestion, claiming instead the academic had violated a non-disclosure agreement by possessing confidential information from the Los Alamos National Laboratory, which conducts sensitive scientific research.
Multiple countries have responded to the shift by updating their travel advisories. The UK noted US border authorities “set and enforce entry rules strictly” and warned travellers “may be liable to arrest or detention if [they] break the rules”.
Some European countries also issued specific warnings for transgender tourists amid concerns that Trump’s executive order requiring federal agencies to only recognise two sexes — male and female — could cause problems with their travel documents.
Germany and Denmark specifically advised travellers whose gender on their passport does not match that assigned at birth, or who use the gender marker “X”, to contact their local US embassy ahead of travel.
This uptick in such warnings could damage the US tourism and hospitality sector, which accounted for about 11 per cent of US jobs and contributed $2.36tn to the economy last year, according to the World Travel and Tourism Council.
“Travellers are already in a stressful situation and they don’t want anything to make that journey tougher,” said Marta Soligo, an expert on the tourism industry at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. “People are seriously questioning whether they should travel to the US, and that’s a huge concern for the industry.”
Roland Lescure, a French member of parliament who represents French citizens living in North America, said some expats were also reconsidering their decision to live across the Atlantic. He conducted a recent survey that found about 19 per cent were having doubts.

Source : https://archive.is/2025.03.30-132232/https://www.ft.com/content/2197a2dd-9e22-4d9f-b963-9535104002a8#selection-2267.0-2270.0

The smell of decaying bodies permeated the streets of Myanmar’s second-largest city on Sunday as people worked frantically by hand to clear rubble in the hope of finding someone still alive, two days after a massive earthquake struck that killed more than 1,600 people and left countless others buried.

The 7.7 magnitude quake hit midday Friday with an epicenter near Mandalay, bringing down scores of buildings and damaging other infrastructure like the city’s airport.

Relief efforts have been hampered by buckled roads, downed bridges, spotty communications and the challenges of operating in a country in the midst of a civil war.

The search for survivors has been primarily conducted by the local residents without the aid of heavy equipment, moving rubble by hand and with shovels in 41-degree Celsius (106 Fahrenheit) heat, with only the occasional tracked excavator to be seen.

A 5.1 magnitude aftershock Sunday afternoon prompted screams from those in the streets, and then the work continued.

Many of Mandalay’s 1.5 million people spent the night sleeping on the streets, either left homeless by the quake, which also shook neighboring Thailand and killed at least 18 people there, or worried that the continuing aftershocks might cause structures left unstable to collapse.

Many areas still have not been reached

So far 1,644 people have been reported killed in Myanmar and 3,408 injured, but many areas have not yet been reached, and many rescue efforts so far have been undertaken by people working by hand to try and clear rubble, said Cara Bragg, the Yangon-based manager of Catholic Relief Services in Myanmar.

“It’s mainly been local volunteers, local people who are just trying to find their loved ones,” Bragg said after bring briefed by her colleague in Mandalay.

“I’ve also seen reports that now some countries are sending search and rescue teams up to Mandalay to support the efforts, but hospitals are really struggling to cope with the influx of injured people, there’s a shortage of medical supplies, and people are struggling to find food and clean water,” Bragg added.

The organization was sending a team by road on Sunday to assess peoples’ most pressing needs so that it could target its own response.

With the Mandalay airport damaged and the control tower toppled in the capital Naypitaw’s airport, all commercial flights into the cities have been shut down.

Official relief efforts in Naypitaw were prioritizing government offices and staff housing, leaving locals and aid groups to dig through the rubble by hand in residential areas, the hot sun beating down and the smell of death in the air.

A team sent from neighboring China rescued an older man who had been trapped for nearly 40 hours beneath the rubble of a Naypitaw hospital, and many others are believed to still be buried under, the official Xinhua news agency reported.

Myanmar sits on the Sagaing Fault, a major north-south fault that separates the India plate and the Sunda plate.

The earthquake occurred when a 200-kilometer (125-mile) section of the fault ruptured, causing widespread damage along a wide swath of territory down the middle of the country, including Sagaing, Mandalay, Magway and Bago regions and Shan State.

With widespread telecommunication outages, few details have come out so far from areas other than the main urban areas of Mandalay and Naypitaw.

Foreign aid starts to arrive in Myanmar

Still, two Indian C-17 military transport aircraft were able to land late Saturday at Naypitaw with a field hospital unit and some 120 personnel who were then to travel north to Mandalay to establish a 60-bed emergency treatment center, according to the country’s Foreign Ministry. Other Indian supplies were flown into Yangon, Myanmar’s biggest city, which has been the hub of other foreign relief efforts.

On Sunday, a convoy of 17 Chinese cargo trucks carrying critical shelter and medical supplies was expected to reach Mandalay, after making the arduous journey by road from Yangon.

The 650-kilometer (400-mile) journey has been taking 14 hours or longer, with clogged roads and traffic diverted from the main highway to skirt damage from the earthquake.

At the same time, the window of opportunity to find anyone alive is rapidly closing. Most rescues occur within the first 24 hours after a disaster, and then survival chances drop as each day passes.

An initial report on earthquake relief efforts issued Saturday by the U.N. Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs noted the severe damage or destruction of many health facilities, and warned that a “severe shortage of medical supplies is hampering response efforts, including trauma kits, blood bags, anesthetics, assistive devices, essential medicines, and tents for health workers.”

China said it has sent more than 135 rescue personnel and experts along with supplies like medical kits and generators and pledged around $13.8 million in emergency aid. Russia’s Emergencies Ministry said it had flown in 120 rescuers and supplies to Yangon, and the country’s Health Ministry said Moscow had sent a medical team to Myanmar.

Teams from Singapore have been working already in Naypitaw. Malaysia dispatched a team of 50 personnel on Sunday with trucks, search and rescue equipment and medical supplies. Thailand said 55 of its soldiers arrived in Yangon on Sunday to help with search and rescue operations, while Britain announced a $13 million aid package to help its locally-funded partners already in Myanmar respond to the crisis.

18 people reported dead in Thailand

In neighboring Thailand, the quake rocked much of the country, bringing down a high-rise building under construction in Bangkok, some 1,300 kilometers (800 miles) away from the epicenter.

So far, 11 people have been found dead at the construction site near the popular Chatuchak market. A total of 18 people have been reported killed by the quake in Thailand so far.

Rescue efforts in Myanmar complicated by civil war

In Myanmar, which is also known as Burma, rescue efforts so far are focused on Mandalay and Naypyitaw, which are thought to have been the hardest hit, but many other areas were also impacted and little is known so far about the damage there.

“We’re hearing reports of hundreds of people trapped in different areas,” said Bragg. “Right now we’re at 1,600 (known fatalities) and we don’t have a lot of data coming out but you’ve got to assume it will be increasing in the thousands based on what the impacts are. This is just anecdotal information at this point.”

Beyond the earthquake damage, rescue efforts are complicated by the bloody civil war roiling much of the country, including in quake-affected areas. In 2021, the military seized power from the elected government of Aung San Suu Kyi, sparking what has since turned into significant armed resistance.

Government forces have lost control of much of Myanmar, and many places are dangerous or impossible for aid groups to reach. More than 3 million people have been displaced by the fighting and nearly 20 million are in need, according to the United Nations.

Source : https://apnews.com/article/myanmar-burma-bangkok-earthquake-rescue-humanitarian-f966686f958ded1a3e97e529f4cd5149

Myanmar’s military rulers let in hundreds of foreign rescue personnel on Saturday after an earthquake killed more than 1,600 people, the deadliest natural disaster to hit the impoverished, war-torn country in years.
Friday’s 7.7 magnitude quake, among the biggest to jolt the Southeast Asian nation in the last century, crippled airports, bridges and highways amid a civil war that has wrecked the economy and displaced millions.

The death toll in Myanmar climbed to 1,644, the military government said on Saturday, according to BBC Burmese news service.
In neighbouring Thailand, where the quake rattled buildings and brought down a skyscraper under construction in the capital Bangkok, at least nine people were killed.
Survivors in Mandalay, Myanmar’s second-biggest city, dug with their bare hands on Friday in desperate attempts to save those still trapped, lacking heavy machinery and with authorities absent.
In Bangkok on Saturday, rescue operations continued at the site of the 33-story tower’s collapse, where 47 people were missing or trapped under the rubble – including workers from Myanmar.

The U.S. Geological Service’s predictive modelling estimated Myanmar’s death toll could exceed 10,000 and losses could exceed the country’s annual economic output.
A day after making a rare call for international assistance, Myanmar’s junta chief, Senior General Min Aung Hlaing, travelled to hard-hit Mandalay near the epicentre of the quake, which brought down buildings and triggered fires in some areas.
“The Chairman of the State Administration Council instructed authorities to expedite search and rescue efforts and address any urgent needs,” the junta said in a statement on state media, referring to Min Aung Hlaing.

AIRPORTS CLOSED

An initial assessment by Myanmar’s opposition National Unity Government said at least 2,900 buildings, 30 roads and seven bridges had been damaged by the quake.
“Due to significant damage, Naypyitaw and Mandalay international airports are temporarily closed,” said the NUG, which includes remnants of the elected civilian government ousted by the military in a 2021 coup that triggered the civil war.

The control tower at the airport in Naypyitaw, Myanmar’s purpose-built capital city, collapsed, rendering it inoperable, a person with knowledge of the situation told Reuters.
A Myanmar junta spokesman did not respond to calls seeking comment.
Hospitals in central and northwestern Myanmar were struggling to cope with the influx of injured people, the U.N. Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs said, warning that damage to roads was hindering access.
Seventeen cargo trucks of shelter and medical supplies were due to arrive on Sunday to address shortages of medicines, including blood bags and anaesthetics, the agency added.
A Chinese rescue team arrived at the airport in Myanmar’s commercial capital of Yangon, hundreds of kilometres from Mandalay and Naypyitaw, and will travel upcountry by bus, state media said.

Chinese President Xi Jinping spoke by phone with the junta chief, China’s embassy in Myanmar said on Saturday, and said Beijing would provide $13.77 million worth of aid, including tents, blankets and emergency medical kits.
The United States, which has a testy relationship with the Myanmar military and has sanctioned its officials, including Min Aung Hlaing, has said it would provide some assistance.
Relief supplies from India on a military aircraft also landed in Yangon, according to Myanmar state media, and India’s government said it was also dispatching ships with 40 tonnes of humanitarian aid.
Russia, Malaysia and Singapore were also sending planeloads of relief supplies and personnel.

‘NO HELP COMING’

Residents in the hardest-hit areas are desperate for the help.
The quake, which hit around lunchtime on Friday, affected wide swathes of Myanmar, from the central plains around Mandalay to the hills of Shan in the east, parts of which are not completely under the junta’s control.
Rescue operations in Mandalay could not match the scale of the disaster, one resident said by phone, asking not to be named because of security concerns.
“Many people are trapped but there is no help coming just simply because there isn’t manpower or equipment or vehicles,” he said.
In Bangkok, 1,000 km (620 miles) from the epicentre, authorities on Saturday pushed ahead with efforts to find construction workers trapped under the rubble of the collapsed tower, using excavators, drones and search-and-rescue dogs.
Thailand’s Deputy Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul said all possible resources had been deployed to search for survivors and to bring out bodies of the deceased.
“We always have hope,” he told reporters. “We’re still working around the clock.”
Chanpen Kaewnoi, 39, said she rushed over on Friday afternoon after seeing news reports that the under-construction building where her mother and younger sister were working had collapsed.
“I called my sister, but no matter how many times I tried to call her there was no connection,” she said after a sleepless night at the site.
“I want to wait for my mother and sister,” said Chanpen, herself a construction worker, “I want to see their faces again.”
Across the sprawling metropolis, where such quakes are rare, there may be up to 5,000 damaged buildings, including residential towers, said Anek Siripanichgorn, a board member of Council of Engineers Thailand, which is helping municipal authorities.

Source : https://www.reuters.com/world/asia-pacific/myanmar-quake-death-toll-nears-700-international-aid-starts-arrive-2025-03-29/

A close call between a Delta Air Lines Airbus A319 taking off from Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport and a US Air Force T-38 jet, often used by the military for training, sounded alarms in the cockpit of the passenger plane Friday.

Delta 2983 was departing Reagan Airport around 3:15 p.m. and heading to Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport for a regularly scheduled flight.

Delta did not identify the other jet involved, but a review of tracking data from FlightRadar24 shows an Air Force T-38 jet flying past the Delta plane and DCA airport going more than 350 miles per hour at 800 feet. The military jet took off and landed at Langley Air Force Base, in Hampton, Virginia.

CNN has asked the Air Force for comment.

The Delta aircraft was cleared for takeoff at around 3:15 p.m. ET, while four U.S. Air Force T-38 Talons were inbound to Arlington National Cemetery for a flyover, the FAA said in a statement.

The Delta aircraft received an onboard alert that another aircraft was nearby and air traffic controllers issued corrective instructions to both aircraft, the FAA reported.

The FAA will investigate the incident.

The close call happened just south of DCA airport, close to the spot where an American Airlines regional jet and an Army Black Hawk helicopter collided, killing 67 people, on January 29.

At a congressional hearing on Thursday Senators demanded to know why close calls between military helicopters and passenger planes went unchecked for so long at DCA.

The NTSB said investigators uncovered more than 15,000 occurrences for close proximity events between commercial airplanes and helicopters between 2021 and 2024 where aircraft were within one nautical mile and 85 cases where two aircraft were separated by only 1,500 feet vertically and 200 feet laterally.

The FAA has since closed a helicopter route by the airport and Thursday vowed to required military aircraft near DCA to fly with specific collision avoidance equipment turned on.

But that wasn’t enough to prevent today’s close call as the Delta plane was taking off.

“On that departure … was there an actual aircraft about 500 ft below us as we came off of DCA,” the Delta pilot asked air traffic controllers on audio captured by website LiveATC.net.

“Delta 2983, affirmative,” the Departure controller responds.

The pilot also noted they received a warning in the cockpit, called a “resolution advisory” from the plane’s Traffic Alert and Collision Avoidance System. The system tells a pilot what to do to avoid a collision.

Source : https://edition.cnn.com/2025/03/28/us/delta-military-jet-close-call-dca/index.html

Team GB has its first world figure skating medal since Torvill and Dean in 1984, ending a drought of more than 40 years.

Lilah Fear and Lewis Gibson secured a bronze medal at the World Figure Skating Championships on Saturday.

Their free dance to a Beyonce medley gained them a total score of 207.11 at Boston’s TD Garden.

The last time Britain secured a medal at the championships was when Jayne Torvill and Christopher Dean had a run of four through to 1984.

Fear, 25, said she “cried non-stop” after winning the medal and that it was “a dream come true”.

“I can’t even describe my feelings. I’m still shaking,” she added.

Gibson, 30, also said the pair’s achievement was a dream come true and thanked those who cheered them on.

“The crowd here was amazing, and insane,” he said.

“I think we got to the moment we really worked for, they were so loud and supportive, we are thankful to the audience.”

Fear told Sky Sports last month that it was a “huge honour” to be considered in the same sentence as Torvill and Dean, after Gibson was inspired to take up skating by the pair.

Torvill and Dean are best remembered for winning the gold medal at the 1984 Winter Olympics, after their Bolero routine.

The duo, who recently announced their retirement, are about to embark on a farewell tour, called Torvill And Dean, Our Last Dance.

Source : https://news.sky.com/story/britain-gets-first-world-figure-skating-medal-since-1984-13338488

The comedian who was set to perform at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner was fired from the gig Saturday—after the Trump administration took offense at what she said on The Daily Beast Podcast.

On Thursday, Amber Ruffin had sparked MAGA rage when she said that she wouldn’t try to make sure that her jokes targeted both sides of the political spectrum during her set, as she had been instructed to do by the White House Correspondents Association (WHCA).

She told hosts comedian Samantha Bee and Beast Chief Content Officer Joanna Coles that the Trump administration are “kind of a bunch of murderers,” adding that playing to both sides “makes them feel like human beings, but they shouldn’t get to feel that way, ‘cause they’re not.”

A Saturday letter from Eugene Daniels, the president of the WHCA, to its members announced that he had been “re-envisioning” the April 26 dinner “for the past couple of weeks.” The WHCA is independent from the White House.

“As a first step, I wanted to share that the WHCA board has unanimously decided we are no longer featuring a comedic performance this year,” wrote Daniels, who is also a political correspondent for MSNBC. “At this consequential moment for journalism, I want to ensure the focus is not on the politics of division but entirely on awarding our colleagues for their outstanding work and providing scholarship and mentorship to the next generation of journalists.”

The Daily Beast has reached out to the WHCA and Ruffin for comment.

Ruffin previously hosted a late-night talk show on Peacock and has since written for comedian Seth Meyers’s show. She was announced as the dinner’s headliner in February. At the time, Daniels lavished praise on Ruffin.

“When I began to think about what entertainer would be a perfect fit for the dinner this year, Amber was immediately at the top of my list,” he wrote in a statement announcing her appearance. “She has the ability to walk the line between blistering commentary and humor all while provoking her audience to think about the important issues of the day. I’m thrilled and honored she said yes.”

The two even appeared alongside each other on MSNBC to publicize Ruffin’s appearance, with Daniels calling her “fabulous.”

On Friday, White House Deputy Chief of Staff Taylor Budowich lashed out at Ruffin over her comments on the Beast’s podcast, calling her a “2nd rate comedian.”

“What kind of responsible, sensible journalist would attend something like this?” he wrote. “More importantly, what kind of company would sponsor such as hate-filled and violence-inspiring event?”

On Saturday, Budowich called the WHCA statement removing Ruffin a “cop out.”

“Many WHCA members are privately pointing the finger at Eugene for making the unilateral decision to recruit and sign this garbage, hate-filled comedian,” he claimed. “Yet, they are all turning a blind eye to it publicly. It’s an indictment on how broken and useless this organization has become… so sad that such a storied and consequential group has been so quickly driven into irrelevancy.”

First held in 1921, the White House Correspondents’ Dinner had traditionally brought together the press and members of the presidential administration, including the president and vice president. Since 1983, it has typically featured a comedian who cracks jokes at the president’s expense. Recent featured entertainers have included Colin Jost, Trevor Noah, and Hasan Minhaj.

During his first term, Donald Trump became the first U.S. president not to attend a single one of the annual dinners. In 2019, he disparaged it as “so boring and so negative.”

Since Trump entered office in January, tensions have run high between the correspondents association and the administration.

In February, the White House announced that the WHCA would no longer be allowed to decide which journalists were assigned to cover the president on a given day. The White House itself now assigns reporters to the pool, which has raised concerns about the opportunity for the press to cover the administration without fear of retribution.

Daniels said at the time that the decision “tears at the independence of a free press in the United States.”

The same month, Trump moved to exclude the Associated Press from press events after outlet decided to stick with the name the “Gulf of Mexico” rather than, as Trump has tried to name it, the “Gulf of America.”

Daniels, speaking for the WHCA, said in February that body “stands with” the AP.

“The White House cannot dictate how news organizations report the news, nor should it penalize working journalists because it is unhappy with their editors’ decisions,” he wrote in a statement.

The crisis has led to internal turmoil at the WHCA and questions about Daniels’s leadership. A closed-door virtual meeting of the association this month became contentious even as he insisted that its board was doing everything it could, according to Status, a media newsletter.

“There were a lot of pointed questions,” a person familiar with the meeting told the newsletter. “You could tell there was a lot of frustration with Eugene and the board.”

Many of the journalists in attendance were pushing for a more aggressive response from the WHCA beyond just issuing statements.

Source : https://www.thedailybeast.com/wh-correspondents-fire-comedian-after-insult-on-beast-podcast/

PRINCE Harry and Meghan Markle have been slammed as “toxic” by the boss of the duke’s African charity, from which he resigned earlier this week.

In the latest update to their bitter row, Dr Sophie Chandauka also claimed the prince once “demanded” her to “publicly defend” Meghan.

The chair of charity Sentebale, set up by the Duke of Sussex and Prince Seeiso of Lesotho in 2006, has found herself at the centre of a dispute with trustees at the organisation.

After the two founding princes sensationally quit the charity this week, slamming Dr Chandauka’s leadership as “untenable”, the chair has hit back, calling Harry and Meghan’s brand “toxic”.

Speaking to the Financial Times, she said: “The number one risk for this organisation was the toxicity of its lead patron’s brand”.

The chair also claimed the Prince tried to use the charity “as an extension of the Sussex PR Machine” to try and protect Meghan’s reputation.

Dr Chandauka said she had been once asked by the prince’s team to defend Meghan in the face of negative media coverage.

She added: “I said no, we’re not setting a precedent by which we become an extension of the Sussex PR machine.”

In her first interview since the row erupted, she also issued a strong message to the Duke of Sussex, saying: “The team is resolved that Sentebale will live on, with or without you.”

The Sentebale chair has also now accused Harry of “harassment and bullying at scale”, after he quit the organisation.

In an interview with Sky News, set to air on Sunday morning, she said: “The only reason I’m here… is because at some point on Tuesday, Prince Harry authorised the release of a damaging piece of news to the outside world without informing me or my country directors, or my executive director.

“And can you imagine what that attack has done for me, on me and the 540 individuals in the Sentebale organisations and their family?

“That is an example of harassment and bullying at scale.”

A source close to the former trustees of the Sentebale charity has described Chandauka’s claims as “completely baseless”.

Another source who was familiar with the events said both Harry and Seeiso had sent a resignation letter to the chair as well as trustees on March 10.

Dr Chandauka, a Zimbabwe-born lawyer, was selected to be chair of the trustees last year.

But it is understood these members strongly disagreed with the decision and wanted her to step down – a move which has seen her sue.

After her refusal to quit, many disgruntled trustees left the charity, as relations “broke down beyond repair” – a move that was followed by the charity’s two co-founders.

Following their departure, Chandauka released an explosive statement in which she slammed “unthinkable” infighting in the organisation as well as made claims that there had been a “cover-up”.

In a statement given to the Mail, Chandauka alleged there had been “weak executive management, abuse of power, bullying, harassment, misogyny, and misogynoir”.

Misogynoir is the term used to describe discrimination against black women.

Princes Harry and Seeiso had said it was “devastating” to leave the charity, but slammed Chandauka for her “untenable” leadership.

France’s Ministry of Foreign Trade on Saturday said US interference in the diversity and inclusion policies of French firms is “unacceptable.”

The ministry statement was in response to a letter sent by the US embassy in Paris to several French firms warning them against using diversity programs, a frequent target of the Trump administration.

“American interference in the inclusion policies of French companies, along with threats of unjustified tariffs, is unacceptable,” the trade ministry statement said.

“France and Europe will defend their companies, their consumers, but also their values,” it added.

Copies of the US letter were first published in French media late on Friday. It was apparently sent to some French companies currently doing or looking to do business with the United States.

It included an attached form, seen by several news agencies, that asked firms to certify that they “do not practice programs to promote diversity, equity and inclusion,” or DEI.

US letter orders French companies to comply with US-DEI ban

Such initiatives “infringe on applicable federal anti-discrimination laws” in the United States, the questionnaire says.

US President Donald Trump signed an executive order banning federal DEI programs the day he returned to office for his second term as president.

The letter states that Trump’s order “also applies to all contractors and suppliers of the US government, regardless of nationality or country of operations.”

It is unclear how many French companies received the letter. They have five days to fill out and return the questionnaire.

French state officially doesn’t recognize race, ethnicity

French law bans the consideration of origin, ethnic group or religion in hiring practices. It also bans the collection of race-based data. It’s part of the state’s “color-blind” approach to secularism (called laicite in French), which holds that all French are equally French.

Rather, French corporate efforts to diversify their workforce focus more on gender and socioeconomic background.

Source : https://www.dw.com/en/france-slams-us-interference-in-firms-diversity-programs/a-72085616

A MENACING Vladimir Putin has defied Donald Trump and declared he can “finish off” Ukraine despite an impending ceasefire.

The brutal tyrant has also unleashed a wave of fresh strikes on civilian targets and retaken a border village in Kursk.

Putin made the threat while visiting a nuclear submarine base in Russia’s frozen north – just a week after Sir Keir Starmer had a similar visit.

He launched a new nuclear submarine named the Perm – the first of its kind to be equipped with hypersonic Zircon missiles as a standard feature.

Vlad brushed aside peace moves declaring: “Not long ago I said we’d grind them [Ukraine] down — now it looks like we’ll finish them off.”

Putin also called for Volodymyr Zelensky to be ousted by generals and replaced by an internationally-supervised provisional government to hold elections.

The tyrant’s threats come as his forces bombed a liquid gas facility in the latest violation of pledges to halt such strikes.

Vlad’s forces also bombed a hospital in what Kyiv labelled as a “war crime”.

Russia also claims to have retaken the border village of Gogolevka from Ukraine in its Kursk region.

Putin has also given Trump his blessing to make a land grab for Greenland and said the US president’s ambitions should be taken “seriously”.

But the tyrant shot back saying Russian troops are ready for a war in the Arctic and warned Nato that Moscow would always protect its interest in the region.

Meanwhile, Zelensky called the ageing despot a “dinosaur who wants to eat us up” and insists the Kremlin is “not ready for talks”.

Source : https://www.the-sun.com/news/13853765/trump-ukraine-russia-peace-talks-saudi-arabia-riyadh/

U.S. Vice President JD Vance on Friday accused Denmark of not doing a good job keeping Greenland safe and suggested the United States would better protect the semi-autonomous Danish territory that President Donald Trump has pressed to take over.
During a visit to the U.S. military base at Pituffik in the north of the Arctic island, Vance said the U.S. has no immediate plans to expand its military presence on the ground but will invest in resources including additional naval ships.

He pledged respect for Greenland’s sovereignty but also suggested the territory would come to see the benefit of partnering with the U.S., in remarks the Danish prime minister called unfair.
“Denmark has not kept pace and devoted the resources necessary to keep this base, to keep our troops, and in my view, to keep the people of Greenland safe from a lot of very aggressive incursions from Russia, from China and other nations,” Vance said. He gave no details of the alleged incursions.
Trump has frequently said that the United States has a security imperative to acquire the island, which has been controlled by Denmark since 1721.

Vance’s sharp attacks against Denmark – a longtime U.S. ally and NATO member – offered another example of the little regard the Trump administration holds for traditional U.S. alliances.
Vance, in particular, has not held back in his messaging. He lectured European officials on free speech and illegal migration on the continent during an overseas trip last month and later accused Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy of not showing enough gratitude to Trump during a contentious meeting at the White House.
In Greenland on Friday, Vance said Russia, China and other nations are taking an “extraordinary interest” in Arctic passageways, naval routes and minerals in the region. He said the U.S. will invest more resources, including naval ships and military icebreakers that will have a greater presence in the country.

As Greenlanders expressed deep unease about the visit, Vance vowed the people of Greenland would have “self-determination” and the U.S. would respect its sovereignty.
“I think that they ultimately will partner with the United States,” Vance said. “We can make them much more secure. We could do a lot more protection. And I think they’d fare a lot better economically as well.”
His remarks came just hours after a new broad government coalition that aims to keep ties with Denmark for now was presented in the capital, Nuuk.
Greenland’s new prime minister, Jens-Frederik Nielsen, said the U.S. visit signalled a “lack of respect,” while Danish leaders expressed their commitment to Greenland.
“For many years we have stood side by side with the Americans under very difficult circumstances. Therefore the vice president’s description of Denmark is not a fair one,” Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen said in a statement to Danish news agency Ritzau.
Denmark’s Foreign Minister Lars Lokke Rasmussen said Vance “has a point that we haven’t done enough, but I’m a little provoked because it’s also the Americans who haven’t done enough.”
Rasmussen said that the U.S. today has a base with 200 soldiers, while during the Cold War the Americans had 17 military installations in Greenland with 10,000 soldiers.
As Vance’s visit was underway, Trump told reporters at the White House the U.S. needs Greenland to ensure the “peace of the entire world.”

“We need Greenland, very importantly, for international security. We have to have Greenland. It’s not a question of, ‘Do you think we can do without it?’ We can’t,” Trump said.
Trump said Greenland’s waterways have “Chinese and Russian ships all over the place” and the United States will not rely on Denmark or anybody else to handle the situation.

SCALED-BACK TRIP

Vance greeted members of the U.S. armed forces shortly after his arrival, thanking them for their service on the remote base located 750 miles (1,200 km) north of the Arctic Circle. The outside temperature at Pituffik was minus 3 degrees Fahrenheit (-19 C).
Vance’s wife Usha, national security adviser Mike Waltz and Energy Secretary Chris Wright accompanied him on the trip.
Under the terms of a 1951 agreement, the U.S. is entitled to visit its base whenever it wants, as long as it notifies Greenland and Copenhagen. Pituffik is located along the shortest route from Europe to North America and is vital for the U.S. ballistic missile warning system.
The island, whose capital is closer to New York than it is to the Danish capital Copenhagen, boasts mineral, oil and natural gas wealth, but development has been slow and the mining sector has seen very limited U.S. investment. Mining companies operating in Greenland are mostly Australian, Canadian or British.
A White House official has said Greenland has an ample supply of rare earth minerals that would power the next generation of the U.S. economy.
The question now is how far Trump is willing to push his idea of taking over the island, said Andreas Oesthagen, a senior researcher on Arctic politics and security at the Oslo-based Fridtjof Nansen Institute.
“It is still unlikely that the United States will use military means,” he told Reuters.
“But it is unfortunately likely that President Trump and Vice President Vance will continue to use other means of pressure, such as ambiguous statements, semi-official visits to Greenland, and economic instruments,” he added.
Polls have shown that nearly all Greenlanders oppose becoming part of the United States. Anti-American protesters, some wearing “Make America Go Away” caps and holding “Yankees Go Home” banners, have staged some of the largest demonstrations ever seen in Greenland.
On Thursday, residents in Nuuk planted Greenlandic flags in the snow and a cardboard sign in English that said “Our Land. Our Future”.

Source : https://www.reuters.com/world/us-vice-president-vance-visit-greenland-island-trump-wants-control-2025-03-28/

Elon Musk doubled down on his pledge to cut government spending by $1 trillion — an amount that would slash the federal budget deficit in half and, if implemented, put the U.S. much closer to stabilizing the growth of its debt burden relative to the size of the economy.

“Our goal is to reduce the deficit by a trillion dollars,” Musk told Fox News Thursday evening — adding that he hoped to reduce overall federal spending by 15% solely through “eliminating waste and fraud,” a goal he said “seems really quite achievable.”

He pointed to a number of examples of wasteful spending, including a survey that Musk claimed was done for the Interior Department at a cost of $830 million to collect Americans opinions’ of national parks. Musk said that the survey could have been done by another vendor for just $10,000.

The “Department of Government Efficiency,” headed by the Tesla
TSLA

-3.51%

CEO, says on its website that it has saved $130 billion so far, which amounts to about $2 billion in savings per day since President Donald Trump’s inauguration.

That’s about half of the $4 billion per day that Musk pledged to cut in his interview with Fox News’s Bret Baier, but it’s difficult for reporters and analysts to confirm these claims.

DOGE has made it increasingly challenging to fact check its assertions after it removed federal identification numbers in its website’s source code that could help outsiders identify specifically what grants and contracts the agency is referring to.

That makes it difficult and sometimes impossible to know the vendors the government has contracted with and whether the government is actually saving the amount of money DOGE is claiming it has.

Meanwhile, there are claims on the website that are incorrect. The largest savings asserted by DOGE is a cancelled $1.9 trillion contract for IT modernization. But the contractor awarded the money told the New York Times last month that the award was actually cancelled in November 2024, under President Biden.

The Federal Procurement Data System, a database of federal procurement projects, indicates that no money was ever spent on this grant, despite it authorizing the IRS to spend $1.9 billion over 7 years.

The White House didn’t respond to a request for comment.

A broader look at federal spending data also appears to counter claims that DOGE’s efforts are saving money for American taxpayers.

The Hamilton Project, an economic policy think tank, tracks federal spending using daily treasury statements published by the government.

These data show that the federal government had spent $1.893 trillion in 2025 as of March 26, compared to $1.763 trillion at the same date last year. In other words, federal spending in on pace to come in 7.4% higher this year than last.

It’s not uncommon for federal outlays to grow year by year along with the economy. But the government is currently operating under a continuing budget resolution that largely locks in spending levels signed into law by President Biden last year.

By comparison, federal spending at the end of the first quarter in 2024 was on track to be 1.6% lower than the prior year, though overall spending ended up 3.0% higher for full-year 2024 compared to 2023.

“You would expect, given the rhetoric, to see big decreases relative to last year,” Wendy Edelberg, former chief economist at the Congressional Budget Office and director of the Hamilton Project, told MarketWatch.

“It’s less surprising when you consider that most of the cuts they have talked about are pretty small bore, and I think that’s the major takeaway,” she added.

Edelberg also noted that even federal spending on salaries is coming in ahead of last year, suggesting that despite the administration putting many federal workers on administrative leave, those people are still getting paid.

Source : https://www.marketwatch.com/story/despite-musks-claims-the-trump-administrations-spending-is-on-pace-to-surpass-bidens-levels-19cdf24c

Nikola founder Trevor Milton said in a social media post that he’s received “a full and unconditional pardon” by President Trump, adding that the president called him personally to inform him.

“I just got a call from the president of the United States on my phone that he signed a full and unconditional pardon of innocence,” Milton said in an Instagram video message posted Thursday. “I am free.”

In December 2023, Milton was sentenced to four years in prison after he was convicted of exaggerating claims about his electric vehicle company’s production of zero-emission 18-wheel trucks, which prosecutors claimed caused investors to lose hundreds of thousands of dollars. Milton’s conviction came after a short seller called Hindenburg Research alleged in 2020 that the EV maker had misrepresented its technology.

In his video, Milton said, “The greatest comeback story in America is about to happen.”

Nikola filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in February, a move that came months after it warned it could likely run out of cash in early 2025. Once valued at around $30 billion, exceeding the market capitalization of Ford Motor Co., the EV maker was a rising Wall Street star before it became embroiled in scandal.

Last month, Nikola said it plans to to continue limited service and support operations for vehicles on the road, including fueling operations through the end of March, subject to court approval. The company said that it would need to raise more funding to support those types of activities after that time.

Source : https://www.cbsnews.com/news/nikola-founder-trevor-milton-pardoned-by-trump-instagram/

‘Coalition of the willing ‘leaders are meeting in Paris to discuss supporting Ukraine but Moscow continues its bid to undermine these attempts, accusing France and Britain of provoking “direct military confrontation” between NATO and the Russian Federation.

Governments of over 30 nations and entities are represented at the ‘Coalition of the Willing’, so called, talks in Paris on Thursday, called to discuss sustaining military and economic support for Ukraine. Also on the table is the suggestion of security guarantees for Ukraine and even, as frequently discussed by the United Kingdom and France, the possibility of European peacekeepers in Ukraine to monitor any agreement achieved by the Trump talks.

The purpose of this is to “deter, in order to send that message to Putin that this is a deal that is going to be defended”, Britain’s Starmer said today.

Russia, meanwhile, which clearly would not benefit from a ceasefire being guaranteed by NATO troops on Ukrainian soil and, consequently, a nuclear tripwire for any future bids to expand territorial holdings in the country has long agitated against such notions. That process continued this morning, with the spokesman for the Russian Foreign Minister Maria Zakharova warning of bloody violence if Europe tries, and accusing the United Kingdom of trying to inveigle Europe into an “Anglo-Saxon” plot to fight Russia against their own interests.

Zakharova said: “We understand why they are doing this. They need to provoke Europe into a bloodbath [with Russia]… They themselves, London, let me remind you, left the European Union at one time. And now the golden dream, after they have disrupted the economy of the European Union, is to push together the European continent as a whole. And they will join the Anglo-Saxon coalition.”

That there is an “Anglo-Saxon” conspiracy to destroy Russia is a frequent Kremlin trope.

In other comments, the Foreign Affairs representative also said: “I’d like to note again that Russia resolutely opposes a scenario fraught with a direct military confrontation between Russia and NATO”.

Further bids to undermine European confidence in the safety of supporting Ukraine came from Russian Member of Parliament Sergey Mironov, whose comments were amplified by Kremlin media on Thursday, who enunciated a hypothetical situation where the weapons now being handed to Kyiv may one day find their way back to Europe in the hands of terrorists. He said: “The West has been flooding Ukraine with weapons, and EU countries are willing to do so even to the detriment of their own security”.

One of Russia’s publicly professed excuses for fighting Ukraine in the first place is the allegation it is a state run by crypto-Nazis who worship Second World War-era ultranationalist Stepan Bandera. Mironov cited this alleged state of affairs as a rusk to Europe, as he continued: “A combination of terrorism and the neo-Nazi Bandera regime may create an infernal mix that will ‘blow up’ Europe from within”.

Meanwhile, all sides continue to accuse each other of bad faith, of undermining peace talks, and of being crypto-warmongers. Britain’s Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer, for instance, has accused Russia of “playing games” and “filibustering” to delay any progress on talks. He said: “It is a classic from the Putin playbook, but we can’t let them drag this out while they continue prosecuting their illegal invasion”.

Also speaking today was France’s President Emmanuel Macron, who criticised Russian “stories and untruths”. Ukraine for their part said Russia “distorts reality” and has been undermining the peace process by trying to “rewrite the outcomes of negotiations”.

Ukraine’s President Zelensky said this week: “The Kremlin is lying again, claiming that the Black Sea ceasefire supposedly depends on sanctions and that the energy ceasefire supposedly began on 18 March. Moscow always lies”.

Source : https://www.breitbart.com/europe/2025/03/27/russia-threatens-britain-and-france-with-bloodbath-for-ukraine-support/

CUTTING-EDGE scientists have unveiled a disturbing plan to grow soulless “spare” human bodies that can be used for medical experiments and even meat.

The so-called bodyoids would be grown in artificial wombs and have the eerie ability to withstand endless pain.

The scientists, Carsten T Charlesworth, Henry T Greely, and Hiromitsu Nakauchi, made their bizarre pitch in MIT Technology Review and explained why the Frankenstein-esque plan would revolutionize medicine.

They said the zombie-ish bodies would be key to testing out new medicines and growing human organs for transplants.

The plan would become a reality by using pluripotent stem cells, one of the earliest cell types to form during human development.

The stem cells have already been used to grow organic matter and, most recently, helped to successfully create a structure that resembles a human embryo.

Researchers hope to grow the fetuses entirely outside a body in artificial uteruses, which are already being tested in labs.

They plan on using “genetic techniques” to stunt brain production and ensure the body lacks sentience.

Once they’re grown, the bodies “could address many ethical problems in modern medicine, offering ways to avoid unnecessary pain and suffering,” wrote the scientists.

One of those issues, according to the brazen scientists, is sourcing “ethical meat.”

They wrote, “For example, they could offer an ethical alternative to the way we currently use nonhuman animals for research and food, providing meat or other products with no animal suffering or awareness.”

The researchers admitted their plan poses endless ethical questions, but stressed the world of possibilities that could open up if the spare bodies are developed.

They pointed out how medical researchers have been primarily relying on animals for testing, which isn’t always directly transferable to human treatments.

Plus, the testing potentially tortures the creatures as they’re sentient and feel pain.

According to the researchers, endless drugs are constantly being tested, but very few of them get cleared for safe use on people.

A SLEW of high-profile guests including Hollywood A-listers and top world leaders are expected to show up at Jeff Bezos’ wedding of the century.

The second richest man in the world has been engaged to bombshell supermodel Lauren Sanchez for two years – and their wedding has finally been confirmed for this summer in Venice, Italy.

After five years of dating, 61-year-old Bezos popped the question to Sanchez over a $2.5million 20-carat ring May 2023.

The couple hosted a decadent engagement party on their megayacht in Positano, Italy, in August 2023.

The world’s eyes are now on the Bezos, who is reportedly planning to book lavish $32,000 suites to accommodate guests from across the world and use his $500million superyacht as a taxi.

Top celebrities who were sent invites for the grand wedding celebration include Kim Kardashian, Oprah Winfrey, Eva Longoria, Leonardo DiCaprio, and Orlando Bloom and his fiancee, Katy Perry.

Meanwhile, Ivanka Trump and Jared Kushner, as well as Karlie Kloss and her husband Joshua Kushner, have also been invited, TMZ reports.

Speculations are that President Donald Trump will also be invited to the wedding, if not already been, after Bezos and Sánchez had front-row seats at Trump’s inauguration in January.

Bezos, whose estimated net worth is $212billion, reportedly placed the ring under her pillow before Sanchez found and opened the box.

Sanchez, 55, a former US TV journalist and helicopter pilot, told Vogue that she “blacked out a bit” during their proposal after seeing her multimillion-dollar ring.

Local media have reported that the wedding may take place at Gritti Palace and the seven-star Aman Hotel.

The Aman, a luxurious boutique 16th century palazzo, is where Hollywood legend George Clooney and his wife exchanged vows in a “private, symbolic” ceremony.

Rooms at both hotels start from $3,200 a night but can cost up to ten times that amount depending on season and suite size.

The three-day, ultra-exclusive celebration is set to take place between June 24 and 26.

According to reports in the Italian press, wedding planners have fully booked five of Venice’s plushest hotels and reserved almost the entire fleet of the city’s water taxis as well as a dock for Bezos’s mega-yacht.

One source told MailOnline that Bezos may use his lavish superyacht to taxi his guests and take them out during the festivities.

As a pre-wedding gift, Sanchez will fly up to space on her billionaire fiance’s rocket in May.

The New Shepard spaceship will fly up for an 11-minute sub-orbital flight with an all-female crew – including pop star Katy Perry.

The bride-to-be has also revealed that she’s already chosen her dress, believed to be from Oscar de la Renta, and will be styled by Vogue boss Anna Wintour.

Sanchez has previously said that her fiance inspires her.

She said: “He’s so happy, he inspires me every day.

“He makes me a better person every day. He’s the most loving human I know.”

Meanwhile, Bezos has told reporters: “Lauren is the most generous, most big-hearted person that you would ever meet… She never misses a birthday.

“The network of people that she gives birthday presents to is gigantic.

“And that’s just a small example.”

The pair began dating in 2019, but avoided being seen together until finalising their respective divorces.

Bezos and his ex-wife, MacKenzie Scott, finalized their divorce in April 2019, after more than 25 years of marriage.

Source : https://www.the-sun.com/entertainment/13895773/star-studded-guest-list-jeff-bezos-wedding/

Israel carried out a strike on Beirut, the Lebanese capital, for the first time since the ceasefire that ended the Israel-Hezbollah war in November.

The attack on Friday targeted a building in Beirut’s southern suburbs and was in response to rocket fire from its northern neighbor, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said.

The IDF said it wanted to destroy a drone storage facility belonging to the Iran-backed armed group Hezbollah.

Lebanon’s National News Agency confirmed, “Israeli warplanes struck the Hadath neighborhood in Beirut’s southern suburbs.”

Israel also bombarded Hezbollah targets in southern Lebanon on Friday, the Israeli military said.

Macron says strikes on Beirut violate ceasefire

Speaking alongside Lebanese President Joseph Aoun, who was visiting Paris, French President Emmanuel Macron said the strike on Beirut was “unacceptable,” adding that such attacks “play into the hands of Hezbollah.”

France is on the committee tasked with overseeing the ceasefire.

Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz, however, said the Lebanese government bore direct responsibility for the attack and warned, “If there is no quiet in Kiryat Shmona and the Galilee communities, there will be no quiet in Beirut either.”

The United Nations Special Coordinator for Lebanon, Jeanine Hennis-Plasschaert, said the exchange of fire across the southern border on Friday was “deeply concerning.”

Hezbollah denies responsibility for strikes on Israel

Hezbollah denied involvement in Friday’s rocket attack on Israel and another last Saturday.

The group said it remained committed to the ceasefire agreement reached with Israel in November.

The ceasefire was intended to bring an end to months of fighting between Hezbollah and Israel.

The militant group began attacking Israel with rockets and artillery a day after the Hamas terror attacks on October 7, 2023.

Source : https://www.dw.com/en/israel-strikes-beirut-for-first-time-since-ceasefire/a-72070957

Over the past week, the United States has held separate negotiations with Russia and Ukraine in an attempt to stop fighting in the Black Sea, a crucial trade route for food exports, as part of the broader goal of ending the war between the two countries.

On Tuesday, the White House reported that both countries had agreed to a ceasefire and allow navigation in the region. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy announced that the ceasefire would take immediate effect. However, the Kremlin said the ceasefire would only take effect once certain conditions are met, including the partial lifting of sanctions pertaining to Russian companies and banks involved in international food trade.

A similar truce was in place between 2022 and 2023 but was later broken by Russia. That deal, brokered by Turkey and the United Nations, allowed for the uninterrupted export of Ukrainian grain. Russian President Vladimir Putin withdrew from the deal over the West’s failure to meet certain conditions, including reconnecting the Russian Agricultural Bank to SWIFT, a high-security system for rapid money transfers based in Belgium.

The UN believes that global food security would be boosted significantly if a new agreement is reached.

Black Sea a key trade route for Russia and Ukraine

Despite apparent disagreements, experts told DW that the parties involved in the negotiations will likely reach a ceasefire in the Black Sea soon.

Alexandra Filippenko, an independent researcher based in Lithuania, calls this agreement “the biggest of all the small steps” discussed during the talks. She believes it will help reduce the risk of escalation, which is unlikely to benefit either side or the rest of the world.

According to the UN, the Ukraine grain deal facilitated the export of 32 million tons of grain to 45 countries across three continents between July 2022 and July 2023. As UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said at the time, the deal was crucial for global food security.

For Russia, the Black Sea is a key route for grain delivery from the country’s southern regions. In the partially pre-war season from 2021-2022, 86% of all grain shipments were through ports on the Azov-Black Sea basin, according to Forbes. These exports were

Ukraine is one of the world’s top grain exporters, with its main buyers in North Africa, the Middle East and South and Southeast Asia. The stability of the Black Sea is crucial for the nation’s economy.

What’s the situation in the Black Sea now?

In a recent interview with the European Broadcast Union, Zelenskyy said that Ukraine controls the situation in the Black Sea.

“They (the Russians) have not controlled the Black Sea corridor for a long time. We are fighting for it because it is a step toward ending the war. We control the situation in the Black Sea,” Zelenskyy said.

Alexander Paliy, a Ukrainian political analyst, told DW that over the past year, Russia has found itself pushed into the eastern part of the Black Sea and has been unable to launch full-scale attacks in the region. He said Ukraine achieved this through the use of maritime drones.

As a result, grain trade is operating at more or less pre-war levels, Paliy said. Therefore, he believes a new grain deal would be more beneficial for Russia.

“Ukraine could attack Russian ships involved in oil exports or other exports at any moment. However, [Ukraine] does care about environmental impact, and the positions of countries like Turkey and the US are important. That’s why Ukraine has been very cautious,” Paliy said.

Russia’s growing influence in the Black Sea

Russia’s presence in the Black Sea is crucial not only for trade but also, as the Kremlin has repeatedly stated, for the country’s security.

Under international law, Russia owns only about 10% of the Black Sea coastline. However, through its growing influence in the region, Russia effectively controls about a third of the coastline currently.

Russia’s military presence in Crimea, which it illegally annexed in 2014, and the unrecognized republic of Abkhazia in the South Caucasas region has made this presence possible. In Russia, the military forces stationed in Abkhazia are viewed as key to ensuring the security of the country’s southern borders.

Putin’s reaction to the entry of a US Navy ship into the Black Sea in November 2021 can explain how he views the importance of Russian dominance in this region.

“Now, as you know, a US ship has entered the Black Sea. We can watch it through binoculars or through the sights of our defense systems,” Putin bragged.

The Russian president seems willing to expand his country’s presence in the Black Sea further. He now threatens to capture another Ukrainian port city, Odessa, if Ukraine does not recognize the Russian-occupied regions.

Source : https://www.dw.com/en/why-the-black-sea-is-so-important-to-russia-and-ukraine/a-72048886

The 25 percent tariffs on automobiles announced by President Donald Trump are meant to revitalize American industry, but Detroit’s giants were stunned Thursday by their scale and faced a beating on Wall Street.

While the implementation of the tariffs had been anticipated for weeks, their details surprised manufacturers and experts as the levies will not only apply to imports of finished vehicles but parts as well.

That will be particularly painful because the sector relies on a complex global supply chain, sometimes involving multiple border crossings, with assembly in one country of parts manufactured in others.

The levies kick in April 3 at 04:01 GMT, according to the decree signed by the Republican president on Wednesday.

The manufacturing process at Ford and General Motors depends largely on a highly complex back-and-forth between the United States, Mexico, and Canada — the three countries linked by the USMCA, a free trade agreement signed by Trump during his first term.

However, Trump’s decree doesn’t provide exemptions for imports under USMCA, dashing industry hopes that car parts would be spared.

The tariffs include “crucial parts” — engines, transmissions, powertrains, and electrical components are on the list that could be expanded.

Parts not originally manufactured in the United States will face 25 percent tariffs just like finished foreign vehicles.

The White House noted that of the 16 million new vehicles sold in the United States last year, half were assembled in the country but contained only 40-50 percent American-made components.

It also said the trade deficit for automotive parts was $93.5 billion.

Manufacturers faced a drubbing in the stock market Thursday.

General Motors plummeted 7.3 percent, while Ford closed down 3.8 percent and Stellantis 1.2 percent.

US listed shares of Toyota and Honda fell by 2.8 percent and 2.7 percent, respectively.

According to JPMorgan analysts, 82 percent of vehicles sold by Ford are produced in the United States, ahead of Stellantis (71 percent), Honda (68 percent), Toyota (57 percent), and General Motors (53 percent).

Trump’s decree demands that manufacturers determine the percentage between US parts and foreign parts in components or finished vehicles entering the United States, with the 25 percent tariff imposed only on foreign-made parts.

This presents a real challenge for manufacturers — who will be penalized for incorrect allocations — but also for the authorities to track them.

An implementation delay has therefore been granted, allowing the Commerce Department time to figure out how to proceed.

According to JPMorgan, once tariffs are collected across the entire intended scope, they would generate $82 billion annually.

Trump claimed Wednesday that they would bring in “more than $100 billion.”

JPMorgan estimated that the largest tariff bill would be paid by GM ($13 billion) while Ford should pay around $4.5 billion.

Experts have no doubt that there will be a price increase for new vehicles in the United States, which will subsequently affect a weakened used car market as owners keep their vehicles longer.

The president’s goal is to increase manufacturing in the United States, but relocating factories or reconfiguring a supply chain cannot happen overnight.

Foreign nations have also threatened retaliatory measures which could further impact the sector.

In the meantime, manufacturers will have to decide between fully passing on the additional cost to the end consumer, cutting into their margins, or a mix of both.

Source : https://www.ibtimes.com/us-auto-industry-stunned-tariffs-meant-save-it-3767926

Which Hogan knows best?

Hulk Hogan’s ex-wife Linda claimed that her “narcissist” daughter Brooke Hogan broke her mom’s collarbone in a drunken scuffle after the singer seemingly accused her parents of abuse.

Linda, 65, made the accusation about her estranged daughter in a long-winded rant shared to her Facebook page Friday — prompting Brooke to vehemently deny the claim.

“It’s her angle to keep her family away from her now, revealing who she used to be after drinking a half a bottle of vodka,” Linda claimed in the post. “She was so drunk she broke my collarbone and cut my lip and insisted everyone take her to the hospital because she was poisoned and she wasn’t.”

Linda continued, “She was just drunk… there’s many stories like that. I’m not gonna go on, but I’m not gonna defend myself against these ridiculous allegations. I’ll do that in court if she keeps it up.”

The mom of two said that “narcissism runs deep in this family” as she continued to attack her daughter, who married Steven Oleksy in 2022 and announced the birth of their twins earlier this month.

“Brooke is a narcissist just like her dad ..going out .. spewing lies to everyone and I’m supposed to defend my truth against that,” she said.

Linda said that she believes the “About Us” singer “doesn’t want the truth being revealed” to her new husband and his family about things “in her past.”

“I think I spanked Brooke once yeah I called her a couple couple of names, by no means ever treated her the way she’s painting it,” Linda claimed, adding, “They had cell phones. She could’ve posted horrible things about me back when all of this was supposedly happening, but nothing she didn’t because nothing was happening.”

Linda said Brooke “took her dad’s side” after the former couple’s divorce in 2009 but accused Hulk, 71, of “using her as a tool.”

“Her memory is completely skewed about the treatment that she received growing up in our household, and you can talk to anyone. You can ask anybody you can ask Terry,” Linda wrote, referring to Hulk’s real name.

Linda asserted that “none of the stuff” Brooke, 36, accused her of “ever happened.”

Brooke swiftly denied her mom’s claims, alleging in an Instagram statement Friday that Linda is “making a serious accusation against me directly that has zero validity. And THAT I take seriously.”

The public family spat began earlier this week when Linda posted a video on social media in which she was seen sobbing about her strained relationship with Brooke.

“Brooke doesn’t talk to us. She had twins, she got married [and] she didn’t tell us,” Linda said, claiming that Brooke “cut [her] out” after she got into a fight with her ex-husband about eight years ago.

But Brooke denied the accusation in her post Friday, sharing that her mom has, in fact, met her husband and even showed proof.

“She says she hasn’t spoken to me for a number of years, yet I have a picture with her and my husband together on a day we did lunch together,” she wrote, including the photo in the next slide of the post.

Linda went on to share that she still has a relationship with her and Hulk’s 34-year-old son, Nick Hogan, but went on to drag the retired wrestler by calling him a “liar” and a “sex addict.”

Brooke responded to Linda’s sobbing message by sharing in a statement that she was “EXTREMELY verbally and mentally abused since childhood.”

“Sadly, it would frequently turn physical. And sometimes it’s not by the person you would assume, abuse comes in all shapes and sizes,” she wrote, without naming any names.

“Each individual, on their own, has given me more than enough reasons over the years to make this extremely hard and painful decision to end contact,” she said.

Brooke claimed that she suffered “berating and vile text messages,” “public reamings” and “blatant lies [and] manipulation,” calling herself a “pawn.”

On Friday, Brooke clarified that she never named who her abusers were but that her mom’s reaction “says more about her than it does about me.”

Source : https://pagesix.com/2025/03/28/celebrity-news/hulk-hogans-ex-wife-linda-claims-narcissist-daughter-brooke-broke-her-collarbone-in-drunken-scuffle/

Vladimir Putin has suggested that Ukraine should temporarily be placed under UN control to elect what he called a more “competent” government.

It is the latest attempt by the Russian president to challenge the legitimacy of the Kyiv government.

Ukraine accused Putin of proposing “crazy” ideas to delay further movement towards a peace deal – being championed by US President Donald Trump.

The White House insisted Ukraine’s governance would be decided by its constitution and people.

Putin’s remarks come as the US seeks to broker a ceasefire in the full-scale war with Ukraine, now into its fourth year.

On Tuesday the White House said the two sides had agreed to a limited truce in the Black Sea.

But Russia then put forward a list of conditions including lifting of some Western sanctions, prompting concerns that Moscow was trying to derail any moves towards a ceasefire.

Speaking to the crew of a nuclear-powered submarine in the far north Russian city of Murmansk, Putin said a temporary administration under the auspices of the UN could be discussed “with the United States, with European countries, and of course with our partners and friends”.

“This would be in order to hold democratic elections, to bring to power a capable government trusted by the people and then to begin with it talks on a peace agreement and sign legitimate documents,” he added.

Moscow says the current Ukrainian authorities are illegitimate as President Volodymyr Zelensky has stayed in power beyond the end of his term and is therefore not a valid negotiating partner.

But Zelensky has stayed because elections have been put on hold, legally by martial law and practically by the chaos of war.

It would be almost impossible to hold a valid election with more than five million Ukrainian citizens displaced overseas and many hundreds of thousands away from home fighting on the frontline.

By calling for an election, Putin is trying to raise doubts that President Zelensky is a legitimate interlocutor in any peace talks. The White House has already echoed this narrative.

And if Putin succeeded in forcing an election, he may hope this would both divide and distract Ukraine while he made gains on the battlefield.

Putin’s spokesman Dmitry Peskov later attempted to clarify the remarks, saying they were in response to indications of a “loss of control” by Kyiv.

He also said that Ukraine’s armed forces were not obeying the leadership’s orders and were continuing to strike Russian energy installations, despite a moratorium on attacks on energy infrastructure agreed in talks with the US.

Ukraine has described Russian reports of such attacks as lies, while in its turn accusing Moscow of continuing to attack its own infrastructure.

• Why did Putin’s Russia invade Ukraine?

Putin said that his proposal for a transitional government was only one of many options, but pointed out that there were international precedents for UN control such as East Timor and parts of the former Yugoslavia.

Zelensky’s chief of staff Andriy Yermak responded to Putin’s remarks, saying Russia was trying to stall movements towards peace and had chosen to continue the war.

Meanwhile a US national security spokesperson told Reuters news agency that governance in Ukraine was determined by the constitution and the people.

At the same meeting, the Russian leader said that Moscow had the “strategic initiative” all along the front line in the war and “there are reasons to believe that we can finish off” Ukrainian forces.

But despite frequent proclamations of progress in the fighting, Russia has made only very slow and limited progress in gaining territory in eastern Ukraine.

Source : https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/crlxl37wnnyo

Novak Djokovic eased past Grigor Dimitrov to reach his first Miami Open final since 2016 and move within one win of his 100th career ATP title.

Bulgaria’s Dimitrov broke Djokovic in the opening game, but the Serb, watched on by his coach Andy Murray, broke back.

World number five Djokovic, 37, reeled off five straight games to win the first set.

Dimitrov made a shaky start to the second set and the 24-time Grand Slam champion took advantage to ease through 6-2 6-3.

“Ever since I won my 99th [title], which was the Olympic Games in Paris, I’ve been playing with the prospect of winning the special 100 titles,” said Djokovic.

“I’ve been trying to find that necessary and much-needed level of tennis that will put me in a position to fight for a trophy, a big trophy.

“That’s what I’ve been doing this week, to be honest. I’ve been very happy with the way I prepared for the tournament, the way I’ve been playing. I haven’t dropped a set.

“It’s a great opportunity. Let’s see what happens in two days.”

Things started off well in windy conditions for 14th seed Dimitrov, 33, in the oldest ATP Masters 1,000 semi-final in history.

He won the first game on Djokovic’s serve but was unable to capitalise and the classy Serb hit his stride and cruised to the first set.

After a fan was ejected after saying something to annoy Dimitrov, the Bulgarian made a slow start to the second set.

Dimitrov, last year’s beaten finalist, won three of his service games, but Djokovic was just too good.

The six-time Miami Open champion only made five unforced errors to his opponent’s 32.

“There were a couple of tight games in the last part of the match,” said Djokovic.

“It was 4-2, 30-30 and he missed a couple of forehands, and then I found some really good serves with new balls in the last game.

“These were tricky conditions. Very swirly. The wind was not consistent, changing a lot. It’s not easy to find control of the ball.

“I tried to make him play in these conditions because he’s a clean hitter. I knew he’d struggle if I made him play an extra shot. He struggled with the first serve more than I did.”

The fourth seed, at 37 years and 10 months old, is the oldest ATP Masters 1,000 finalist ever, having also been the oldest semi-finalist.

Source : https://www.bbc.com/sport/tennis/articles/cvgwg4n9geko

Argentina has sought a $20 billion loan from the International Monetary Fund, the country’s economy minister said Thursday, as the government struggles to hold on to foreign reserves while propping up an ailing currency.

In addition to the $20 billion IMF request, Luis Caputo said Argentina — the IMF’s biggest debtor by far — was negotiating an additional package with other organizations such as the World Bank and Inter-American Development Bank (IDB).

President Javier Milei’s government announced the preliminary figure amid a run on the peso, prompted by fears of a possible devaluation, that drained reserves by more than $1.2 billion last week.

The proposal must be approved by the board of the IMF, whose spokeswoman Julie Kozack said Thursday that discussions with Argentina, including for a “sizable financing package,” were “very advanced.”

She did not provide a figure for the size of the package.

Caputo said the IMF loan would “not be used to finance expenses” but to recapitalize the Argentine central bank.

Argentina has been a serial defaulter in recent decades, and the IMF has bailed out South America’s second-biggest economy 22 times in the past.

Self-described “anarcho-capitalist” Milei came to office in December pledging to cut spending, tame inflation and fix a steep fiscal deficit.

In the last six months, the peso has fallen about ten percent to the US dollar.

The new loan will add to the existing $44 billion Argentina already owes the IMF under a deal signed in 2018 for the bank’s biggest-ever loan.

Argentina has one of the highest inflation rates in the world, but under Milei it has fallen from 211 percent year-on-year at the end of 2023 to 84.5 percent in January.

The president has said a new IMF deal will help ensure that “inflation is only a bad memory.”

Keeping inflation at bay is Milei’s main political capital as the mid-term legislative campaign approaches with his party — lacking a majority in Congress — seeking to increase its seats.

Kozack said Thursday that Argentina has “embarked on a truly impressive stabilization program” and “reforms are starting to bear fruit.”

Caputo said the recent run on the peso was the result of “an attempt to destabilize the government of President Javier Milei,” which he blamed on “the opposition.”

The government has faced weekly protests by pensioners, recently also joined by football fans, unions and social organizations, that this month erupted into violent clashes with police.

Source : https://www.ibtimes.com/argentina-seeking-20-billion-imf-loan-3767913

Lauren Sánchez’s older brother Paul is “thrilled beyond belief” to see his sister, 55, get married in what he’s already predicting will be like Princess Diana’s “wedding of the century.”

“I think it’s going to be like a Princess Di- thing,” Paul told TMZ on Thursday, explaining that he predicts the event will be “huge and fun.”

While he admitted that he didn’t know the exact location of the ceremony, Paul doubled down on his expectation that the big wedding will be “an amazing event.”

He also added that the couple will be asking guests to “make a donation” to their favorite charity in lieu of wedding gifts.

A local report, which was shared by the Daily Mail on Tuesday, shared some of the pair’s Italian wedding plans, claiming the event “will take place aboard their $500 million megayacht, Koru, anchored in the Venetian Lagoon.”

Koru, which is allegedly capable of fitting 18 people in nine cabins, is considered the largest masted yacht ever built, measuring more than 415 feet in length.

However, another source described by the outlet as a “perfectly placed friend” promises that “the wedding is not on the boat” due to Venice’s regulations that would obstruct the party from taking place in the more beautiful parts of the romantic city.

The outlet also noted that two of the city’s finest and popular hotels, the Gritti Palace and Aman Venice, are completely booked from June 26 to June 29.

Both hotels’ rooms are reportedly priced starting at $3,200 a night and those prices can skyrocket to nearly ten times that amount, depending on the suite and the season.

“In preparation for the event, Venice is bracing for the arrival of VIPs. The city’s top luxury hotels have already been booked, and reports say the entire fleet of water taxis will be made available to shuttle guests across the canals. The logistics point to a highly exclusive, tightly coordinated celebration,” a local news site reported, per the Daily Mail.

The Amazon founder’s, 61, nuptials will almost certainly be a high-profile event as the couple has sent out invites to some of Hollywood’s biggest names.

As we previously reported this week, those who received invitations include media personalities Oprah Winfrey and Gayle King, as well as actors Leonardo DiCaprio, Eva Longoria, and Orlando Bloom, who scored an invite with his fiancée, pop star Katy Perry.

Source : https://pagesix.com/2025/03/27/celebrity-news/jeff-bezos-and-lauren-sanchezs-luxe-celeb-packed-nuptials-will-be-like-princess-dianas-wedding-of-the-century-her-brother-insists/

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the US has revoked at least 300 foreign students’ visas as part of President Donald Trump’s effort to clamp down on pro-Palestinian protesters on university campuses.

“Maybe more than 300 at this point,” he said while speaking to reporters on a visit to Guyana. “We do it every day, every time I find one of these lunatics.”

Rubio was asked to confirm how many student visas the administration had revoked in its crackdown on rhetoric at universities that it considers anti-Israeli.

The remarks follow immigration officials detention of a doctoral Turkish student attending Tufts University – an arrest the secretary defended.

A video of the student, Rumeysa Ozturk, being taken away by masked, plain-clothes officers to an unmarked car outside Boston, Massachusetts, has gone viral and sparked protests online.

Ms Ozturk is a Fullbright Scholar on an F-1 student visa and is in a doctoral program for Child Study and Human Development at Tufts.

Rubio was asked on Thursday why the Turkish student’s visa was revoked.

“Here’s why: I’ve said it everywhere, and I’ll say it again,” Rubio said. “If you apply for a student visa to come to the United States and you say you’re coming not just to study, but to participate in movements that vandalize universities, harass students, take over buildings, and cause chaos, we’re not giving you that visa.”

It is currently unclear whether Ms Ozturk has been charged with anything.

Rubio did not provide any of the specific allegations against the 30-year-old, who has participated in pro-Palestinian protests. The Tufts student also co-wrote an opinion piece in the student newspaper last year that called for her university to divest from companies with ties to Israel and acknowledge “Palestinian genocide”.

“Based on patterns we are seeing across the country, her exercising her free speech rights appears to have played a role in her detention,” Mahsa Khanbabai, Ms Ozturk’s lawyer, told Reuters.

This arrest is the latest in a string of actions taken against international students in the US who have expressed support for Palestinians.

Trump officials have said they are making use of the Immigration and Nationality Act, which allows the State Department to deport non-citizens who are “adversarial to the foreign policy and national security interests” of the US.

The arrests are a part of Trump’s pledge to combat what the administration has classified as antisemitism, which was written into an executive order in January.

Since then, the White House has also revoked $400m (£308m) in Columbia funding over allegations the university failed to combat antisemitism on its campus, and threatened to do the same to other universities.

One of the highest profile arrests involves Columbia graduate Mahmoud Khalil, a prominent Palestinian activist, who remains in a Louisiana detention facility without charges.

Ms Ozturk was also taken to a detention centre in Louisiana. On Tuesday, a federal judge in Massachusetts ordered that Ms Ozturk be detained in Massachusetts, but federal records show she is still being held in Louisiana.

The government has been ordered to provide more information on Ms Ozturk’s arrest by Friday.

US Homeland Security spokeswoman Tricia McLaughlin said earlier this week that Ms Ozturk “engaged in activities in support of Hamas, a foreign terrorist organization that relishes the killing of Americans”.

Senator Elizabeth Warren, a Massachusetts Democrat, called the arrest “the latest in an alarming pattern to stifle civil liberties”.

“The Trump administration is targeting students with legal status and ripping people out of their communities without due process. This is an attack on our Constitution and basic freedoms – and we will push back,” she said in a statement.

On Wednesday, a federal judge ordered the Trump administration to halt its efforts to deport and arrest another student, Yunseo Chung of Columbia University. The 21-year-old is a legal permanent resident who moved to the US from South Korea as a child.

Source : https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c75720q9d7lo

Firefighters in South Korea are racing to save lives and ancient artefacts from the largest wildfire in the country’s history.

At least 27 people have been killed so far, according to the country’s interior ministry – making the blaze also South Korea’s deadliest. A further 32 people have been injured, some seriously.

Most of those killed were in their 60s and 70s, local officials say.

It is thought the wildfires, which first broke out in south-eastern Sancheong county nearly a week ago, were started accidentally by local human activities.

Fuelled by strong and dry winds, the fires have spread to several neighbouring counties, including Uiseong – where the largest of all the blazes currently is.

The authorities believe this fire broke out while visitors were tending to a family grave in the hills. Video footage from the gravesite shows a lighter on the ground.

Other fires are presumed to have been started from a welding spark, or burning of rubbish.

The fires have burned though more than 35,810 hectares (88,500 acres) so far – about half the size of New York City. As they continue to spread, artefacts including wooden printing blocks and paintings, have been moved from major temples.

The authorities are keeping a close eye on potential damage to two Unesco-listed sites: Hahoe Village and Byeongsan Seowon in Andong City.

The fires have already destroyed the Gounsa temple, which was built in 618 AD and was one of the largest temples in the province.

A Buddhist architectural structure deemed a national treasure from the Joseon Dynasty (1392-1910) was also destroyed, forestry authorities confirmed.

Tens of thousands of people have so far been ordered to evacuate because of the fires.

Kwon Young-chang, 35, told the BBC that the smoke filled his neighbourhood in Andong, forcing him to head north to Yecheon.

“The damage in Andong is devastating, and our neighbours, who have suffered great losses, are in deep despair,” he said.

Mr Kwon said the official information he had received had been confusing, and that he had been getting updates from local authorities’ social media pages. He feared that older people would not have access to these.

Another Andong resident, who asked not to be named, told BBC Korean that her house, which her family had lived in for more than 30 years, was “completely burnt down” within just a few hours.

“There’s nothing left. You can’t even tell where the house used to be,” she said. “It’s difficult to see the village like this.”

Jang Jung-suk, who lives in Cheongsong County, says her beekeeping site was completely destroyed by the fire.

“We saw really strong winds the day the fire spread to our village. It was hard to even stand still,” Jang said.

After briefly evacuating, she and her husband returned to find their home damaged and their business, which they had been building for five years and were just starting to reach a point of stability with, gone. Jang says her husband couldn’t hold back tears when he saw the damage.

“I’m at a loss. I need to figure out how to start over,” she said.

While the weather rarely causes wildfires on its own, it can give conditions that help wildfires to take hold and spread.

Source : https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c5y214x9lw1o

Gene Hackman and his wife Betsy’s bodies are still unclaimed — more than a month after their tragic deaths, TMZ has learned.

TMZ reached out to the Office of the Medical Investigator in New Mexico, and they confirmed the list of unclaimed decedents is updated online every Monday. Gene and Betsy’s names appeared on the list on March 24, and they’re still there as of today.

Officials tell us it’s not unusual for bodies to remain unclaimed for a month after dying. It’s unclear why Gene and Betsy’s bodies remain unclaimed … but it’s possible the family is still making funeral arrangements or finalizing plans.

Gene has 3 kids — a son, Christopher, and two daughters, Leslie and Elizabeth. The sisters had spoken out in the press after the death of their dad — who left all of his Hollywood fortune to Betsy.

Hackman had spoken about his tough relationship with his kids, admitting over the years he wasn’t around much when Chris was growing up, but he did get closer to them in his later years.

Gene and Betsy’s bodies were discovered at their Santa Fe home on February 26 … one of their dogs was also found dead nearby.

Source : https://www.tmz.com/2025/03/27/gene-hackman-betsy-arakawa-bodies-still-unclaimed/

Diego Maradona was in “agony” in the hours before his death, a court has heard.

The 1986 World Cup winner, one of football’s greatest-ever players, died in a house outside Buenos Aires in November 2020 following a cardiac arrest.

He was 60.

Seven healthcare professionals, including a neurosurgeon, a psychiatrist and medical staffers, have gone on trial for manslaughter after being accused of failing to provide Maradona with adequate medical care.

One of the experts who performed a post-mortem examination on Maradona spoke in front of the court on Thursday.

He said the Argentinian suffered agony for at least 12 hours before death and added “any doctor” should have noticed his symptoms days earlier.

Carlos Cassinelli, director of forensic medicine at the Scientific Police Superintendency, on Thursday provided details of the post-mortem performed on the day of Maradona’s death.

“The heart was completely covered in fat and blood clots, which indicate agony,” he said.

Mr Cassinelli added: “This is a patient who had been collecting water over the days; that’s not acute.

“This was something that was foreseeable.

“Any doctor examining a patient would find this.”

The post-mortem concluded that Maradona died from acute pulmonary edema secondary to congestive heart failure.

The trial could last up to four months, with three hearings held a week.

If found guilty, the defendants, who all deny the allegations against them, could be jailed for 25 years.

Among the accused are Leopoldo Luque, Maradona’s personal physician for the last four years of his life, and psychiatrist Agustina Cosachov, who prescribed medication that Maradona took until the time of his death.

Along with them, psychologist Carlos Diaz, coordinator of the medical company hired to care for him during his hospitalisation, Nancy Forlini, representative of the company that rendered nursing service, Mariano Perroni, Dr Pedro Di Spagna, who monitored his treatment, and nurse Ricardo Almiron are also standing trial.

Source : https://news.sky.com/story/diego-maradona-was-in-agony-in-the-hours-before-his-death-13337040

It turns out there are consequences for mistakenly leaking information about sensitive government operations to journalists.

A longtime Department of Homeland Security employee was placed on administrative leave after accidentally sending unclassified details of an immigration operation to a journalist in late January, according to current and former DHS officials who spoke to NBC News. The staffer was also reportedly told last week that the agency plans to revoke her security clearance.

The DHS employee, who declined to speak to NBC, told colleagues that she mistakenly added a reporter from a conservative media outlet to an email thread detailing information about a forthcoming Immigration and Customs Enforcement operation in Denver.

DHS officials said the information in the email was not classified but considered law enforcement sensitive because it included details about when the operation was going to take place and possible locations of targets.

When the employee realized her mistake, she called the reporter, who agreed not to disclose the information, officials said. The ICE operation was carried out without a hitch.

But it was too late. Another person on the email thread flagged the error to DHS leadership just as Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem was making employees take lie detector tests to weed out leakers. Border czar Tom Homan earlier blamed media leaks for fewer-than-expected arrests in an operation targeting the Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua.

The DHS employee was placed on leave pending an investigation and asked to take a polygraph test, officials said. She was reportedly notified that the agency intended to revoke her security clearance, which could lock her out of future homeland security jobs. She has 30 days to appeal.

It’s a far cry from the Trump administration’s response to a massive intelligence leak involving top national security officials who were discussing a military strike on Houthi rebels in Yemen without knowing that The Atlantic editor in chief Jeffrey Goldberg got inadvertently added to the group chat.

None of the officials in the group chat—including Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, National Security Adviser Mike Waltz, and Vice President JD Vance—have faced repercussions over the leak. President Donald Trump has assigned Waltz to probe his own mistake of adding Goldberg to the group chat.

Former ICE chief of staff Jason Houser told NBC that the DHS employee was known for being “mission-focused” and “apolitical.” He called it a “staggering hypocrisy” that national security officials did not face the same consequences.

“Targeting a career official who dedicated her service to protecting public safety and enforcing the law while excusing political appointees who leaked sensitive war plans shows this administration punishes integrity and protects recklessness,” he said. “This isn’t just a double standard—it’s reckless and dangerous.”

Mary McCord, a national security analyst who used to work in the Justice Department, told NBC that the DHS and group chat incidents should be handled the same way.

Source : https://www.thedailybeast.com/dhs-official-placed-on-leave-after-adding-reporter-to-sensitive-email-chain/

FIVE people including two American tourists were stabbed during the horrific Amsterdam knife rampage, cops have said.

Horrified witnesses revealed they heard piercing screams in Thursday’s frenzied attack that took place near Dam Square, which is at the heart of the Dutch capital.

The victims include a 67-year-old American woman and a 69-year-old American man, a 26-year-old Polish man, a 73-year-old woman from Belgium and a 19-year-old woman from Amsterdam.

A trauma team was deployed via helicopter, which landed directly on the iconic Dam Square — prompting a large-scale cordon around the area.

The Amsterdam police department said that one suspect has since been arrested after a hero bystander overpowered him.

They added that he was taken to the hospital as his leg was injured.

According to a worker at the local De 3 Fleschjes bar, diners witnessed an older woman and a young girl being stabbed in the back before falling to the ground.

One shopkeeper told local newspaper Parool: “I heard a knock and then I saw a girl had been stabbed in the back and a boy ran off.”

Another witness told De Telegraaf they suddenly heard an “icy scream” before panic broke out.

A third person added she heard a lot of shouting and screaming as people were seen running on the streets.

Cops said in a statement: “A suspect was overpowered with the help of a citizen. As his leg was injured, he was taken to a hospital.”

However, they are yet to confirm the motive behind the attack.

Emergency services rushed to the scene shortly after 3.20pm local time, following reports of a knife attack.

Two ambulances were initially dispatched, with a further three called just ten minutes later as the situation escalated.

The Amsterdam Police Unit said in a statement: “We are present at the Sint Nicolaasstraat near the Dam after a report of a stabbing incident with injuries.

“There is therefore a cordon, also on the Dam. More information will follow.”

A meeting at Amsterdam’s Stopera building was interrupted, and mayor Femke Halsema was pulled out of a council meeting when news of the attack broke.

Police have sealed off the area as they continue their investigation, urging anyone with footage of the incident to come forward and upload it on their website.

It comes after a Syrian asylum seeker was charged with murder after a 14-year-old boy was stabbed to death in a knife rampage in Austria.

Officials say the 23-year-old was motivated by “Islamic terrorism” before his alleged role in the bloodbath attack that left five others injured.

Three of the people caught up in the frenzied assault in the town of Villach were rushed to hospital in a critical condition last month.

All five survivors are aged between 15 and 36 with one being Turkish and the others Austrian citizens, police spokesman Rainer Dionisio said at the time.

Terrified witnesses reported hearing the alleged knifeman shout “Allahu Akbar” before lunging at his first victim.

Investigators also discovered an IS flag inside the suspect’s apartment, according to state police chief Michaela Kohlweiss.

She confirmed that cops also believe the man swore allegiance to the terror regime.

In Munich, a mum and her child tragically died from serious injuries after a suspected Islamist terrorist rammed his Mini Cooper into a crowd.

The woman, 37, and her two-year-old daughter were among the 39 injured in the “shocking attack” said to be carried out by a rejected Afghan asylum seeker.

The Mini Cooper is said to have “sped up” and ploughed into the back of around 1,500 Verdi demonstrators – a Berlin-based German trade union – on Seidlstrasse in Munich.

The suspected attack came just hours before the Munich Security Conference that started last month, with US Vice President JD Vance and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky arriving at the summit to speak.

Police said the suspect is a 24-year-old Afghan asylum seeker who, the region’s interior minister added, was known to cops in relation to drug and theft incidents.

Source : https://www.the-sun.com/news/13883051/amsterdam-knife-rampage-dam-square/

Just Stop Oil announced on Thursday that they are ending their campaign of climate protests.

“So, it is the end of soup on Van Goghs, cornstarch on Stonehenge, and slow marching in the streets,” the environmental activist group said in a statement.

Despite its controversial tactics, the group said it was “one of the most successful civil resistance campaigns in recent history.”

The group said its decision came after the British government made ending new gas and oil projects official policy.

High-profile protests

Founded in February 2022 in the United Kingdom, Just Stop Oil gained prominence through disruptive protests, including blocking roads, halting sports and theater events, and vandalizing art.

In the last few months, its activists have poured liquid latex over a robot at a Tesla store, sprayed orange powder on Stonehenge, and painted over the grave of British naturalist Charles Darwin at London’s Westminster Abbey.

Critics have condemned their sometimes-illegal activism methods, which have led to the imprisonment of some activists.

“Just Stop Oil will continue to tell the truth in the courts, speak out for our political prisoners, and call out the UK’s oppressive anti-protest laws,” the group said.

The group plans one final Just Stop Oil action in Parliament Square next to the British Parliament in April.

After that, they say they will continue their “civil resistance” in a different way.

Source : https://www.dw.com/en/just-stop-oil-to-end-disruptive-climate-protests/a-72057363

THIS is the moment hundreds of gang members inside El Salvador’s infamous megaprison desperately stare at Donald Trump’s glamorous Home Secretary.

The inked-up skinheads – booted out of the US due to The Don’s deportation scheme – gazed at Kristi Noem as she toured the notoriously nightmarish Terrorism Confinement Center known as CECOT.

Noem, 53, arrived at the hellish cells on Wednesday where 250 suspected Tren de Aragua and MS-13 gang members have been locked up after being kicked out by Trump.

They joined around 15,000 inmates already behind bars at the infamous slammer.

The jail is known for its inhumane conditions – which serve as a deterrent against El Salvador’s rife gang violence in recent years.

The Homeland Secretary viewed rows of inmates who gazed back obediently.

She was flanked by a brigade of security personnel carrying heavy assault rifles – who focused at keeping the prisoners in line.

El Salvador’s security and justice minister Gustavo Villatoro led Noem on a tour through the overcrowded and sultry prisoner quarters.

Several of the inmates behind bars were the suspected gangbangers President Trump shipped south.

Noem is also known as ICE Barbie due to her role as the glam but ruthless home security head – with ICE being a reference to the US Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency.

The brunette security boss stunned prisoners with her tight long-sleeve, baseball cap and flowing hair.

She met with Salvadoran President Nayib Bukele shortly after the tour to discuss increasing the amount of US deportees bound for the infamous cell.

Her visit to the Central American nation is the first stop in a three-day tour of Latin American countries in order to hold talks on organized crime flowing into the US.

She will travel to Colombia next and then Mexico and meet with each nation’s respective president.

Noem warned criminals who are thinking of coming to the US on Monday.

She said: “We are in several other countries around the world with a message right now that’s saying if you are thinking of coming to America illegally, don’t do it. You are not welcome.”

Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Bukele struck a deal to house Tren de Aragua deportees at CECOT in February

Rubio said that El Salvador is charging the US a “relatively low” fee for the brutal barracks, but the exact cost has not been disclosed.

CECOT is located 47 miles south of El Salvador’s capital city San Salvador.

It was opened in 2023 as Bukele launched a huge offensive against a surging wave of organized crime in his country.

Inmates are known to spend 23 and a half hours a day in stuffy cells that hold up to 70 people.

In the same overcrowded rooms they eat, bathe and go to the bathroom.

Typical meals usually consist of beans and pasta, and the inmates share one communal basin for drinking, and another one for bathing.

Their metal bunks have no sheets, mattresses or pillows and pile four levels high.

Source : https://www.the-sun.com/news/13879371/trump-noem-el-salvador-prison-tour/

BANGKOK: Thailand’s Cabinet on Thursday (Mar 27) approved a draft law for casinos and entertainment complexes, as the government looks to attract more tourists and build a major gaming industry.

Gambling is mostly banned in Thailand apart from state-controlled horse racing, the lottery and on some sports but successive governments have pressed the case for allowing casinos to draw in more foreign visitors and create more jobs and state revenue.

But the latest draft approved by the Cabinet will significantly limit how many Thai punters can go to casinos, with an entry fee of 5,000 baht (US$150) and proof of at least 50 million baht in bank deposits, effectively blocking large swathes of the population, where per capita gross domestic product is about US$7,300.

A deputy finance minister had earlier this month said the assets requirement for Thai nationals would be dropped because it would exclude too many people.

Another restriction is that the casino area may only occupy up to 10 per cent of the entire space of an entertainment complex, according to a government statement.

The draft law will be sent to Parliament, and if passed, will also need approval from the Senate and the king.

Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra told reporters the details of the law were not final as Parliament would have the final say.

A Citi report late last year estimated that about half of people aged 20 and more in Thailand could be casino players, providing a base for the country to potentially become the world’s third-largest gambling destination.

The government, led by the populist Pheu Thai party, hopes to attract at least 100 billion baht in new investment in casinos and entertainment complexes and see an annual boost to foreign arrivals of 5 per cent to 10 per cent, while generating revenue of more than 12 billion baht a year.

Despite most betting and gambling being outlawed in Thailand, illicit operations have operated for years.

A January opinion poll in Thailand indicated there was opposition to the plan, however, and some political parties have argued that building a gambling industry would worsen social problems.

Several countries in Southeast Asia have legalised casinos, but only a few like wealthy Singapore has been successful in drawing global giants such as Las Vegas Sands on the back of robust regulations.

Source : https://www.channelnewsasia.com/asia/thailand-casino-draft-law-local-gamblers-tourism-5027271

US President Donald Trump signed an executive order Thursday to remove “improper ideology” from the famed Smithsonian Museums — and the National Zoo — expanding his conservative clampdown on cultural institutions.

Trump, who has sought to root out what he called “woke” culture since returning to power in January, accused the Smithsonian of trying to rewrite American history on issues of race and gender.

His order puts hardline Vice President JD Vance in charge of efforts to carry out the order at the Smithsonian’s museums, educations and research centers.

Trump said this should include a drive to “remove improper ideology from such properties.”

The Smithsonian operates 21 internationally renowned museums and galleries, mainly in and around Washington, dedicated to art, science, space and American history.

They include the National Zoo in the US capital, which recently welcomed two giant pandas from China, debuting them to the public just days after Trump’s inauguration for a second term.

The presidential order — titled “Restoring Truth and Sanity to American History” — targeted a number of examples of what it also called “corrosive ideology.”

It said the National Museum of African American History and Culture, one of the newest Smithsonian additions, had described hard work and the nuclear family as “aspects of ‘White Culture.'”

Trump also targeted what he said was a plan by the as-yet-unopened American Women’s history museum for “celebrating the exploits of male athletes participating in women’s sports.”

There was no immediate reaction from the Smithsonian.

The Smithsonian Institute was founded in the mid-19th century with a donation from a deceased and childless British chemist, James Smithson, who asked in his will for his wealth to be used to create an educational institution in the then-young United States — a country he had never set foot in.

Trump’s wide-ranging 21st century effort to reshape the US government has increasingly extended to cultural issues, where he is seeking to stamp his conservative mark.

The 78-year-old Republican recently took over the chairmanship of the Kennedy Center in Washington, a famed arts venue, after complaining that it was too liberal.

The president has also eyed reforms in governance of the US capital city, which he has repeatedly complained of having high crime and unsightly nuisances such as graffiti.

In a separate order on Thursday titled “Making the District of Columbia Safe and Beautiful,” Trump directed the creation of an inter-agency task force to increase immigration enforcement and other law enforcement priorities.

It also calls for the development of a “coordinated beautification plan” for the city.

“We will take over our horribly run Washington, DC, and clean up, renovate, and rebuild our capital so that it is no longer a nightmare of murder and crime,” Trump said on the campaign trail last year — a message reposted Thursday on X by the White House.

Washington’s approximately 700,000 residents are overwhelmingly Democrats, with the party’s candidate Kamala Harris winning over 90 percent of the vote last November.

The city has a unique status in the country as it is not a part of any state. It has no voting representation in Congress — despite having a population larger than two states.

Source : https://www.ibtimes.com/trump-order-targets-improper-ideology-famed-us-museums-3767965

As the global auto world reeled from the potential fallout of U.S. President Donald Trump’s new auto tariffs, one name stood out as less affected than others – electric-vehicle maker Tesla (TSLA.O).

Shares of the Texas-based company were the rare automaker to trade in the green in U.S. action on Thursday, as analysts said the EV maker’s supply chain and financial performance may not be as affected by the wide-ranging levies that will impact global shipments of both cars and car parts to the United States. This is mainly due to the company’s largely domestic production and supply chain.

Still, that relief in the United States, where Tesla CEO Elon Musk has become one of Trump’s primary advisers, may not improve the brand’s reputation worldwide. The billionaire CEO, who heads the so-called Department of Government Efficiency, has been tasked with swiftly cutting federal spending.
Tesla shares have plunged more than 40% since peaking in mid-December as a protest movement against the EV company has erupted in the U.S. and around the world as DOGE has drawn heavy criticism for going after federal workers. Tesla’s models are relatively old and competition has been increasing. The stock closed 0.4% higher on Thursday, as shares of General Motors (GM.N),  lost 7.4%, Ford Motor (F.N) closed down nearly 4% and Stellantis shares lost 1.3% in U.S. trading.

Automakers’ shares generally fell on expectations that the 25% tariffs will disrupt the global automotive industry, raise the cost of vehicles in the United States and pinch earnings.
While Tesla does import some parts from around the world, it is less dependent on foreign components than other automakers selling in the United States. All of Tesla’s U.S.-sold vehicles are made in the United States, whereas Toyota (7203.T), imports 55% of vehicles sold in the United States, and GM imports 48% of vehicles for its U.S. sales, according to research from Bernstein. Many of the imports are from Canada and Mexico.

A Bernstein analysis published on Thursday estimated that 61% of Tesla’s U.S.-sold vehicle content comes from the United States, with 22% coming from Mexico, 7% from Canada and 3% from China. It described Tesla as the industry outlier on tariff impacts.
“With near-total U.S. sourcing, the company not only avoids pain but stands to gain margin as competitors raise prices,” Bernstein analysts wrote.
Trump said the duties announced on Wednesday could be net neutral or even good for Tesla, adding that Musk did not advise him regarding auto tariffs.
Several administration officials have defended Tesla in public comments in recent days, ranging from urging people to buy its stock to opening investigations into vandalism at Tesla dealerships.
Still, Musk late on Wednesday said, “To be clear, this will affect the price of parts in Tesla cars that come from other countries. The cost impact is not trivial.”

Tesla imports lithium-ion batteries from China’s Contemporary Amperex Technology Ltd (300750.SZ), and other automotive parts from countries such as South Korea, Japan and Mexico, according to import filing data through the end of February provided to Reuters by ImportYeti.

Car prices could rise by $5,000 to $15,000 if a 25% tariff on imported cars is maintained, according to Goldman Sachs.
“Tesla is a relative beneficiary given 100% U.S. production footprint, substantial U.S. sourcing and with Model Y competing in a midsize crossover segment where close to ~50% of vehicles could be subject to tariffs,” TD Cowen analysts said in a note.
Still, the automaker faces mounting challenges in Europe and Canada, where political sentiment and reduced electric-vehicle incentives are eroding its competitive position.
In Britain and the European Union, Tesla is grappling with policy headwinds and shrinking subsidies that threaten to dampen demand and slow its growth trajectory. Canada has frozen a rebate program for Teslas.
Wall Street on average expects Tesla to report a 3% rise in first-quarter deliveries next week, based on 20 analysts polled by Visible Alpha.

Source : https://www.reuters.com/business/autos-transportation/trumps-auto-tariffs-will-hit-many-companies-elon-musks-tesla-less-so-2025-03-27/

The King has cancelled today’s engagements due to “temporary side effects” from his cancer treatment.

Buckingham Palace said after “scheduled and ongoing medical treatment for cancer” on Thursday , the King “experienced temporary side effects that required a short period of observation in hospital”.

“His Majesty’s afternoon engagements were therefore postponed,” the statement added.

The palace said the 76-year-old was now back at Clarence House but “as a precautionary measure, acting on medical advice” Friday’s diary programme would “also be rescheduled”.

“His Majesty would like to send his apologies to all those who may be inconvenienced or disappointed as a result,” the palace said.

Sky’s royal correspondent Laura Bundock said we are being “advised this isn’t a major problem in terms of his ongoing recovery”. A source also described it as a “most minor bump in a road that is very much heading in the right direction”.

For a right-wing figure on the make, Washington’s hottest real estate these days is in the White House briefing room, where press secretary Karoline Leavitt has created a “new media seat” so she can take questions from a cast of mostly conservative personalities.

But one figure whose relationship with the president has waxed and waned hasn’t been invited yet. Despite traveling on Trump Force One with Trump briefly during the campaign, and constantly churning out stories that are friendly to the Trump agenda, Laura Loomer says she’s still waiting for her White House invite.

Loomer, a well known conspiracist, concedes there may be a long list of applicants for the new media seat. But she also says she has a string of scoops—including a story about Hunter Biden’s Secret Service detail that led to it being pulled—that merits a White House pass.

“I’m certainly more high-profile than a lot of the other people who have applied,” Loomer told me.

Loomer has also taken her attempts to get into the briefing room to X.

“I applied the day the application opened!” she wrote on March 18, tagging Leavitt. “I really hope to get one so I can keep exposing corrupt judges and abuse of taxpayer funds.”

Loomer has also privately pressed her case. She told us she had asked Leavitt and White House communications director Steven Cheung directly to get her into the briefing. Leavitt and Cheung didn’t respond to my requests for comment.

Loomer is not a universally well-regarded figure within Trump’s orbit, which may explain why she has not scored a briefing invite. Not everyone was pleased when she started showing up with Trump on the trail last year. For one, Loomer has said 9/11 was an “inside job,” which made it awkward when she joined Trump’s entourage at a 9/11 memorial.

Loomer has also been willing to attack other Republicans and even administration officials—to a degree that is uncommon for traditional Trump sycophants.

Case in point: As the administration grappled with Signal-ghazi on Wednesday, she posted a thread on X that quickly took off, alleging that national security advisor Michael Waltz’s chief deputy, Alex Wong, was to blame for the fiasco.

Loomer’s evidence was thin, and consisted mostly of the fact that Wong’s wife worked as an assistant federal prosecutor in the Biden administration. The rest of her “proof” was that both Wong and his wife are Asian-American. Loomer raised the prospect that whoever invited the Atlantic’s editor in chief to the Signal chat was working to “embarrass the Trump administration on behalf of China.”

“Alex Wong should be removed from his position, and both he and his wife should be investigated by the FBI,” she wrote.

That’s the kind of loose-cannon behavior that would likely be unwelcome in the “new media seat.”

As for whether she’d qualify for the seat absent that behavior, Loomer is building out an operation that meets the low bar for a right-wing media organization. She hosts a show on the Rumble streaming platform, aptly named Loomer Unleashed. On Tuesday, one of her associates was peppering Rep. Jasmine Crockett (D-Texas) with questions when Crockett grabbed the man’s camera. It was the kind of viral moment that Loomer has specialized in producing—and one that Trump world has traditionally loved.

For now, however, it’s not enough to earn Loomer a seat.

“Perhaps there’s just a backlog, but it would be an honor,” Loomer said.

Pendragon Watch

Andrew Tate, who returned to the U.S. last month while under indictment on sex trafficking charges in Romania, has been accused by his girlfriend and choking and beating her.

According to a report published by TMZ on Wednesday, Tate’s girlfriend Bri Stern said Tate attacked her during sex on March 11 at the Beverly Hills Hotel. TMZ outlet stated:

She’s told police Tate began choking her while they were having sex, but it got too rough, and although she begged him to stop, he kept going. Bri says the more she struggled, the more violent he got … and she felt everything getting fuzzy, like she was fading into unconsciousness.

Bri says the violence only stopped when Tate was done having sex, and once he fell asleep … she went to the bathroom to document her injuries. TMZ has obtained pics showing bruising on her face. Bri says she went to an emergency room in NYC — where she’d flown for work — a couple days later, and documents show she was diagnosed as “post-concussive.”

Tate and his brother Tristan Tate, who have dual U.S.-U.K. citizenship, are under indictment in Romania for allegedly sex trafficking women and forming an organization to sexually assault women. They deny wrongdoing. This week, they returned to Romania to check in with authorities as required by law.

The Tates arrived in Florida last month after the Trump administration reportedly intervened on their behalf. Special Envoy Ric Grenell allegedly raised the issue with Romania’s foreign minister at last month’s Munich Security Conference. Soon after, the Tates returned to the U.S.

The TMZ report contains purported text messages between Stern and Andrew Tate, who tells her, “You need to be hit.”

“…I want to beat the fuck out of you,” Tate allegedly texted Stern, per screenshots obtained by TMZ. “What’s the point in having you if i dont beat and impregnate you[?]” He also reportedly warned Stern not to “betray” him or “you will regret it.”

Sources told TMZ that Tate and Stern met in June in Romania, where she was doing a modeling gig.

Since returning, Tate received a warm welcome from Trump ally and UFC president Dana White.

Source : https://www.mediaite.com/crime/andrew-tate-accused-of-choking-woman-two-weeks-after-trump-administration-reportedly-helped-him-return-to-the-u-s/

Sudan’s army chief has declared Khartoum is “free” and that his forces have retaken the capital after nearly two years of fighting.

The Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) have been battling to oust the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) from a last foothold in the city, although the war looks far from over.

In videos on social media, General Abdel Fattah al Burhan is seen walking with troops through the presidential palace, which was seized last week​​​​​​ in an important symbolic advance.

“Khartoum is now free. It’s over. Khartoum is free. Free. Free,” he can be heard telling soldiers.

The Sudanese Armed Forces said they had also seized a key RSF base and recaptured the capital’s airport after consolidating gains in Khartoum in recent days.

The general kissed the ground and raised his fist after landing at the airport in a helicopter on Wednesday.

The army also released drone footage of people walking across a dam, which it claimed showed RSF forces retreating across the Nile.

The war began in April 2023 as the country was attempting a democratic transition and has split the nation into rival zones of control.

It’s estimated at least 28,000 people have been killed during the conflict, though the number is likely far higher.

The fighting has also caused what the UN calls the world’s largest humanitarian crisis.

While the SAF has made recent gains in central Sudan, the RSF remains deeply embedded in western Sudan.

When fighting broke out, Sudan’s army had better resources, including air power, but the RSF was more deeply embedded in Khartoum and was able to hold much of the capital in an initial, devastating burst of warfare.

Famine and disease is blighting several areas of Sudan and UN data suggests 12.8 million people have been displaced, more than a fifth of the population.

Five million of those displaced are children, according to UNICEF.

However, the army’s control of the airport in Khartoum could now allow aid groups to fly in more supplies.

Source : https://news.sky.com/story/khartoum-is-free-sudanese-army-retakes-capital-says-general-13336219

Brazil’s supreme court has decided to put former president Jair Bolsonaro on trial over an alleged coup plot.

All five judges accepted the charges against him, related to an effort to cling to power after his election defeat in 2022.

Brazil’s prosecutor general Paulo Gonet charged Mr Bolsonaro and 33 others last month.

The plans allegedly included poisoning his successor, current President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, and killing a Supreme Court judge.

The former army captain, who was president from January 2019 to December 2022, has repeatedly denied wrongdoing and says he is being persecuted.

Writing on X, he called it a “political trial” and an attempt to stop him standing in the 2026 general election.

Mr Bolsonaro, 70, claimed the process was “conducted in a partial, biased, and openly unfair manner by a completely compromised and suspicious rapporteur, whose objective is to take revenge, arresting me and removing me from the ballot box”.

Coup charges carry a sentence of up to 12 years in prison. Combined with other potential crimes, he could face decades in prison.

The judges said seven of Mr Bolsonaro’s close allies should also stand trial on multiple counts.

These are: Trying to stage a coup, participating in an armed criminal gang, attempted violent abolition of the rule of law, damage characterised by violence, and a serious threat against the state’s assets.

Casting his vote to accept the charges, Justice Flavio Dino said “coups kill… It doesn’t matter if it happens today, the following month, or a few years later”.

The prosecutor general said on Tuesday that those facing charges wanted to keep the ex-president in power “at all costs” and accelerated plans once Mr Bolsonaro lost the election.

Mr Gonet said the coup did not go ahead at the eleventh hour as Mr Bolsonaro failed to gain the support of the army’s commander.

He said: “Frustration overwhelmed the members of the criminal organisation who, however, did not give up on the violent seizure of power, not even after the elected president of the republic was sworn in.”

He was alluding to a riot by the far-right politician’s supporters on 8 January 2023 – a week after President Lula took power – in which the presidential palace, the supreme court, and congress were broken into and damaged.

In court, Justice de Moraes played the other judges a video from that day.

He said: “We had a very violent coup attempt. A savage violence, in total incivility, with the request for military intervention in the coup d’etat.”

The court will also vote on claims against Mr Bolsonaro’s former running mate, ex-justice minister and others.

Source : https://news.sky.com/story/former-brazil-president-to-be-tried-over-coup-plot-that-included-poisoning-13336189

Surgeons have carried out the world’s first liver transplant from a pig into a human recipient.

The operation, carried out in China, used a liver from a pig that had been genetically modified to reduce the chance of the organ being rejected by a human immune system.

The organ successfully produced bile and essential proteins in a patient who was brain-dead, but still alive.

Relatives asked for the experiment to be stopped after 10 days, but the researchers say the organ could have functioned for longer.

They hailed the transplant as a “great achievement”, and European experts have called it a significant milestone that could save lives in future.

The surgical team, from Xijing Hospital in Xi’an, took the liver from a Bama miniature pig that had six key genes modified to improve compatibility of an organ when transplanted into a human.

According to results published in the science journal Nature, the liver functioned normally, with good blood flow and no signs of rejection.

Professor Lin Wang, who led the research team, said the transplant was carried out with full ethical approval from medical authorities and consent from the patient’s family.

“Surgery was really successful,” he told a news conference.

“The liver from the pig functioned very well in the human body. So it’s a great achievement.”

Hearts and kidneys from genetically modified pigs have already been transplanted into a handful of living patients. Most died within weeks of the operation, but two people who had pig kidneys are understood to have survived in the United States.

Professor Wang said a liver transplant from a pig is far more complicated.

“A heart is just a pump, the kidney only produces urine,” he said.

“But the liver has many functions, so this is a huge obstacle for us to solve.”

Several research groups are experimenting with pigs raised in super-clean facilities for organ donation.

Pigs are used because their organs are similar in size and structure to those in a human. But key genes need to be modified to reduce the risk of them being attacked by a patient’s immune system after transplantation.

The Chinese researchers propose using pig organs as a temporary support, either to take the pressure off a patient’s liver so it can regenerate, or to give more time to find a permanent organ from a suitable human donor.

There are currently more than 600 patients on the waiting list for a liver transplant in the UK. The average wait for an organ from a deceased donor is three to four months.

Ivan Fernandez Vega, professor of pathological anatomy at the University of Oviedo in Spain, described the experiment as an important “milestone”.

“The clinical implications are highly relevant, as optimising this approach could expand the pool of available organs and save lives in liver emergencies,” he said.

Source : https://news.sky.com/story/surgeons-carry-out-worlds-first-pig-to-human-liver-transplant-13336159

Hillary Clinton isn’t done ripping Trump officials over the Signal chat leak scandal after they spent years hounding her over her use of a private email server. “The hypocrisy is staggering, but worse, the arrogance and incompetence puts the lives of our military men and women in danger,” the former secretary of state told Glamour on Wednesday. In a 2016 Fox News broadcast, then-host Pete Hegseth decried Hillary had been “reckless” with information and “any security professional, military, government or otherwise, would be fired on the spot for this type of conduct and criminally prosecuted,” reported AP. Newly released messages reveal that Hegseth sent the exact timings of when Navy fighter pilots would attack before bombings began on March 15, jeopardizing the operation. Clinton was cleared of any criminal wrongdoing over her email server use, but she maintains that it was a “determining factor” in her loss 2016 election loss to Trump. She previously reacted to The Atlantic‘s bombshell report in an X post Monday. “You have got to be kidding me,” she wrote alongside a side-eye emoji.

Source : https://www.thedailybeast.com/american-tall-spring-coats-pants-and-more-are-made-for-tall-men-and-women/

VLADIMIR Putin “will die soon” vowed a raging Zelensky amid rumours of the Russian’s ill-health and intensifying blitzes on Ukraine.

The Ukrainian leader pleaded alongside Macron for the US to “stay strong” in the face of Russian skulduggery while Putin is still around.

Zelensky and Macron sat down on Wednesday to talk peace, following a shaky Black Sea ceasefire brokered by the US on Tuesday.

Presenting a united front, the men called for Russia to toe the line and for the EU hold together – ahead of a critical summit of leaders on Thursday.

Zelensky said that Putin is trying to “hit the European Union from within” – citing Hungary, which sides with Russia.

But he also vowed: “He [Putin] will die soon, and that’s a fact, and it will come to an end.”

Rumours about Putin’s poor health have gathered steam.

He is often seen with a puffy face, tremors and a twitching legs, fuelling speculation he is on the way out.

The embattled leader said he has faith that “America will […] lead Putin to accept an unconditional ceasefire”, despite continued devastating strikes on Ukraine – including 117 on Tuesday night.

Macron vented at Putin repeatedly choosing to “reinterpret” ceasefire after leaving the table.

He said: “While saying it wants peace, Russia continues to strike intensely the Ukrainian territory, including civilian targets.

“Russia cannot dictate conditions of lasting peace for Ukraine.”

Thursday’s meeting of EU leaders will see them once again seek a consensus on how to support Ukraine in the event of a permanent ceasefire deal.

One option is to deploy troops from willing EU nations to keep peace on the ground.

But Macron warned on this could lead EU soldiers into direct conflict with Russia.

If Putin attacked Ukrainian soil, this would constitute an attack on the peacekeepers too, he said.

It would fall to the troops from countries such as the UK and France to hit back against Russia.

Macron also committed to $2bn more in military aid for Ukraine, emphasising that now is a “decisive phase to put an end to the war of aggression”.

Earlier on Wednesday, Nato chief Mark Rutte warned Russia that an attack on Poland, or any alliance member, would trigger a “devastating” military response.

He also had a message for member nations: “This is not the time to go it alone.”

He insisted there is “no alternative” to Nato when it comes to keeping Europe safe, and that “nothing can replace America’s nuclear umbrella, the ultimate guarantor of our security”.

EU bureaucrats also urged every household in the 27-nation bloc to prepare a war-survival kit.

The Black Sea ceasefire deal agreed on Tuesday reads like it was dictated by Russia, according to experts.

Military analysts told The Sun that it benefits Putin far more than Zelensky, who is trying to salvage a permanent peace deal for his war-torn nation.

After a marathon of negotiations, the White House confirmed it had got both sides to agree to halt strikes in the Black Sea region and on energy infrastructure.

Despite the apparent progress, Macron said Russia is still exhibiting a “desire for war”.

The warmongering superpower has set out demands for peace, which the White House said it would examine.

Macron continued: “Ukraine has clearly expressed to the United States its agreement to a full and unconditional 30-day ceasefire, even though it is the victim of the aggression.

“We expect the same commitment from Russia.”

Zelensky said he anticipated “strong decisions” from Thursday’s meeting, which will include the likes of German Chancellor Olaf Scholz and Keir Starmer.

He said: “Now is definitely not the time to reduce pressure on Russia or weaken our unity for the sake of peace.”

The Ukrainian leader agreed that Russia is spinning out the peace process to prolong the war.

He said: “Russia wants this war to continue. It is dragging it out. We need to put pressure on Russia so that the war ends indeed.”

Macron is expecting 31 representatives around the table on Thursday morning at the presidential Elysee Palace.

Notably, Donald Trump will not be among them.

Source : https://www.the-sun.com/news/13878528/zelensky-putin-die-soon-macron/

The United States on Tuesday added 80 companies to its export blacklist, with more than 50 from China, as part of its ongoing efforts to limit Beijing’s advancements in artificial intelligence (AI) and advanced computing technologies.

The U.S. Department of Commerce’s Bureau of Industry and Security placed these 80 companies on an “entity list,” which prohibits U.S. companies from supplying them without special government approval.

Many of the blacklisted firms are linked to China’s push to develop supercomputing, AI, and quantum technologies—critical areas for military and defense applications, CNBC reported.

While more than 50 of the companies are based in China, others are located in Taiwan, Iran, Pakistan, South Africa, and the United Arab Emirates.

The list includes 27 Chinese entities for obtaining U.S.-made goods to aid China’s military modernization and seven companies for contributing to the development of China’s quantum technology. Also included on the “entity list” were six subsidiaries of the Chinese cloud-computing company Inspur Group, which was sanctioned by the Biden administration in 2023.

Security Concerns At The Core Of Restrictions

Jeffrey I. Kessler, Under Secretary of Commerce for Industry and Security, stressed that the Trump administration’s objective is to prevent U.S. technologies from being used in ways that could threaten national security. He stated that the latest restrictions send a clear message to stop U.S. technology from being misused in military systems such as hypersonic missiles, UAVs (unmanned aerial vehicles), and military aircraft training.

The Department of Commerce pointed out that many of the companies on the list are connected to China’s military advancements, including progress in AI, supercomputing, and high-performance AI chips.

Two companies were specifically accused of supplying parts to Chinese entities already under U.S. sanctions, such as Huawei and its affiliated chipmaker HiSilicon.

“We will not allow adversaries to exploit American technology to bolster their own militaries and threaten American lives,” Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick said.

The new measures are designed to limit China’s access to exascale computing technology, which processes vast amounts of data at high speeds, and quantum technologies critical for advanced military and defense systems. The inclusion of companies such as Nettrix Information Industry, Suma Technology, and Suma-USI Electronics on the list highlights concerns about their involvement in advancing the exascale supercomputing capabilities, according to Reuters.

This latest move builds on previous actions against Chinese firms, such as the blacklisting of Sugon (Dawning Information Industry Co.), a major Chinese computer server manufacturer, in 2019. These companies are accused of using U.S. technologies for military applications, including supercomputers that support China’s defense systems, Commerce Department stated.

Rising Tensions Between U.S. And China

The new measures also address concerns that Chinese companies have been using third parties to gain access to U.S. technologies, circumventing restrictions, which has led to Chinese firms acquiring strategic dual-use technologies despite existing export controls.

The export restrictions come as tensions between Washington and Beijing continue to escalate. The Trump administration has already imposed tariffs on China, and now, with these additional controls, aims to stifle the country’s technological advancements in areas crucial to military power.

In particular, the rapid growth of Chinese AI startup DeepSeek, which has been driving the adoption of low-cost AI models in China, has also put pressure on U.S. companies that rely on more expensive, proprietary models.

China’s Response To U.S. Actions

In response, the Chinese embassy in Washington condemned the U.S. actions, calling them “politically motivated.” The embassy demanded that the U.S. stop using military-related issues as a pretext to politicize trade and technology matters, labeling the move as an attempt to weaponize economic relations.

Aside from targeting Chinese firms, the U.S. has also sought to disrupt other countries’ efforts to procure defense technologies. For example, the U.S. is working to prevent Iran from acquiring drones and related defense equipment, as well as from advancing its ballistic missile program and nuclear activities.

Source : https://www.ibtimes.com/us-expands-export-blacklist-adds-over-50-chinese-companies-curb-ai-tech-advances-3767643

Joe Rogan is team Justin Baldoni in the ongoing legal battle between the actor-director and his “It Ends With Us” co-star Blake Lively. Speaking on a recent episode of “The Joe Rogan Experience” with guest Brendan Schaub, Rogan said Lively and her husband Ryan Reynolds “fucked up” in trying to bring “sweet, nice guy” Baldoni down.

“They were trying to take over the movie and the franchise,” Rogan claimed of Lively and Reynolds. “The whole thing is crazy. [Baldoni] is suing The New York Times. He has a great case there, too… She told him to come into the dressing room while she was breast feeding and then part of her complaint was that he came into the dressing room while she was breast feeding. They have text exchanges going back and forth. They just thought no one was going to come out with the receipts. Everyone is scared of them. Ryan and Blake are A-list.”

As previously reported by Variety, Lively filed a letter in December with the California Civil Rights Department in which she claimed that Baldoni sexually harassed her during the production of “It Ends With Us.” The letter also included allegations of Baldoni waging a 2024 smear campaign against Lively in the lead up to and during the movie’s theatrical release. Lively’s allegations became the basis of a New York Times report, which kicked off a legal back and forth between the director and his star.

On New Year’s Eve, Baldoni and nine other plaintiffs, including his crisis publicist Melissa Nathan, sued the New York Times for $250 million for libel over their initial story about Lively’s allegations. Lively then sued Baldoni and the group for violating federal and California state law “by retaliating against her for reporting sexual harassment and workplace safety concerns.” The director then sued Lively and her husband Ryan Reynolds for $400 million for civil extortion, defamation and other actions.

Reynolds asked the court earlier this month to dismiss Baldoni‘s legal claims against him, saying the actor cannot sue him over “hurt feelings.” Reynolds was accused in the lawsuit of mocking and bullying Baldoni by using the character of Nicepool in “Deadpool & Wolverine” to satirize Baldoni’s “woke feminist” image. In a motion to dismiss the suit, Reynolds’ lawyers did not dispute that Nicepool is based on Baldoni but said that Baldoni had shown “thin-skinned outrage” by complaining about it.

Source : https://variety.com/2025/film/news/joe-rogan-justin-baldoni-blake-lively-ryan-reynolds-1236348695/

South Korean governments committed numerous human rights violations over decades in a controversial programme that sent at least 170,000 children and babies abroad for adoption, a landmark inquiry has found.

It said the government’s lack of oversight enabled the “mass exportation of children” by private agencies that were driven by profit, and found examples of fraud, falsified records and coercion.

Since the 1950s, South Korea has sent more children abroad for adoption than any other country, with most sent to Western countries.

South Korea has sinced moved to tighten its adoption processes, but some adoptees and their biological parents say they are still haunted by what they went through. The BBC spoke to one woman who claimed her adoptive parents “took better care of the dog than they ever did of me”.

“This is a shameful part of our history,” said Park Sun-young, the chairperson of the commission, at a press briefing.

“While many adoptees were fortunate to grow up in loving families, others suffered great hardship and trauma due to flawed adoption processes. Even today, many continue to face challenges.”

The report was released on Wednesday by the independent Truth and Reconciliation Commission following an investigation that began in 2022.

Since then, 367 adoptees – all of which were sent overseas between 1964 and 1999 – had filed petitions alleging fradulent practices in their adoption process.

Some 100 petitions have been analysed so far, of whom 56 adoptees were recognised as victims of human rights violations. The commission is still investigating other cases, with the inquiry set to end in May.

In the aftermath of the Korean war, South Korea was one of the poorest countries in the world and few families were keen on adopting children.

South Korea’s government then began a transnational adoption programme handled by private agencies, which were given significant powers through special adoption laws.

But there was a “systemic failure in oversight and management”, which led to numerous lapses committed by these agencies, according to the report.

The report noted that foreign agencies had demanded a set number of children every month and Korean agencies complied, “facilitating large-scale intercountry adoptions with minimal procedural oversight”.

With no government regulation on fees, the Korean agencies charged large amounts and demanded “donations”, which turned adoptions into “a profit-driven industry”, according to the report.

Other lapses include adoptions conducted without proper consent from birth mothers and inadequate screening of adoptive parents.

The agencies also fabricated reports that made children appear as if they were abandoned and put up for adoption; and intentionally gave children wrong identities.

Because many adoptees had false identities listed in their paperwork, they now struggle to obtain information about their birth families and are left with inadequate legal protection, the report noted.

The commission has recommended the government deliver an official apology, and to comply with international standards on transnational adoptions.

JEFF Bezos is all set to splash his billions and marry bombshell supermodel Lauren Sanchez in what is being dubbed the “wedding of the century”.

The world’s eyes are now on the Bezos, who is reportedly planning to book lavish $32,000 suites to accomodate guests from across the world and use his $500million superyacht as a taxi.

Expected guests include President Trump, Oprah Winfrey, Leonardo DiCaprio, Kim Kardashian and Bill Gates.

The second richest man in the world has been engaged to bombshell supermodel Lauren Sanchez for two years – and their wedding has finally been confirmed for this summer in Venice, Italy.

After five years of dating, 61-year-old Bezos popped the question to Sanchez over a $2.5million 20-carat ring May 2023,

The couple hosted a decadent engagement party on their megayacht in Positano, Italy, in August 2023.

That same year Sanchez, 55, a former US TV journalist and helicopter pilot, told Vogue that she “blacked out a bit” during their proposal after seeing her multimillion-dollar ring.

Bezos, whose estimated net worth is $212billion, reportedly placed the ring under her pillow before Sanchez found and opened the box.

Local media have report that the wedding may take place at Gritti Palace and the seven-star Aman Hotel.

The Aman, a luxurious boutique 16th century palazzo, is where Hollywood legend George Clooney and his wife exchanged vows in a “private, symbolic” ceremony.

Rooms at both hotels start from $3,200 a night, but can cost up to ten times that amount depending on season and suite size.

One source told MailOnline that Bezos may use his lavish superyacht to taxi his guests and take them out during the fesitivities.

As a pre-wedding gift, Sanchez will fly up to space on her billionaire fiance’s rocket in May.

The New Shepard spaceship will fly up for an 11-minute sub-orbital flight with an all-female crew – including pop star Katy Perry.

The bride-to-be has also revealed that she’s already chosen her dress, believed to be from Oscar de la Renta, and will be styled by Vogue boss Anna Wintour.

Sanchez has previously said that her fiance inspires her.

She said: “He’s so happy, he inspires me every day.

“He makes me a better person every day. He’s the most loving human I know.”

Meanwhile, Bezos has told reporters: “Lauren is the most generous, most big-hearted person that you would ever meet… She never misses a birthday.

“The network of people that she gives birthday presents to is gigantic.

“And that’s just a small example.”

The pair began dating in 2019, but avoided being seen together until finalising their respective divorces.

Bezos and his ex-wife, MacKenzie Scott, finalized their divorce in April 2019, after more than 25 years of marriage.

Source : https://www.the-sun.com/news/13871330/bezos-wedding-superyacht-hotels/

THE EU is ready to order all of its citizens to prepare survival kits with 72-hours worth of supplies in the face of a looming WW3 threat.

And it comes as Nato chief Mark Rutte warned Russia it faces a “devastating” revenge strike if they attack any part of Europe.

European Union bureaucrats are pushing for every household in the 27-nation bloc to prepare the kit for war and natural disasters.

It is expected that will be part of a union’s broader “preparedness strategy” amid the threat from Russia.

Key items they will ask the bloc’s 450 million citizens to gather includes water, energy bars and a flashlight.

And meanwhile, Nato boss Rutte issued one of his strongest rebukes to Putin yet as he vowed a “fierce” response to any attack on Europe.

Speaking in Warsaw, Poland, the ex-Dutch Prime Minister warned of any settlement to end the war in Ukraine that would be “favourable” to Putin.

He said: “[Eastern Europe] fear such an outcome would allow Russian President Vladimir Putin to rebuild his country’s forces and threaten other countries in the region in the coming year.”

Rutte went on: “If anyone were to miscalculate and think they can get away with an attack on Poland or on any other ally, they will be met with the full force of this fierce alliance.

“Our reaction will be devastating.

“This has to be very clear to Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin and anyone else who wants to attack us.”

Rutte’s comments come as Europe has been put on notice by the White House – with new US President Donald Trump determined to find a quick end to the war in Ukraine and putting Europe on notice.

Trump is calling on Britain and the EU to up their military spending so they no longer have to “rely” on the US for protection.

Elsewhere, in a chilling show of force, the Kremlin fired the cruise missiles from its Ufa attack sub in the Sea of Japan.

Russian state media boasted claims that the missiles hit a land target over 620 miles away in the Khabarovsk region, as well as a naval target.

And after the agreement yesterday of a ceasefire in the Black Sea, both Russia and Ukraine accused the other of breaching the deal.

President Volodymyr Zelensky accused Moscow of “manipulations and threats” and warning: “We don’t believe them. The world really doesn’t believe Russia.”

Zelensky added: “Unfortunately, even now, even today, on the very day of negotiations, we see how the Russians have already begun to manipulate.

Source : https://www.the-sun.com/news/13853765/trump-ukraine-russia-peace-talks-saudi-arabia-riyadh/

Over the next decade, advances in artificial intelligence will mean that humans will no longer be needed “for most things” in the world, says Bill Gates.

That’s what the Microsoft co-founder and billionaire philanthropist told comedian Jimmy Fallon during an interview on NBC’s “The Tonight Show” in February. At the moment, expertise remains “rare,” Gates explained, pointing to human specialists we still rely on in many fields, including “a great doctor” or “a great teacher.”

But “with AI, over the next decade, that will become free, commonplace — great medical advice, great tutoring,” Gates said.

In other words, the world is entering a new era of what Gates called “free intelligence” in an interview last month with Harvard University professor and happiness expert Arthur Brooks. The result will be rapid advances in AI-powered technologies that are accessible and touch nearly every aspect of our lives, Gates has said, from improved medicines and diagnoses to widely available AI tutors and virtual assistants.

“It’s very profound and even a little bit scary — because it’s happening very quickly, and there is no upper bound,” Gates told Brooks.

The debate over how, exactly, most humans will fit into this AI-powered future is ongoing. Some experts say AI will help humans work more efficiently — rather than replacing them altogether — and spur economic growth that leads to more jobs being created.

Others, like Microsoft AI CEO Mustafa Suleyman, counter that continued technological advancements over the next several years will change what most jobs look like across nearly every industry, and have a “hugely destabilizing” impact on the workforce.

“These tools will only temporarily augment human intelligence,” Suleyman wrote in his book “The Coming Wave,” which was published in 2023. “They will make us smarter and more efficient for a time, and will unlock enormous amounts of economic growth, but they are fundamentally labor replacing.”

AI is both concerning and a ‘fantastic opportunity’

Bill Gates had a rather bleak prediction for the future as AI continues to change the way the world works.

In case you somehow have missed the latest technological advancements, the increasing prevalence of artificial intelligence has gotten some workers feeling a bit nervous.

And while it might not exactly be like the dystopian futures seen in popular sci-fi films, it could still be a less than ideal situation for us mere mortals as AI advances, at least, according to billionaire Bill Gates.

The tech mogul has reportedly warned that many jobs will simply become obsolete as the technology becomes more ingrained in society.

But Gates has been pretty confident that there are three jobs which AI will keep its hands off.

Wonderful for them, but at least there are interesting reasons as to why their jobs aren’t under threat like the rest of us.

Coders

CHILDREN as young as 14 years old could be working overnight shifts under a new plan to roll back child labor laws.

The proposal seeks to remove limits on how late teens can be at work and the number of hours they can clock each week.

In Florida, 16- and 17-year-olds are currently prohibited from working before 6:30 am and after 11 pm on school days.

They are also barred from working more than 30 hours a week during the school year.

A new proposal would remove all of those restrictions – including the requirement that teens get a meal break, the Miami Herald reported.

Governor Ron DeSantis supports the measure and argues it’s a way to address what he calls “dirt cheap” labor from illegal immigrants.

“Why do we say we need to import foreigners, even import them illegally, when teenagers used to work at these resorts? College students should be able to do this stuff,” DeSantis said.

In addition to allowing 16- and 17-year-olds to work past 11 pm on school nights, it would also remove restrictions for 14- and 15-year-olds who are home-schooled or attend virtual school.

Under the new bill, teens could work without limits on hours except in hazardous jobs like meatpacking and roofing.

Supporters of the proposal, including the conservative group Foundation for Government Accountability, argue working part-time jobs helps teens learn important life skills.

But the plan has also sparked concern about the teens’ safety and well-being.

Experts worry longer working hours could hurt their education with some saying it’s more about cheap labor than helping kids.

Nina Mast, an analyst with the Economic Policy Institute, said the bill risks pushing low-income teens and those without legal status into unsafe working conditions.

Florida’s child labor laws already go beyond federal standards but the new bill would bring the state closer to those national guidelines.

The proposal also aims to ease employment regulations for younger teens if they have graduated high school, hold a GED, or are home-schooled.

In recent years, violations of child labor laws in Florida have been on the rise.

In 2023, there were 209 violations, a significant jump from a few years earlier.

Despite existing labor laws, companies across the US have employed migrant children in hazardous jobs.

President Donald Trump on Wednesday said he would impose 25% tariffs on “all cars that are not made in the United States.”

Trump said there is “absolutely no tariff” for cars that are built in the U.S.

The new tariffs were codified in a presidential proclamation that Trump signed in the Oval Office. They will go into effect April 2, and “we start collecting April 3,” he said.

Trump White House aide Will Scharf said the new tariffs apply to “foreign-made cars and light trucks.” He clarified that they come in addition to duties that are already in place.

Scharf said the tariffs will result in “over $100 billion of new annual revenue” to the U.S.

Specifics about the proclamation were not immediately clear. Most vehicles are assembled from thousands of parts that may originate from dozens of different countries.

Trump said there will be “very strong policing” on which parts of a car are hit with tariffs.

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen quickly criticized the new U.S. tariffs and vowed that the European Union “will continue to seek negotiated solutions, while safeguarding its economic interests.”

“Tariffs are taxes — bad for businesses, worse for consumers equally in the US and the European Union,” she said in a statement.

Auto stocks fell in after-hours trading following Trump’s announcement. Shares of General Motors, Stellantis and Ford Motor all lost roughly 5% in extended trading.

Trump on March 5 gave those automakers, known as the “Big Three,” a one-month exemption from his 25% tariffs on Mexico and Canada for vehicles that comply with an existing North American trade deal known as the USMCA.

Trump had previously hinted that new auto tariffs could arrive before April 2, the day his sweeping “reciprocal tariff” plan is set to begin.

“We’ll be announcing that fairly soon over the next few days, probably, and then April 2 comes, that’ll be reciprocal tariffs,” he said at a Cabinet meeting Monday.

Trump has long signaled his plans to impose heavy tariffs on foreign trading partners. But his unpredictable and frequently shifting policy rollouts have stirred turmoil in the stock market and left business leaders uncertain about how to plan for the future.

Trump has hyped April 2 as “liberation day” and “the big one.” His plan, as originally described, would slap reciprocal tariffs on all countries that have their own import duties on U.S. goods, while also imposing tariffs in response to other disfavored trade policies, such as the use of value-added taxes.

But Trump and his officials have recently suggested that the tariffs coming April 2 could end up being softer than they first appeared.

Source : https://www.cnbc.com/2025/03/26/trump-could-sign-new-auto-tariffs-as-soon-as-wednesday-white-house-says.html

Kingdom Holding Company and the private office of Prince Alwaleed bin Talal will maintain their stake in Twitter after Musk took control of the social media company.

Prince Alwaleed bin Talal has had a long-running stake in Twitter [File: Amr Nabil/AP Photo]Saudi Arabia’s Kingdom Holding Company (KHC), along with the private office of Prince Alwaleed bin Talal, will continue their ownership of Twitter shares valued at $1.89bn after Elon Musk’s takeover of the social media company, making them jointly the second largest investors, according to a statement released by the Saudi prince.

Bin Talal, who shared the statement on his Twitter account on Friday, and made reference to Musk as “Chief Twit”, stated that the deal was in line with the long-term strategy of KHC.

The company was founded by bin Talal, and is 16.9 percent owned by the Saudi Arabian sovereign wealth fund.

As of January 2022, Saudi Arabia, with a population of 34.8 million, had the eighth most Twitter users of any country in the world, with more than 12 million users.

Musk, the richest person in the world, announced on Thursday that he had completed a $44bn acquisition.

“The bird is freed,” Musk tweeted, referencing Twitter’s bird logo in an apparent nod to his desire to see the company have fewer limits on content that can be posted.

However, the CEO of the electric car maker Tesla Inc, and self-described free speech absolutist, has also said he wants to prevent the platform from becoming an echo chamber for hate and division.

Musk fired Twitter Chief Executive Parag Agrawal, Chief Financial Officer Ned Segal and legal affairs and policy chief Vijaya Gadde, according to people familiar with the matter. He had accused them of misleading him and Twitter investors over the number of fake accounts on the platform.

Agrawal and Segal were in Twitter’s San Francisco headquarters when the deal closed and were escorted out, the sources added.

Musk, who also runs rocket company SpaceX, plans to become Twitter’s interim CEO, according to a person familiar with the matter.

Source: https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2022/10/28/saudis-kingdom-holding-company-to-maintain-twitter-stake

The world in 2024 had more autocracies – meaning governments with at the very least “insufficient” levels of democratic freedoms, such as freedom of expression and association and free and fair elections – than democracies for the first time in more than two decades, according to a recent report from the Sweden-based V-Dem Institute. In total, 45 countries were “autocratizing” last year – an increase from 42 that were moving away from more democracy in 2023. That amounts to more than 3 billion people, or 40% of the world’s population.

Data used in V-Dem’s analysis – which relies upon thousands of experts and more than 600 indicators assessing concepts such as government censorship, media bias and autonomy for opposition parties – only covers events until the end of 2024. But its researchers still included a whole section dedicated to the actions of U.S. President Donald Trump, who has tested the limits of executive branch authority over the course of his first two months back in office.

In fact, if trends described by the authors continue throughout 2025, the United States’ government regime would “definitely” be reclassified in next year’s annual “Democracy Report,” says Staffan Lindberg, an author and editor of the report, founding director of the V-Dem Institute and a professor of political science at the University of Gothenburg in Sweden.

“Normally, these things – over the past 25 years – play out over up to 10 years before democracy is sort of done away with,” Lindberg says. “The Trump administration was just unleashing all of it at the same time, more or less.”

Lindberg spoke with U.S. about the institute’s latest findings and his concerns about Trump 2.0’s actions. The interview has been edited for length and clarity.

I spoke with some experts last year who told me that the world was in the midst of a ‘democratic recession.’ Is that still the case after 2024?
“It’s even more the case. I think ‘democratic recession’ may even be misleading. We talk about a wave of ‘autocratization’ that is more, I think, telling of what is happening in the world.

“That means you have democracies less democratic, yes, but a vast majority of them, over the past 25 years, descend into what we label as ‘electoral autocracy.’ It’s having some trappings of democracy: You may hold multiparty elections, you may have freedom of expression on the books, you may have freedom for parties on paper. But these rights and freedoms are undermined to the extent that we can’t talk about democracy anymore. Multiparty elections – (Russian President Vladimir) Putin is still holding them in Russia, right? That doesn’t make you a democracy.

“At the end of 2024, this is worse than the 1930s for the world. It’s never been this great a share of countries in the world in autocratization at the same time, and the number of these electoral autocracies – but also these closed, really bad dictatorships – are going up, and the number of liberal democracies are just going down. So, it’s bad.”

Are there any examples of autocratization in 2024 that concern you the most?
“Georgia, for example, where the incoming government really screwed up the elections and it was very contentious with lots of protests, and the government is taking the country towards being aligned with Putin’s Russia instead of European democracies, where a large portion of the population wants it to go.

“Armenia is also another country that had bad developments. But in Europe, the situation in Hungary continues to get worse and it’s no longer a democracy. Greece has a number of far-right extremist parties.

“In Latin America, you have a continuation of the autocratization going on in Mexico, but also in Argentina under (President Javier) Milei, with attacks and undermining of freedom of expression, media, civil society, organizations, and threats and intimidation of the courts.”

This report doesn’t cover 2025 but your team does mention the U.S. and President Trump, and has a whole section dedicated to his administration’s early moves. Why did you all decide to include that and what concerns you about what you’re seeing in the U.S. under Donald Trump?
“We had our eyes on the U.S. I’m on the record in American media … back in 2020 saying that American democracy may not survive another term with Trump. I repeated that in the fall. We saw that he ran a very authoritarian campaign. That’s meaning a lot of the rhetoric used by Trump and the MAGA movement, that the Republican Party has turned into, is worse than the rhetoric that we have recorded for other leaders and parties around the world over the past 25 years – that when they come into power, they do away with democracy. All the red lights were blinking in terms of the early warnings.

“As we were starting to write the democracy report, the Trump administration went ahead at some record speed … undermining all kinds of institutions that could exercise accountability, from inspectors general to encroaching on the powers of Congress, questioning the courts, threatening media … and attacking universities.

“That’s extremely worrying. It seems like a lot of this is done in complete disregard of rule of law, existing legislation and even the Constitution. I mean, take one of the first actions of him to do away with birthright citizenship. It’s saying, ‘I don’t care what the Constitution says.’

“So from my perspective as a professor studying autocratization for so long across the world, it’s happening suddenly at rapid speed in this country.”

If these trends that you describe continue, could you see the U.S. getting a different classification in your report next year?
“Definitely yes. At the pace at which it is happening, if this continues, I would say that before the end of the summer, you no longer qualify as a democracy in the United States. Doesn’t mean you become North Korea – it’s a long way to go there – but it would mean that the rule of law, the constraints of the executive, critically, that they would be gone to such an extent that we can no longer talk about even a constitutional republic.

“That was the whole point of a constitutional republic from the Founding Fathers and onwards, to constrain the use of executive power, especially constrained against your opponents, whether they are in the opposition political party or they’re at the universities, or they are in the media, or they are in the civil society, or even if they have a difference of mind.

“The whole idea of the constitutional republic is to allow for that and not have a person in power that can silence all of those.”

What’s one hopeful example of democratization that you saw in 2024?
“I think both Brazil and Poland are two cases that are really encouraging at the moment. We could talk about the star democratizer of the last 15, 20 years: Seychelles, a little island there in the Indian Ocean.

“But for the world, Poland and Brazil are huge turnarounds. They were in episodes of autocratization. In Brazil’s case, under (former President Jair) Bolsonaro for four years. In the case of Poland, (under the Law and Justice party-led government) for more than double that time. They both managed to unite the pro-democratic forces in the political sphere.”

Source: https://www.usnews.com/news/best-countries/articles/2025-03-25/democracy-expert-raises-alarm-about-u-s-trends-under-trump

Rep. Jimmy Gomez’s (D-Calif.) questions about Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s drinking habits sparked fury from intelligence leaders at a House committee hearing Wednesday.

The House Intelligence Committee’s annual worldwide threats assessment hearing had been scheduled long before The Atlantic reported top Trump national security officials used a Signal group chat to discuss forthcoming strikes on the Houthis in Yemen earlier this month — and mistakenly included a reporter in the group.

But the breach was a central topic throughout the hearing.

“A lot of questions were brought up regarding his drinking habits at his confirmation hearing. To your knowledge, do you know whether Pete Hegseth had been drinking before he leaked classified information?” Gomez asked.

“I don’t have any knowledge of Secretary Hegseth’s personal habits,” Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard said when asked about Hegseth’s drinking habits.

“No, you know, no. I’m not going to answer that. I think that’s an offensive line of question. The answer is, no,” CIA Director John Ratcliffe responded when asked the same question.

“I have huge respect for the CIA, huge respect for men and women in uniform. But this was a question that’s on the top of minds of every American, right? He stood in front of the podium in Europe holding a drink. So, of course we want to know if his performance is compromised,” Gomez said.

Ratcliffe said he was annoyed by the focus on the Signal chat instead of other threats that would typically be reviewed in the annual worldwide threats hearing.

“We’re getting questions about whether or not someone has drinking habits. And, you know, I just wish in an annual threats hearing, where the American people want to hear about threats, that that’s what we would be talking about,” he said.

Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard also defended Hegseth.

Source: https://thehill.com/homenews/house/5215202-democrat-hegseth-drinking-ratcliffe/

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un supervised the test of suicide drones with artificial intelligence (AI) technology and said unmanned control and AI capability must be the top priorities in modern arms development, state media reported on Thursday.
Kim inspected new upgraded reconnaissance drones that are capable of detecting various tactical targets and enemy activities on land and at sea, KCNA state news agency said.

“The field of unmanned equipment and artificial intelligence should be top-prioritized and developed in modernizing the armed forces,” KCNA quoted Kim as saying.
The nuclear-armed North also officially unveiled an airborne early-warning aircraft for the first time, a capability that could improve its aging air defence systems.
Photographs published by state media showed Kim climbing steps toward the door of a large aircraft with four engines and a radar dome mounted on the fuselage, and viewing the aircraft on a low fly-by.

Using commercial satellite imagery, analysts have previously reported that North Korea was converting the Russian-made Il-76 cargo aircraft for an early-warning role.
Such an aircraft would help augment the North’s existing land-based radar systems, which are sometimes limited by the peninsula’s mountainous terrain, London’s International Institute for Strategic Studies said in a report in September.
“The ability of an AEW aircraft to look down mitigates some of the challenges of the terrain and ground-clutter returns to track low-flying aircraft and cruise missiles,” the report said.
One AEW aircraft would not be enough, however, and North Korea would risk canabilising the rest of its cargo fleet to build more, the report said.

South Korea’s military said the aircraft’s operational capability is not yet clear but its appearance indicated it is “large and heavy and probably susceptible to interception.”
While the aircraft was refurbished from the existing fleet, “Russia may have had something to do the internal system and parts,” Joint Chiefs of Staff spokesperson Lee Sung-jun told a briefing, when asked about possible Russian assistance.
Russia has provided North Korea with anti-air missiles and unspecified air defence equipment, in return for Pyongyang’s deployment of troops to help with the Ukraine war, South Korea’s national security adviser Shin Won-sik said in November.
Kim separately inspected newly developed equipment for reconnaissance, intelligence gathering, electronic jamming and attack systems, KCNA said.

Source: https://www.reuters.com/world/asia-pacific/north-korea-leader-kim-jong-un-supervises-test-ai-suicide-drones-kcna-says-2025-03-26/