Category: World

The Trump administration could face consequences if it violated a judge’s order temporarily blocking the deportation of hundreds of Venezuelan migrants, the judge said on Wednesday even as he gave the government more time to elaborate on the expulsions.
Washington-based U.S. District Judge James Boasberg said the administration could choose to invoke the state secrets doctrine, which protects sensitive national security information from being disclosed in civil litigation, and explain why it was doing so rather than provide details on deportation flights.

Boasberg signaled he was skeptical that compliance with the order would jeopardize national security, citing a post on X by Secretary of State Marco Rubio’s with details about the flights.
The judge’s order marked a temporary reprieve in an escalating dispute with Donald Trump’s administration. The Republican president called for Boasberg’s impeachment on Tuesday, drawing a rare rebuke from the Chief Justice of the United States John Roberts.
Boasberg, who was appointed to the federal bench by Democratic President Barack Obama, is trying to decide whether the administration violated his weekend order blocking the deportation of hundreds of alleged Venezuelan gang members under an 18th-century law.Boasberg, a former prosecutor who was previously appointed by Republican President George W. Bush to serve as a judge on a local Washington, D.C., court, was confirmed by the U.S. Senate for the federal bench in 2011 by a 96-0 vote.

Following the order, three planes carrying deported Venezuelans landed in El Salvador, where the migrants are being held.
Boasberg sought details on when the first two planes took off and landed, and said the information would not be made public. In response, the Trump administration accused him of overstepping his authority.
“The pending questions are grave encroachments on core aspects of absolute and unreviewable Executive Branch authority,” the administration wrote in a Wednesday court filing.
Boasberg responded by extending the administration’s deadline.
He said he sought the information not as part of a “judicial fishing expedition,” as the Trump administration had asserted, but “to determine if the Government deliberately flouted its Orders … and, if so, what the consequences should be.” The judge did not elaborate on potential consequences.

TRUMP CALLS JUDGE ‘TROUBLEMAKER’

Trump critics and some legal experts have expressed concern over a potentially looming constitutional crisis if his administration defies judicial decisions, since under the U.S. Constitution the executive and the judiciary are co-equal branches of government.
Trump said in an interview late on Tuesday on Fox News’ The Ingraham Angle that his administration would not defy any court orders and that he was confident the Supreme Court would rule in his favor in the case over the deported Venezuelans.
But Trump has lashed out at Boasberg. In a social media post on Tuesday, Trump called for Boasberg’s impeachment in a congressional process that, although highly unlikely to be successful, would lead to removal, describing the judge as a far-left “troublemaker and agitator.”
Roberts, a member of the U.S. Supreme Court’s 6-3 conservative majority, rebuked Trump for his impeachment call. Roberts said an appeal, not impeachment, was the appropriate response when disagreeing with a judge’s decision.

ADMINISTRATION DEFENDS FLIGHTS

In blocking the deportations for two weeks on Saturday, Boasberg said the 1798 Alien Enemies Act did not provide a basis for Trump’s assertion that Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua’s presence in the United States was akin to an act of war.
In a court hearing on Saturday, with two planes carrying deported migrants in the air, Boasberg told Justice Department lawyers that any plane containing deportees covered under the order needed to return to the United States immediately. A written order hit the public docket at 7:25 p.m. EDT (2325 GMT), approximately 40 minutes after Boasberg spoke in court.
Those two planes landed in Honduras after the order hit the docket, and continued on to El Salvador.
A third deportation flight took off from a Texas airport after Boasberg’s order hit the public docket.
Justice Department lawyers said in court papers on Tuesday that Boasberg’s spoken orders in court were not enforceable and that deportees aboard the third flight were not being deported solely under the 1798 Alien Enemies Act.

Source : https://www.reuters.com/world/us/trump-administration-accuses-judge-overstepping-venezuela-deportations-case-2025-03-19/

Tahawwur Rana asked US Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts to stop his extradition to India after Justice Elena Kagan rejected his review petition, citing health issues and torture fears.

26/11 accused Tahawwur Rana has filed a request with US Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts to stop his extradition to India, citing health concerns. This comes days after the US Supreme Court Judge Elena Kagan rejected his review petition.

The application has been distributed to the Supreme Court judges for a conference scheduled for April 4, 2025, according to information published on the US Supreme Court website. Rana has renewed his application, seeking a stay on his extradition to India.

“Petitioner Tahawwar Rana has renewed his Emergency Application for Stay Pending Litigation of Petition for Writ of Habeas Corpus, which was previously addressed to Justice Kagan, and requests that the renewed application be directed to Chief Justice Roberts,” his appeal stated, as per the order published on the US Supreme Court’s website.

Earlier this month, Justice Elena Kagan denied Rana’s request for a stay on his extradition to India. In his application, Rana argued that he would not survive long enough to be tried in India due to various health-related reasons.

In his appeal, Rana stated, “If a stay is not granted, there will be no review at all, and the US courts will lose jurisdiction, leaving the petitioner in imminent danger of death.”

The accused in the 26/11 terror attacks claimed that if extradited to India, there is a high likelihood he would be subjected to torture due to his Muslim faith and Pakistani origin. He argued that because of his religion, his ethnicity, his past association with the Pakistani Army, the nature of the charges related to the 2008 Mumbai attacks, and his chronic health conditions, he is particularly vulnerable to torture, which could result in his death in a short period.

In addition to these concerns, Rana highlighted his deteriorating health, which includes a 3.5 cm abdominal aortic aneurysm at immediate risk of rupture, Parkinson’s disease with cognitive decline, and a mass suggestive of bladder cancer.

He contended that he cannot be sent into a “hornet’s nest”, where he will be targeted due to national, religious, and cultural animosities. Earlier in February, US President Donald Trump announced the extradition of Tahawwur Rana to India, stating that he would face justice. This announcement was made during a joint press conference with Prime Minister Narendra Modi after their bilateral meeting.

Source : https://www.news18.com/world/26-11-accused-tahawwur-rana-files-request-with-us-chief-to-stop-his-extradition-to-india-9267670.html

The Tour de France is set to begin in Scotland for the first time in 2027.

The Grand Depart – the start of the course – will take place in Edinburgh for cyclists in the 114th edition of Le Tour.

As well as the men’s race, the Grand Depart of the women’s race – known as the Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift – will also be in Edinburgh when both visit the UK in two years.

More details of routes for both events will be revealed in the autumn.

Three stages in each of the events will take place in Britain with Scotland, England and Wales all hosting.

This is the first time both Grand Departs will take place in the same country outside of France, with organisers expecting millions of fans to line the streets to watch.

This is also the first time part of the women’s race will take place in the UK, however the men’s competition has graced British shores twice – first in 2007 and again in 2014.

In 2007, Le Tour began in London with a prologue where there was an individual time trial. Following that, was the first stage from London to Canterbury in Kent.

Then seven years later, the UK held the first three stages – from Leeds to Harrogate, then York to Sheffield, followed by Cambridge to London.

Christian Prudhomme, general director of the Tour de France, said: “The Tour de France and the UK share a rich history, and I am delighted to bring the Grand Depart to the country in 2027.

“Britain has always welcomed the tour with enthusiasm and pride, and this collaboration across England, Scotland, and Wales promises to make the event even more special.”

Slovenian cyclist Tadej Pogacar is the current men’s title holder, while Polish athlete Kasia Niewiadoma is the women’s.

Past UK winners have included Sir Bradley Wiggins, Geraint Thomas, and four-time Tour de France champ Chris Froome.

Jacques Anquetil, Eddy Merckx, Bernard Hinault, and Miguel Indurain have won the most tours with five each. Indurain is the only man to win five consecutive tours.

The return of the Tour de France to the UK is the result of a collaborative effort from key partners – including British Cycling, UK Sport, the UK, Scottish and Welsh governments, and event stakeholders.

Simon Morton, director of events at UK Sport, said: “This will be the biggest free spectator event ever hosted in the UK, offering the public front-row access to world-class sport across villages, towns and cities.”

A landmark social impact programme will be delivered as part of the build-up to the races. Organisers hope it will tackle inactivity, improve mental wellbeing, boost economic growth and support communities to thrive.

Jon Dutton, chief executive of British Cycling, said: “This is not just about the race – it’s about creating a national moment that encourages healthier lifestyles, supports cycle tourism, and brings communities together.”

Scotland’s First Minister John Swinney described it as a “tremendous honour”, while Wales’ First Minister Eluned Morgan said the events would help showcase the country as a “top international destination for cyclists”.

Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy added the opportunity will “cement Britain’s reputation as a destination for major international sporting events”.

She said: “This will stimulate growth, attract new visitors and leave a lasting legacy for athletes and fans alike.

Source : https://news.sky.com/story/tour-de-france-returning-to-uk-in-2027-13331780

THE mystery surrounding Gene Hackman and his wife Betsy Arakawa’s deaths has deepened as his family has made an unusual move.

In addition to seeking to block photos and video of the couple’s bodies, their dog’s remains, and the general scene inside their Santa Fe home, Hackman’s family also wants to prevent the release of the autopsy and death investigation reports.

An insider close to the death investigation exclusively told The U.S. Sun that they have never in their career heard of a family trying to block autopsy results in New Mexico.

“Trying to block the autopsy report is very atypical, that is not something I have ever seen before,” the insider claimed.

“New Mexico doesn’t have an exemption for autopsy photos, and normally it’s not a concern, but when it comes to celebrity deaths, a lot of people will request them.

“So it’s common where family members of celebrities would use the New Mexico courts to block release of photos specifically.

“As with the Hackmans, Michael Jackson’s family blocked Tito Jackson’s autopsy photos, and with the Alec Baldwin shooting of Halyna Hutchins, her family did the same.

“However, blocking the actual autopsy report, again, is highly unusual.”

RESTRAINING ORDER

In a temporary restraining order obtained by Hackman’s estate, the Santa Fe court barred the Sheriff’s Office and the Office of the Medical Investigator from releasing any photos and video of Hackman and Arakawa’s bodies or their deceased dog and the inside of their house pending a hearing later this month.

The unusual move to block the autopsy report in the restraining order, however, comes right after the blocking of the images.

As The U.S. Sun previously reported, the Office of the Medical Investigator in New Mexico confirmed during a news conference earlier this month that Gene’s wife was posthumously diagnosed with hantavirus pulmonary syndrome, a rare and potentially deadly disease transmitted through rodent exposure.

Hantavirus has in the past been a public health crisis, so it’s also unusual that there would be interest in blocking information to the public about a reported case.

Adding to the complexity of issues surrounding the Hackmans’ deaths was a revelation earlier this week that preliminary cell phone records show Arakawa made multiple calls to a Santa Fe medical center on February 12, 24 hours after she was initially believed to have died.

“We can now confirm that Mrs. Hackman’s phone was utilized on the morning of February 12 to call a medical center in Santa Fe,” authorities told Fox News.

“A total of three calls were made that morning, all to the medical center.

“One incoming call was made to Mrs. Hackman from the same medical center that afternoon.

Michelle Obama and her husband, Barack Obama, don’t see eye to eye when it comes to bedtime.

“Bedtime is the best time of the day,” the former first lady, 61, said in a sneak peek clip for the upcoming episode of the “Not Gonna Lie with Kylie Kelce” podcast, which will be released in full on Thursday.

“My husband teases me about how early I can go to bed. He just doesn’t understand.”

Michelle said she relishes getting into “some good sheets” at night when it’s “cool.”

However, she insisted that if there are guests in her home, she’s “game” and she’s “in it.”

“I’m talking but, you know, the minute we finish up, I’m just trying not to go to bed before the sun goes down,” Michelle added before sharing that her ideal time for sleep is “anytime after dinner.”

The latest glimpse into the Obamas’ marriage comes a week after Michelle revealed her pet peeve about Barack on her new podcast, “IMO.”

She shared on the March 12 episode that her husband has a propensity for tardiness, noting, “Barack, you know, he had to adjust to what on time was for me.”

“I was like, ‘Dude, a 3 o’clock departure means you’ve done all that,’ you know, it’s like, don’t start looking for your glasses at the 3 o’clock departure,” the podcast co-host added.

However, Michelle credited Barack, 63, for working on this bad habit, saying, “He’s improved over 30 years of marriage, but that was a ‘you must adjust.’”

The Obamas tied the knot in 1992. They share daughters: Malia Obama, 26, and Sasha Obama, 23.

The couple has recently been plagued by split rumors, as Barack was seen solo at President Jimmy Carter’s funeral, a dinner in Washington, DC, and President Trump’s inauguration.

However, a source previously told Page Six of Michelle’s absence at the latter event, “She is not a phony.”

“She showed up reluctantly for the election. They were united, but she doesn’t have to unify around [Trump]. She doesn’t have to say anything. Her absence speaks volumes,” the insider added.

We were also told in January that Michelle has “checked out” of life in DC altogether.

Meanwhile, the Obamas have put on a united front via social media.

Barack celebrated Michelle’s birthday with a flirty message in January and said via Instagram on Valentine’s Day, “Thirty-two years together and you still take my breath away.”

Source : https://pagesix.com/2025/03/19/celebrity-news/michelle-obama-reveals-point-of-contention-with-barack-after-divorce-rumors/

The first time Gal Gadot visited the Hollywood Walk of Fame almost two decades ago, she had a premonition of her future in entertainment. “Between Madame Tussauds and the Hollywood stars, I remember walking there for the first time when I was 23 and seeing people dressed like superheroes,” she remembers. “And they had Wonder Woman there!”

On March 18, Gadot will be there again, and this time she’ll receive her own star. But even after donning Wonder Woman’s red, black and gold costume multiple times on film — amid delivering a dozen other movie-star turns — the Israeli-born actress seems no less gobsmacked at the prospect of being immortalized by the honor. “I think that it’s going to take me time before I even realize that it’s real,” she tells Variety. “I don’t think that ever in my life I would dream to be able to go through the journey that I’m going through, so I’m very, very humbled and grateful and excited.”

As inevitable as her ascent may now seem, Gadot says that an acting career was anything but a foregone conclusion. “I was a dancer for 12 years, but acting was never something that I did,” she says. “After I graduated, I went to study law and as a side job, I was doing some modeling. And one thing led to the other and a casting director for James Bond wanted to test me for the Bond girl [in ‘Quantum of Solace’].” She didn’t get the part, but got bitten by the acting bug during the process of auditioning.

“I discovered something that I absolutely loved doing,” Gadot says. “And one thing led to the other, and my first role in the movies was in ‘Fast & Furious.’”

While playing ex-Mossad agent Gisele Yashar over three installments, the “Fast & Furious” franchise became one of the biggest in Hollywood, boosting her visibility as she delivered memorable supporting turns in films like “Knight and Day,” “Triple 9” and “Keeping Up With the Joneses.” Although a resume full of formidable female characters undoubtedly helped her get cast as Wonder Woman in “Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice,” she’s eager to credit that film’s director for getting the role that would put movie stardom within her grasp. “Zack Snyder really had the vision for Wonder Woman,” she insists.

Gadot’s eventual collaboration with Patty Jenkins on the two solo “Wonder Woman” films only burnished her reputation — as a mesmerizing screen presence, not to mention a box office draw. Yet more important to her than career stability was the chance to create an unforgettable, multidimensional female character in Diana, crown princess of Themyscira. “To do the solo Wonder Woman movie with a partner like Patty Jenkins was life-changing,” she admits. “I think we both felt like we were just a vessel to tell a story that is much bigger than us, that the world was ready for — a complete, empowered woman who is strong and at the same time vulnerable.”

Jenkins, who will be presenting Gadot her star at the ceremony, says that the actor embodies the qualities of the character on screen and off. “My favorite moments with Gal have been when she donned the Wonder Woman costume to greet children in need. Of course it’s touching to watch kids seeing their hero come to life, but with Gal, it is not just an illusion of our trade,” Jenkins explains. “She is a great actor, but a true star as a person, inside and out.

“There are so many great actors and performers around, but a top-tier, classic movie star who can light up a screen, be your hero, your lover, your friend and your avatar on screen are few and far between,” Jenkins says. “Gal is one of them.”

Although incoming DC film heads James Gunn and Peter Safran cancelled a third Wonder Woman film from Jenkins and Gadot in order to restart the studio’s cinematic universe from scratch, Jenkins says “there is much, much more” for the two of them to do together. “We are just getting started,” Jenkins adds. In the meantime, Gadot has not slowed her output, continuing to work on high-profile, mega-budget projects like “Red Notice” and “Heart of Stone.” It’s a platform she indicates she’s embracing. “I really enjoy having the reach to the audiences around the world to actually watch what we’re doing,” says Gadot.

Despite that reach, it can generate a level of visibility that can be a double-edged sword right now for a performer from Israel, especially one who’s willing to speak publicly outside of her work about the complex political issues of her home country. “There is a challenge for people to speak on social media because there is so much hate going on and so many bots and so many angry people that are looking for a cause,” Gadot says. Although she acknowledges the frivolity with which celebrity opinions can be regarded, she says her advocacy is always rooted in speaking on behalf of the voiceless, even when her statements (and the events that inspired them) have sparked divisive reactions.

“After October 7th [2023], I don’t talk politics — because who cares about the celebrity talking about politics? I’m an artist. I want to entertain people. I want to bring hope and be a beacon of light whenever I say anything about the world,” Gadot says. “But on October 7th, when people were abducted from their homes, from their beds, men, women, children, elderly, Holocaust survivors, were going through the horrors of what happened that day, I could not be silent. I was shocked by the amount of hate, by the amount of how much people think they know when they actually have no idea, and also by how the media is not fair many times. So I had to speak up.”

She reiterates that her investment in these issues is deeply personal. “I’m not a hater. I’m a grandchild of a Holocaust survivor who came to Israel and established his family from scratch after his entire family was erased in Auschwitz. And on the other side of my family, I’m eighth generation Israeli. I’m an indigenous person of Israel.”

“I am all about humanity,” she emphasizes, “and I felt like I had to advocate for the hostages.” But even after fielding occasional criticism for some of her statements, she insists that “when your compass is clear, your conscience is clean. I know what I’m advocating for, and I know what I wish for the world.”

“I am praying for better days for all,” she continues. “I want everybody to have good life and prosperity, and the ability to raise their children in a safe environment.”

Now the mother of four daughters (“I used to joke with my agent, I either make movies or make babies”), Gadot says one of her priorities is finding acting opportunities in her native language. “Recently, we started talking about my passion to play in Hebrew,” she says. “Language is a big thing for me, and I spend so much energy and time to play in English. So to be able to play in my mother tongue would be an amazing experience because there would be no boundaries whatsoever. It will just be me.”

With a position in the public eye that’s strengthened by considerable box office muscle, she says she’s eager to take more risks in her work. Joining Marc Webb’s live-action reimagining of “Snow White” may seem like a lateral move for a performer who’s become synonymous with blockbuster filmmaking, but to do so, Gadot not only traded in her hero’s attire to play the title character’s fearsome adversary, the Evil Queen, but took on the first-time challenge of singing on screen. “It was different than anything that I’ve ever done because I was playing the villain,” she says. “She’s so theatrical and so grand and bigger than life … it was a delicious role to play.”

Source : https://variety.com/2025/film/features/gal-gadot-snow-white-wonder-woman-walk-of-fame-1236339602/

Protests have erupted in Turkey after authorities detained the mayor of Istanbul, just days before he was due to be selected as a presidential candidate.

Ekrem Imamoglu, from the secular Republican People’s Party (CHP), is seen as one of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s strongest political rivals.

Prosecutors accused him of corruption and aiding a terrorist group, calling him a “criminal organisation leader suspect”.

Police detained 100 people – including other politicians, journalists and businessmen – as part of the investigation, and the Istanbul governor’s office has imposed four days of restrictions in the city.

Imamoglu said online “the will of the people cannot be silenced”.

Protesters have taken to the streets and university campuses, and in underground stations, with crowds chanting anti-government slogans. It is a display of public anger not seen in years.

There were reports of clashes between protesters and police in Turkey’s largest city. Footage from Reuters news agency shows police using pepper spray to disperse crowds outside Istanbul University.

Thousands of people rallied in the cold in front of the city hall, shouting: “Erdogan, dictator!” and “Imamoglu, you are not alone!”

The government has banned public gatherings in Istanbul as part of the four days of restrictions. But more protests are anticipated nationwide as opposition leaders, including Imamoglu’s wife, urge people to “raise their voices”.

Many streets in Istanbul have also been closed to traffic, while some metro lines have also cancelled their services.

In a social media video Imamoglu said he filmed while police were outside his home, he vowed to “stand resolute” for the people of Turkey “and all who uphold democracy and justice worldwide”.

And in a handwritten note posted on his X account after his arrest, he said the people of Turkey would respond to “the lies, the conspiracies and the traps” against him.

UK-based internet watchdog Netblocks said on Wednesday Turkey had severely restricted access to social media sites like X, YouTube, Instagram and TikTok.

More than 2,000 newly released documents related to the investigation into President John F Kennedy’s assassination are notable not just for what they contain – but for what is omitted.

As many experts expected, this latest release by the Trump administration does not answer all lingering questions about one of America’s historic turning points – the 1963 killing of Kennedy in Dallas.

But the latest batch does include documents that are now mostly or fully unredacted – original material is included instead of blacked-out words or blank space.

A US government investigation concluded that Lee Harvey Oswald, a drifter and former US Marine who at one point defected to the then-Soviet Union, acted alone when he shot at Kennedy’s motorcade from a nearby building.

However, the case still prompts questions, along with wild conspiracy theories, more than 60 years later – and the latest release is unlikely to change that. Here are some key takeaways.

Elon Musk and the Trump administration are pitching cuts in one of the most politically dangerous arenas in America — the Social Security Administration.

Musk has cast the idea as one that’s primarily about immigration, falsely claiming that undocumented immigrants are fraudulently accessing hundreds of billions of dollars’ worth of entitlements, including Social Security, Medicaid and disability programs, as part of a Democratic scheme for votes.

“By using entitlements fraud, the Democrats have been able to attract and retain vast numbers of illegal immigrants,” Musk, the billionaire tech CEO behind the Department of Government Efficiency, said Monday on Sen. Ted Cruz’s podcast, without evidence. “And buy voters. Basically bring in 10, 20 million people who are beholden to the Democrats for government handouts and will vote overwhelmingly Democrat, as has been demonstrated in California.”

Musk told Cruz, R-Texas, that his efforts to end the alleged fraud are why people on the left “hate my guts and want me to die.” He said the fraud has cost the government $100 billion to $200 billion.

It’s an argument Musk has been making repeatedly in recent weeks, as DOGE and the Trump administration announce and push for more cuts to the SSA, including eliminating thousands of employees from the already lean agency, ending the ability to make claims by phone and shuttering dozens of field offices that help seniors access their benefits.

The Trump administration has said repeatedly it isn’t cutting benefits — just fraud. And while it’s well known that fraud exists in programs such as Social Security and disability programs, experts say Americans and overseas crime rings are typically perpetrating fraud on entitlements. Asked for comment on Musk’s remarks and proof that immigrants living in the United States without legal status were to blame for the fraud, the White House didn’t offer any.

“If NBC wants to die on the hill of objecting to credible claims of fraud in our entitlements, especially by the millions of illegals Joe Biden let into this country, have at it,” White House deputy press secretary Harrison Fields said in a statement. “Our federal government is riddled with fraud, and President Trump is putting an end to that despite opposition from complacent Democrats and the mainstream media.”

Social Security sends retired people checks every month based on their incomes as working people, and it also sends checks to disabled people. Medicaid insures low-income people, while Medicare provides health insurance for people older than 65. Broadly, immigrants without legal status don’t qualify for federal dollars through the programs. Some states do fund health care for undocumented immigrants like pregnant women, and Medicaid will reimburse hospitals for emergency health care provided to low-income, undocumented immigrants, as hospitals aren’t allowed to turn away people seeking emergency care. That amounts to less than 1% of Medicaid’s annual spending.

Social Security cuts have been a major focus of tense town halls for Republican lawmakers, with constituents expressing fear that cuts at the SSA could make it harder for them to access their benefits.

According to a May report from the Office of the Inspector General, people were already experiencing prolonged wait times working with the SSA. The report noted that in-office appointments could be completely booked up for more than 40 days in the future and that it could take months for promised services to be delivered. The report said 65% of Social Security beneficiaries were unaware that there were online services for the agency.

But even with constituents struggling to interface with the SSA, Musk has portrayed pushback to his changes as politically motivated.

“This is why the Democrats are so upset about the situation,” Musk said on Fox Business last week. “If we turn off this gigantic money magnet for illegal immigrants, then they will leave and they will lose voters.”

“Entitlements fraud for illegal aliens is what is serving as a gigantic magnetic force to pull people in from all around the world and keep them here,” he told Joe Rogan last month, without providing evidence. Musk has repeatedly posted a clip of that part of his interview, too.

Musk’s argument crucially cast significant cuts to Social Security as a critical part of Trump’s agenda cracking down on illegal immigration, his most popular major issue, according to recent polling by NBC News. It’s also fundamentally inaccurate, experts and former executives told NBC News, warning that cuts made in the name of fraud will hurt eligible recipients of government benefits.

“When you look at the numbers, it’s actually the opposite: Undocumented immigrants cannot get SSI or Social Security benefits, but in fact, the undocumented immigrants contribute a lot to the Social Security system,” said Kathleen Romig, director of Social Security and disability policy at the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, a left-leaning think tank that studies government spending.

In 2022, immigrants working in the United States without legal authorization paid $25.7 billion in Social Security taxes and $6.4 billion in Medicare taxes, according to a recent analysis from the Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy. It’s one of the things bolstering the program despite challenging demographics as the baby boomers retire with fewer younger, working people paying into the program at the same time.

It’s not clear how far Musk, who didn’t respond to requests for comment, might want to go in changing Social Security, a program that dates to an act President Franklin Roosevelt signed in 1935 and currently provides benefits to more than 73 million retired and disabled people. As Musk has immersed himself in politics over the past year, he has posted about the program only occasionally.

But Musk, who has called it “the biggest Ponzi scheme of all time,” has expressed interest at least once in the idea of privatizing Social Security. In December, he shared a social media thread about the topic by Sen. Mike Lee, R-Utah. Lee had called Social Security a “nightmare” and wrote that people would be better off managing retirement savings at least partly on their own. Musk called Lee’s views “interesting.”

Trump voiced support for privatizing Social Security back in 2004, but as a candidate and as president, he has vowed to protect entitlements.

Musk’s latest statements haven’t included a mention of privatization, focusing instead on the idea that there’s widespread fraud or abuse by undocumented immigrants in the system — an allegation for which he hasn’t offered evidence and that experts say is inaccurate.

Fraud exists within every government program, but a former executive at the SSA with knowledge of the agency’s anti-fraud program said overseas criminal rings’ stealing eligible people’s benefits and people’s faking disability or not reporting relatives’ deaths are the most common types of Social Security fraud, not fraud involving undocumented immigrants.

Drawing on Social Security requires people to verify their eligibility and work histories, effectively preventing immigrants without legal status from drawing benefits.

The former executive, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, said that undocumented immigrants who pay into the program by using other people’s Social Security numbers pose bureaucratic challenges when the actual owners of the Social Security numbers apply for benefits but that immigrants aren’t receiving any benefits.

Source : https://www.nbcnews.com/tech/elon-musk/musk-uses-immigration-claims-voter-fraud-sell-social-security-cuts-rcna196863

There was no explanation, no warning. One minute, I was in an immigration office talking to an officer about my work visa, which had been approved months before and allowed me, a Canadian, to work in the US. The next, I was told to put my hands against the wall, and patted down like a criminal before being sent to an Ice detention center without the chance to talk to a lawyer.

I grew up in Whitehorse, Yukon, a small town in the northernmost part of Canada. I always knew I wanted to do something bigger with my life. I left home early and moved to Vancouver, British Columbia, where I built a career spanning multiple industries – acting in film and television, owning bars and restaurants, flipping condos and managing Airbnbs.

In my 30s, I found my true passion working in the health and wellness industry. I was given the opportunity to help launch an American brand of health tonics called Holy! Water – a job that would involve moving to the US.

I was granted my trade Nafta work visa, which allows Canadian and Mexican citizens to work in the US in specific professional occupations, on my second attempt. It goes without saying, then, that I have no criminal record. I also love the US and consider myself to be a kind, hard-working person.

I started working in California and travelled back and forth between Canada and the US multiple times without any complications – until one day, upon returning to the US, a border officer questioned me about my initial visa denial and subsequent visa approval. He asked why I had gone to the San Diego border the second time to apply. I explained that that was where my lawyer’s offices were, and that he had wanted to accompany me to ensure there were no issues.

After a long interrogation, the officer told me it seemed “shady” and that my visa hadn’t been properly processed. He claimed I also couldn’t work for a company in the US that made use of hemp – one of the beverage ingredients. He revoked my visa, and told me I could still work for the company from Canada, but if I wanted to return to the US, I would need to reapply.

I was devastated; I had just started building a life in California. I stayed in Canada for the next few months, and was eventually offered a similar position with a different health and wellness brand.

I restarted the visa process and returned to the same immigration office at the San Diego border, since they had processed my visa before and I was familiar with it. Hours passed, with many confused opinions about my case. The officer I spoke to was kind but told me that, due to my previous issues, I needed to apply for my visa through the consulate. I told her I hadn’t been aware I needed to apply that way, but had no problem doing it.

Then she said something strange: “You didn’t do anything wrong. You are not in trouble, you are not a criminal.”

I remember thinking: Why would she say that? Of course I’m not a criminal!

She then told me they had to send me back to Canada. That didn’t concern me; I assumed I would simply book a flight home. But as I sat searching for flights, a man approached me.

“Come with me,” he said.

There was no explanation, no warning. He led me to a room, took my belongings from my hands and ordered me to put my hands against the wall. A woman immediately began patting me down. The commands came rapid-fire, one after another, too fast to process.

They took my shoes and pulled out my shoelaces.

“What are you doing? What is happening?” I asked.

“You are being detained.”

“I don’t understand. What does that mean? For how long?”

“I don’t know.”

That would be the response to nearly every question I would ask over the next two weeks: “I don’t know.”

They brought me downstairs for a series of interviews and medical questions, searched my bags and told me I had to get rid of half my belongings because I couldn’t take everything with me.

“Take everything with me where?” I asked.

A woman asked me for the name of someone they could contact on my behalf. In moments like this, you realize you don’t actually know anyone’s phone number anymore. By some miracle, I had recently memorized my best friend Britt’s number because I had been putting my grocery points on her account.

I gave them her phone number.

They handed me a mat and a folded-up sheet of aluminum foil.

“What is this?”

“Your blanket.”

“I don’t understand.”

I was taken to a tiny, freezing cement cell with bright fluorescent lights and a toilet. There were five other women lying on their mats with the aluminum sheets wrapped over them, looking like dead bodies. The guard locked the door behind me.

For two days, we remained in that cell, only leaving briefly for food. The lights never turned off, we never knew what time it was and no one answered our questions. No one in the cell spoke English, so I either tried to sleep or meditate to keep from having a breakdown. I didn’t trust the food, so I fasted, assuming I wouldn’t be there long.

On the third day, I was finally allowed to make a phone call. I called Britt and told her that I didn’t understand what was happening, that no one would tell me when I was going home, and that she was my only contact.

They gave me a stack of paperwork to sign and told me I was being given a five-year ban unless I applied for re-entry through the consulate. The officer also said it didn’t matter whether I signed the papers or not; it was happening regardless.

I was so delirious that I just signed. I told them I would pay for my flight home and asked when I could leave.

No answer.

Then they moved me to another cell – this time with no mat or blanket. I sat on the freezing cement floor for hours. That’s when I realized they were processing me into real jail: the Otay Mesa Detention Center.

I was told to shower, given a jail uniform, fingerprinted and interviewed. I begged for information.

“How long will I be here?”

“I don’t know your case,” the man said. “Could be days. Could be weeks. But I’m telling you right now – you need to mentally prepare yourself for months.”

Months.

I felt like I was going to throw up.

I was taken to the nurse’s office for a medical check. She asked what had happened to me. She had never seen a Canadian there before. When I told her my story, she grabbed my hand and said: “Do you believe in God?”

I told her I had only recently found God, but that I now believed in God more than anything.

“I believe God brought you here for a reason,” she said. “I know it feels like your life is in a million pieces, but you will be OK. Through this, I think you are going to find a way to help others.”

At the time, I didn’t know what that meant. She asked if she could pray for me. I held her hands and wept.

I felt like I had been sent an angel.

I was then placed in a real jail unit: two levels of cells surrounding a common area, just like in the movies. I was put in a tiny cell alone with a bunk bed and a toilet.

The best part: there were blankets. After three days without one, I wrapped myself in mine and finally felt some comfort.

For the first day, I didn’t leave my cell. I continued fasting, terrified that the food might make me sick. The only available water came from the tap attached to the toilet in our cells or a sink in the common area, neither of which felt safe to drink.

Eventually, I forced myself to step out, meet the guards and learn the rules. One of them told me: “No fighting.”

“I’m a lover, not a fighter,” I joked. He laughed.

I asked if there had ever been a fight here.

“In this unit? No,” he said. “No one in this unit has a criminal record.”

That’s when I started meeting the other women.

That’s when I started hearing their stories.

And that’s when I made a decision: I would never allow myself to feel sorry for my situation again. No matter how hard this was, I had to be grateful. Because every woman I met was in an even more difficult position than mine.

There were around 140 of us in our unit. Many women had lived and worked in the US legally for years but had overstayed their visas – often after reapplying and being denied. They had all been detained without warning.

If someone is a criminal, I agree they should be taken off the streets. But not one of these women had a criminal record. These women acknowledged that they shouldn’t have overstayed and took responsibility for their actions. But their frustration wasn’t about being held accountable; it was about the endless, bureaucratic limbo they had been trapped in.

The real issue was how long it took to get out of the system, with no clear answers, no timeline and no way to move forward. Once deported, many have no choice but to abandon everything they own because the cost of shipping their belongings back is too high.

I met a woman who had been on a road trip with her husband. She said they had 10-year work visas. While driving near the San Diego border, they mistakenly got into a lane leading to Mexico. They stopped and told the agent they didn’t have their passports on them, expecting to be redirected. Instead, they were detained. They are both pastors.

I met a family of three who had been living in the US for 11 years with work authorizations. They paid taxes and were waiting for their green cards. Every year, the mother had to undergo a background check, but this time, she was told to bring her whole family. When they arrived, they were taken into custody and told their status would now be processed from within the detention center.

Another woman from Canada had been living in the US with her husband who was detained after a traffic stop. She admitted she had overstayed her visa and accepted that she would be deported. But she had been stuck in the system for almost six weeks because she hadn’t had her passport. Who runs casual errands with their passport?

One woman had a 10-year visa. When it expired, she moved back to her home country, Venezuela. She admitted she had overstayed by one month before leaving. Later, she returned for a vacation and entered the US without issue. But when she took a domestic flight from Miami to Los Angeles, she was picked up by Ice and detained. She couldn’t be deported because Venezuela wasn’t accepting deportees. She didn’t know when she was getting out.

There was a girl from India who had overstayed her student visa for three days before heading back home. She then came back to the US on a new, valid visa to finish her master’s degree and was handed over to Ice due to the three days she had overstayed on her previous visa.

There were women who had been picked up off the street, from outside their workplaces, from their homes. All of these women told me that they had been detained for time spans ranging from a few weeks to 10 months. One woman’s daughter was outside the detention center protesting for her release.

That night, the pastor invited me to a service she was holding. A girl who spoke English translated for me as the women took turns sharing their prayers – prayers for their sick parents, for the children they hadn’t seen in weeks, for the loved ones they had been torn away from.

Then, unexpectedly, they asked if they could pray for me. I was new here, and they wanted to welcome me. They formed a circle around me, took my hands and prayed. I had never felt so much love, energy and compassion from a group of strangers in my life. Everyone was crying.

At 3am the next day, I was woken up in my cell.

“Pack your bag. You’re leaving.”

I jolted upright. “I get to go home?”

The officer shrugged. “I don’t know where you’re going.”

Of course. No one ever knew anything.

I grabbed my things and went downstairs, where 10 other women stood in silence, tears streaming down their faces. But these weren’t happy tears. That was the moment I learned the term “transferred”.

For many of these women, detention centers had become a twisted version of home. They had formed bonds, established routines and found slivers of comfort in the friendships they had built. Now, without warning, they were being torn apart and sent somewhere new. Watching them say goodbye, clinging to each other, was gut-wrenching.

I had no idea what was waiting for me next. In hindsight, that was probably for the best.

Our next stop was Arizona, the San Luis Regional Detention Center. The transfer process lasted 24 hours, a sleepless, grueling ordeal. This time, men were transported with us. Roughly 50 of us were crammed into a prison bus for the next five hours, packed together – women in the front, men in the back. We were bound in chains that wrapped tightly around our waists, with our cuffed hands secured to our bodies and shackles restraining our feet, forcing every movement into a slow, clinking struggle.

When we arrived at our next destination, we were forced to go through the entire intake process all over again, with medical exams, fingerprinting – and pregnancy tests; they lined us up in a filthy cell, squatting over a communal toilet, holding Dixie cups of urine while the nurse dropped pregnancy tests in each of our cups. It was disgusting.

We sat in freezing-cold jail cells for hours, waiting for everyone to be processed. Across the room, one of the women suddenly spotted her husband. They had both been detained and were now seeing each other for the first time in weeks.

The look on her face – pure love, relief and longing – was something I’ll never forget.

We were beyond exhausted. I felt like I was hallucinating.

The guard tossed us each a blanket: “Find a bed.”

There were no pillows. The room was ice cold, and one blanket wasn’t enough. Around me, women lay curled into themselves, heads covered, looking like a room full of corpses. This place made the last jail feel like the Four Seasons.

I kept telling myself: Do not let this break you.

Thirty of us shared one room. We were given one Styrofoam cup for water and one plastic spoon that we had to reuse for every meal. I eventually had to start trying to eat and, sure enough, I got sick. None of the uniforms fit, and everyone had men’s shoes on. The towels they gave us to shower were hand towels. They wouldn’t give us more blankets. The fluorescent lights shined on us 24/7.

Everything felt like it was meant to break you. Nothing was explained to us. I wasn’t given a phone call. We were locked in a room, no daylight, with no idea when we would get out.

I tried to stay calm as every fiber of my being raged towards panic mode. I didn’t know how I would tell Britt where I was. Then, as if sent from God, one of the women showed me a tablet attached to the wall where I could send emails. I only remembered my CEO’s email from memory. I typed out a message, praying he would see it.

He responded.

Through him, I was able to connect with Britt. She told me that they were working around the clock trying to get me out. But no one had any answers; the system made it next to impossible. I told her about the conditions in this new place, and that was when we decided to go to the media.

She started working with a reporter and asked whether I would be able to call her so she could loop him in. The international phone account that Britt had previously tried to set up for me wasn’t working, so one of the other women offered to let me use her phone account to make the call.

We were all in this together.

With nothing to do in my cell but talk, I made new friends – women who had risked everything for the chance at a better life for themselves and their families.

Through them, I learned the harsh reality of seeking asylum. Showing me their physical scars, they explained how they had paid smugglers anywhere from $20,000 to $60,000 to reach the US border, enduring brutal jungles and horrendous conditions.

One woman had been offered asylum in Mexico within two weeks but had been encouraged to keep going to the US. Now, she was stuck, living in a nightmare, separated from her young children for months. She sobbed, telling me how she felt like the worst mother in the world.

Many of these women were highly educated and spoke multiple languages. Yet, they had been advised to pretend they didn’t speak English because it would supposedly increase their chances of asylum.

Some believed they were being used as examples, as warnings to others not to try to come.

Women were starting to panic in this new facility, and knowing I was most likely the first person to get out, they wrote letters and messages for me to send to their families.

It felt like we had all been kidnapped, thrown into some sort of sick psychological experiment meant to strip us of every ounce of strength and dignity.

We were from different countries, spoke different languages and practiced different religions. Yet, in this place, none of that mattered. Everyone took care of each other. Everyone shared food. Everyone held each other when someone broke down. Everyone fought to keep each other’s hope alive.

I got a message from Britt. My story had started to blow up in the media.

Almost immediately after, I was told I was being released.

My Ice agent, who had never spoken to me, told my lawyer I could have left sooner if I had signed a withdrawal form, and that they hadn’t known I would pay for my own flight home.

From the moment I arrived, I begged every officer I saw to let me pay for my own ticket home. Not a single one of them ever spoke to me about my case.

To put things into perspective: I had a Canadian passport, lawyers, resources, media attention, friends, family and even politicians advocating for me. Yet, I was still detained for nearly two weeks.

Imagine what this system is like for every other person in there.

A small group of us were transferred back to San Diego at 2am – one last road trip, once again shackled in chains. I was then taken to the airport, where two officers were waiting for me. The media was there, so the officers snuck me in through a side door, trying to avoid anyone seeing me in restraints. I was beyond grateful that, at the very least, I didn’t have to walk through the airport in chains.

To my surprise, the officers escorting me were incredibly kind, and even funny. It was the first time I had laughed in weeks.

I asked if I could put my shoelaces back on.

“Yes,” one of them said with a grin. “But you better not run.”

“Yeah,” the other added. “Or we’ll have to tackle you in the airport. That’ll really make the headlines.”

I laughed, then told them I had spent a lot of time observing the guards during my detention and I couldn’t believe how often I saw humans treating other humans with such disregard. “But don’t worry,” I joked. “You two get five stars.”

When I finally landed in Canada, my mom and two best friends were waiting for me. So was the media. I spoke to them briefly, numb and delusional from exhaustion.

It was surreal listening to my friends recount everything they had done to get me out: working with lawyers, reaching out to the media, making endless calls to detention centers, desperately trying to get through to Ice or anyone who could help. They said the entire system felt rigged, designed to make it nearly impossible for anyone to get out.

The reality became clear: Ice detention isn’t just a bureaucratic nightmare. It’s a business. These facilities are privately owned and run for profit.

Companies like CoreCivic and GEO Group receive government funding based on the number of people they detain, which is why they lobby for stricter immigration policies. It’s a lucrative business: CoreCivic made over $560m from Ice contracts in a single year. In 2024, GEO Group made more than $763m from Ice contracts.

Source : https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/mar/19/canadian-detained-us-immigration-jasmine-mooney

STAGGERING drone footage shows the scale of the vast Chinese electric vehicle mega factory that is being built.

The sprawling BYD factory in Zhengzhou, in China’s Henan province, is set to be bigger than a major US city and has its own football ground.

Aerial footage of the factory and the land it is expanding onto shows masses of sleek production buildings, high rise blocks, a football pitch and tennis courts all separated by roads.

As the drone continues to cover the site, it shows the vast expanse where work is beginning on building new parts of the facility, as well as what looks like a small village where workers live.

At the back of that settlement is more land earmarked for construction work.

The site is set to dwarf rival Tesla’s Gigafactory in Nevada that covers 4.5 square miles.

When completed, the factory, which is being built in eight phases, is set to cover 32,000 acres or 50 square miles.

For comparison, San Francisco in California is 46.9 square miles.

Phases five to eight are now underway, majorly expanding the current factory.

According to reports, BYD as a whole has over 900,000 employees and will add over 200,000 more in the next three months.

As of last month, the Zhengzhou facility had around 60,000 workers.

Thousands of employees live and work on site, with the mega factory seeming more like a city – especially with its recreational provisions like the football pitch.

One viewer of the drone footage said: “This is essentially a city dedicated to EV production.”

“What an unfathomable scale.”

On LinkedIn, another said: “Asian factories are like small European towns.”

“With their own bus lines, dormitories, recreation areas etc.”

“Gigafactories are so 2010s. BYD is building a Terafactory,” a third viewer commented.

Meanwhile, others called it an “eye sore” and raised financial and “ghost city” concerns if BYD fails to get and retain customers.

Once complete, the factory is set to produce over one million units per year.

The site’s first vehicle that rolled off the production line in April last year was a Song Pro DM-i priced at over £17,600.

The completion of the expansion is highly anticipated as BYD chairman and president Wang Chuanfu has been forced to repeatedly apologise to customers.

Before the Zhengzhou facility started manufacturing vehicles, Wang spent two years grovelling about lengthy wait times for BYD vehicles due to a lack of capacity.

But once production began and with its capacity ever-increasing, BYD saw record sales in 2024 with 4.25 million new energy vehicles sold last year.

The company had set a target of 3.6 million but after a stellar performance, has a 2025 target of selling 5.25 million cars.

Source : https://www.the-sun.com/motors/13817802/drone-vid-giant-chinese-ev-factory/

JK Rowling has appeared to take a swipe at Harry Potter stars Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson and Rupert Grint on social media.

The 59-year-old author has drawn plenty of backlash over the years for her views on trans rights, which have ostracised her from the former child actors who starred in the blockbuster Wizarding World adaptations, and with whom she once had a close relationship.

Rowling, who once stated she would rather go to jail than refer to a trans person by their preferred pronouns, previously said she would not forgive the actors for criticising her opinions, telling them to “save their apologies” – and she has renewed hostilities with the trio once again on social media.

On Tuesday (18 March), when Rowling was asked: “What actor/actress instantly ruins a movie for you?” she responded: “Three guesses. Sorry, but that was irresistible.”

While the author added laughing-face emojis to indicate humour, the post has been widely interpreted as being aimed at Radcliffe, Watson and Grint.

Rowling first made her stance on transgender women public in December 2019 when she tweeted in support of researcher Maya Forstater, whose job contract at think-tank Centre for Global Development was not renewed due to a series of tweets she had made questioning government plans to allow people to self-identify as another gender.

These initial remarks prompted backlash from fans of the author, who labelled Rowling a “terf” – an acronym that stands for trans-exclusionary radical feminist.

The author, who has denied being transphobic, went on to post a much-maligned essay about gender identity ideology on her website.

In this essay, she outlined five reasons to be “worried about the new trans activism”, which received condemnation from Radcliffe and Watson, who said: “I want my trans followers to know that I and so many other people around the world see you, respect you and love you for who you are.”

Radcliffe was the first of Harry Potter’s lead trio to speak out against Rowling’s views on transgender identities.

“Transgender women are women,” he said in a 2020 statement released by The Trevor Project, a suicide prevention charity for young LGBT+ people. He acknowledged that Rowling is “unquestionably responsible for the course my life has taken”, but said he felt “compelled to say something at this moment”.

He added: “The reason I felt very, very much as though I needed to say something when I did was because, particularly since finishing Potter, I’ve met so many queer and trans kids and young people who had a huge amount of identification with Potter on that.”

In 2024, the actor revealed he had not spoken to the author in years.

“It makes me really sad, ultimately,” he said, “because I do look at the person that I met, the times that we met, and the books that she wrote, and the world that she created, and all of that is to me so deeply empathic.”

His 2020 statement was backed by Grint and Watson.

Hermione star Watson also cryptically addressed the furore at the Baftas in 2022. That year’s host, Rebel Wilson, introduced the actor to the stage, stating: “Here to present the next award is Emma Watson. She calls herself a feminist, but we all know she’s a witch.”

Source : https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/films/news/jk-rowling-harry-potter-daniel-radcliffe-b2717758.html

Sir Keir Starmer has boarded a nuclear-armed submarine as it returned from a lengthy patrol – in a rare showcasing of the UK’s deterrent that will catch Russia’s attention at a time of growing tensions.

While being reminded about British nuclear strength though, Russian President Vladimir Putin will also doubtless take note of a potential weakness.

HMS Vanguard was kept patrolling at sea for more than 200 days – one of the longest-ever deployments that will likely have put a huge strain on the submariners and the vessel – as issues with maintaining the ageing fleet make it harder to rotate the boats more quickly.

The Royal Navy must keep one nuclear-armed submarine at sea at all times.

The so-called “continuous at-sea deterrence” is the cornerstone of UK defence strategy and the ultimate guarantor of the nation’s security.

It is the first time a prime minister has visited one of the Royal Navy’s four top-secret nuclear-armed submarines as it returned from a deterrent patrol – a moment known as “Day Zero” – in more than a decade.

The last time this happened was with David Cameron in 2013.

Video released by the Ministry of Defence (MoD) showed Sir Keir, eyes pressed to pair of binoculars, and Defence Secretary John Healey sailing out to greet the ageing submarine – which had surfaced – as it re-entered UK waters off Scotland earlier in the week following what was reported to have been a 204-day patrol.

The MoD declined to confirm the length of time the boat had been at sea. The longest known deployment – of 207 days – was carried out in 2021 by HMS Victorious.

Patrols by one of the UK’s nuclear-armed submarines – which used to last three months – have had to be extended in recent years because of prolonged periods of maintenance and repair work on the other boats.

The fleet is operating well beyond its original in-service life of 25 years because of delays in the building of four replacement boats.

In a show of support for what is known as the “silent service”, the prime minister, dressed in a Royal Navy-style coat, could be seen in the footage stepping onto the topside of HMS Vanguard as it bobbed in the water.

He was joined by Mr Healey as a line of submariners stood to attention, before they both clambered down a hatch into the vessel.

The two men, followed by Admiral Sir Ben Key, the head of the Royal Navy, walked around inside the submarine and received what was described as a “hot” brief on the deployment.

The official release of any information about the UK’s nuclear deterrent is extremely rare.

Filming of any of the boats is also highly unusual and strictly controlled.

Britain’s enemies will likely be scouring the images that were made public for any clues that might reveal any information about the military’s most potent weapon and the ultimate guarantor of UK security. All audio was removed before release for security reasons.

The decision to publish details and images about the visit appears designed to send a signal to Moscow that the UK remains a nuclear-armed power.

It came as the prime minister and defence secretary prepared to visit a sprawling BAE Systems manufacturing site in Barrow, a port town in Cumbria, where the new generation of nuclear-armed submarines is finally being built to replace the Vanguard-class vessels.

The whole programme to renew the UK’s nuclear deterrent – the submarines, missiles and warheads – is expected to cost more than £30bn, with an additional contingency of £10bn – making it the UK’s most expensive and important procurement programme.

Sir Keir described Barrow as a “blueprint” for how defence spending can bolster security and boost economic growth by generating highly skilled jobs and opportunities.

“This week, I saw first-hand the sacrifice our submariners are making every day to keep our country safe, but I know they are only able to do that because of the support of the town of Barrow,” he said, in remarks released in advance by the government.

“Each and every person living and working in Barrow is contributing to our nation’s defence, whether that is building our world-class submarine programme, or supporting the workforce here through vital public services or proud family businesses.”

In a sign of the importance of the programme, the prime minister will lay the keel to the first Dreadnought-class boat on Thursday afternoon.

In addition, the King has agreed to give the “Royal” title to the Port of Barrow “in recognition of the town’s unique and critical contribution to national security”, the government said.

The Royal Navy has maintained one of four submarines loaded with nuclear-armed missiles permanently at sea since the first patrol was launched in 1969.

But the age of the current fleet and increased requirement for repair work raise the risk of failure. Any break in the continuous at sea deterrence would be a devastating blow, undermining the UK’s ability to deter the most existential of threats.

Source : https://news.sky.com/story/pm-makes-rare-visit-to-nuclear-armed-submarine-to-show-uks-strength-but-putin-will-notice-a-potential-weakness-13332279

US President Donald Trump has had a “very good” call with Volodymyr Zelenskyy, the White House says, during which US ownership of Ukraine’s energy network was discussed to help protect it.

Mr Trump also agreed to “help locate” additional air defence support in Europe after a request from the Ukrainian leader, a statement about the one-hour phone call said.

Further talks will take place in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, in the coming days, and the US will continue intelligence sharing with Ukraine, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters.

Mr Trump also agreed to work to ensure missing Ukrainian children are returned home and both parties agreed to a temporary 30-day ceasefire involving attacks against energy facilities, with the US president saying the US “could be very helpful in running those plants with its electricity and utility expertise”, Ms Leavitt said.

Secretary of state Marco Rubio also issued a statement about the call saying that “President Trump also discussed Ukraine’s electrical supply and nuclear power plants.

“He said that the United States could be very helpful in running those plants with its electricity and utility expertise. American ownership of those plants would be the best protection for that infrastructure and support for Ukrainian energy infrastructure.”

The White House statement added that Mr Trump and Mr Zelenskyy also reviewed the situation in Kursk and agreed to share information closely.

The presidents instructed their teams to move ahead with the details of implementing a partial ceasefire, with discussions to include expanding any ceasefire to the Black Sea.

The blobfish, described as the world’s ugliest animal, has been voted fish of the year in New Zealand.

The creature, which grows to about 12 inches (30cm) long, is known affectionately as Mr Blobby and is the official mascot of the Ugly Animal Preservation Society.

It has a bulbous head, and loose, flabby skin, and lives in the deep sea, mainly off the southeastern coast of mainland Australia, the Australian island of Tasmania, and New Zealand.

The blobfish topped the annual poll by the Mountains to Sea Conservation Trust, an environmental non-profit group, winning almost 1,300 out of more than 5,500 votes.

The animal, which has a gelatinous, tadpole-like body, benefitted from a late surge in support to overtake the endangered orange roughy, another deep sea dweller, by nearly 300 votes.

In their natural habitat, on the seabed at depths of about 2,000ft to 4,000ft (600m-1,200m), blobfish resemble any other fish.

But when brought to the surface, where the water pressure isn’t high enough to maintain their shape, blobfish morph into mushy creatures with an unfortunate appearance.

The trust’s co-director, Kim Jones, described the competition as “a battle of two quirky deep sea critters, with the blobfish’s unconventional beauty helping get voters over the line”.

The winner’s late run benefitted from the backing of two New Zealand radio hosts, Sarah Gandy and Paul Flynn, who encouraged their listeners to vote blobfish.

“We and the people of New Zealand had had enough of other fish getting all the headlines,” the broadcasters said.

They said the animal “has been bullied his whole life and we thought, ‘stuff this, it’s time for the blobfish to have his moment in the sun,’ and what a glorious moment it is!”

Source : https://news.sky.com/story/worlds-ugliest-animal-named-new-zealands-fish-of-the-year-13332179

Russian President Vladimir Putin agreed on Tuesday to stop attacking Ukrainian energy facilities temporarily but declined to endorse a full 30-day ceasefire that President Donald Trump hoped would be the first step toward a permanent peace deal.
Ukraine said it would support the scaled-back agreement, which would require both countries to hold off firing on each other’s energy infrastructure for about a month. Experts said Putin avoided making significant concessions in what could be a play for time as Russian troops advance in eastern Ukraine.

The White House said talks on a maritime ceasefire in the Black Sea as well as a more complete ceasefire and a permanent peace deal would begin immediately, following a lengthy call between Trump and Putin on Tuesday.
It was unclear whether Ukraine would be involved in those talks, which Trump envoy Steve Witkoff said will take place in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia on Sunday.
“Up until recently, we really didn’t have consensus around these two aspects – the energy and infrastructure ceasefire and the Black Sea moratorium on firing – and today we got to that place, and I think it’s a relatively short distance to a full ceasefire from there,” Witkoff told Fox News “Hannity” program.

The Kremlin did not immediately respond to Reuters’ request for comment, outside business hours, on Witkoff’s remarks.
Putin ordered the Russian military to stop attacks against energy sites after speaking with Trump, the Kremlin said.
But he raised concerns that a temporary ceasefire might allow Ukraine to rearm and mobilize more soldiers, and doubled down on his demand that any resolution required an end to all military and intelligence assistance to Ukraine, according to a Kremlin statement.
Trump told Fox News aid to Ukraine did not come up in the conversation.
Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said his country would support the proposal to stop strikes on energy facilities and infrastructure for 30 days. He said Russia launched more than 40 drones late on Tuesday, hitting a hospital in Sumy and other areas, including the Kyiv region that surrounds the Ukrainian capital.

“Today, Putin de facto rejected the proposal for a complete ceasefire. It would be right for the world to reject in response any attempts by Putin to drag out the war,” Zelenskiy said in a post on the Telegram messaging app.
Trump, who has had a complicated relationship with Zelenskiy, spoke positively of his call with Putin.
“We had a great call. It lasted almost two hours,” Trump said on Fox News’s “The Ingraham Angle” show.
But the U.S. president did not get what he wanted. Ukraine, which Trump had previously described as being more difficult to work with than Russia, had agreed to the U.S. proposal for a full 30-day ceasefire. Putin did not.
“This call brought to light how difficult of an interlocutor Russia is going to be and the general unwillingness of Russia to talk about making real progress in stopping this war,” said Kristine Berzina, a managing director at the German Marshall Fund think tank. She called the limited ceasefire “a very small step forward.”
Since Russia’s full-scale 2022 invasion, Ukraine has tried to fight back against its much larger neighbor with drone and missile strikes deep in Russian territory, including on energy facilities. Those attacks, which Moscow says amount to terrorism, have allowed Kyiv to keep pressure on Russia’s economy.
That means a ceasefire on attacking energy infrastructure could benefit Russia, said Maria Snegovaya, senior fellow at the Washington-based Center for Strategic and International Studies.
In a social media post after the call, Trump said he and Putin had agreed to work quickly toward a ceasefire and eventually a permanent peace agreement.

U.S. SHIFT WORRIES EUROPEAN ALLIES

Israeli airstrikes pounded Gaza and killed more than 400 people on Tuesday, Palestinian health authorities said, shattering nearly two months of relative calm since a ceasefire began, as Israel warned the onslaught was “just the beginning.”
Israel and Palestinian militant group Hamas accused each other of breaching the truce. It had broadly held since January and offered respite from war for the 2.3 million inhabitants of Gaza, which has been reduced to rubble.

Hamas, which still holds 59 of the 250 or so hostages Israel says the group seized in its October 7, 2023 attack, accused Israel of jeopardising efforts by mediators to negotiate a permanent deal to end the fighting, but the group made no threat of retaliation.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he ordered strikes because Hamas had rejected proposals to secure a ceasefire extension.
Netanyahu called on Gazans to get out of harm’s way and move to safer areas, blaming every civilian casualty on Hamas.

EVACUATION ORDERS

Egypt and Qatar, mediators in the ceasefire deal along with the U.S., condemned the Israeli assault, while the European Union said in a statement it deplored the breakdown of the ceasefire.
The U.N. emergency relief coordinator, Tom Fletcher, said the “modest gains” made during the ceasefire had been destroyed.
Israel has halted aid deliveries into Gaza for more than two weeks, exacerbating a humanitarian crisis.

However, Dorothy Shea, acting U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, said the blame for the resumption of Gaza hostilities “lies solely with Hamas” and expressed support for Israel in its next steps.

“Hamas could have released hostages to extend the ceasefire but instead chose refusal and war,” White House National Security Council spokesman Brian Hughes said.

BODIES STACKED UP

Former hostages and the families of some still held in Gaza expressed outrage over the resumption of war.

Released hostage Yarden Bibas, whose wife and two young sons were slain in captivity, said on Facebook that Israel’s return to fighting brought him back to Gaza, where he feared for his life. “Military pressure endangers hostages, an agreement brings them back,” he said

In Gaza, witnesses told Reuters Israeli tanks shelled areas in Rafah in the south. Bewildered children sat next to bags of belongings, ready to flee.

In hospitals strained by 15 months of bombardment, piles of bodies in white plastic sheets smeared with blood were stacked up as casualties were brought in. The health ministry said many of the dead were children, and 562 people were wounded.

Among the Hamas officials killed in the airstrikes were Essam Addalees, the de facto head of the Hamas government, Ahmed Al-Hetta, deputy justice minister, and Mahmoud Abu Watfa, the head of the Hamas-run security services, Hamas said.

As Israel launched its operation in Gaza, its forces have pressed on with an operation in the occupied West Bank and Israeli jets have struck targets in southern Lebanon and Syria in recent days.

TRUCE STANDOFF

Negotiating teams from Israel and Hamas had been in Doha as mediators sought to bridge the gap between the two sides after the end of an initial phase in the ceasefire, which saw 33 Israeli hostages and five Thais released in exchange for some 2,000 Palestinian prisoners.

Israel had been pressing for the return of the remaining hostages in exchange for a truce until after the Muslim fasting month of Ramadan and the Jewish Passover holiday in April.

On Tuesday, Hamas spokesperson Abdel-Latif Al-Qanoua told Reuters the group was still in touch with mediators, and it was keen to complete the implementation of the original deal.

Qanoua said the group remained committed to proceeding with the ceasefire agreement as signed, accusing Israel of turning against the deal by refusing to begin talks on the second phase and by suspending the entry of aid and goods into Gaza.

The war erupted after Hamas-led gunmen attacked Israel, killing some 1,200 people, according to Israeli tallies.

Source : https://www.reuters.com/world/middle-east/israeli-military-conducts-strikes-hamas-targets-gaza-army-says-2025-03-18/

Mexico City’s local congress on Tuesday passed a measure aiming to make bullfights much less harmful to bulls and matadors, a move applauded by animal rights activists but sharply criticized by fans of the centuries-old tradition.
The measure, among other things, will not allow bullfighters to use spades and swords to attack the animal, which in turn will have its horns covered to prevent injuries to humans.

The bill, introduced by Mayor Clara Brugada of the ruling Morena party, passed with 61 votes in favor and one against.
Outside of the local congress, dozens of bullfighting fans clashed with police. Some broke past a barrier and attempted to force their way inside of the building. Other demonstrators held up signs announcing their respect for the bull.
On March 1, bullfighter Emilio Macias was seriously injured in the neighboring state of Tlaxcala after being pierced in the behind by a bull’s horn.

“The aim is not to make bullfighting disappear, but evolve,” lawmaker Victor Hugo Romo de Vivar said.
Mayor Brugada celebrated the bill’s passing on X, saying it was a step into turning the capital into “a city which respects animal rights, and which will not tolerate them being subjected to abuse or violence.”
The bill will go into effect in 210 calendar days, giving the government time to issue new regulations on bullfighting.
Mexico City is home to the world’s largest bullring, even larger than those in Spain, which birthed the tradition. Bullfighting in Mexico dates back to 1529 – the time of conquistador Hernan Cortes – in what is now Mexico City.

Source : https://www.reuters.com/world/americas/mexico-city-overhauls-bullfights-win-animal-activists-2025-03-18/

U.S. President Donald Trump released material related to the 1963 assassination of former President John F. Kennedy on Tuesday, seeking to honor his campaign promise to provide more transparency about the shock event in Texas.
An initial tranche of electronic copies of papers flooded into the National Archives website, in the evening with a total of more than 80,000 expected to be published after Justice Department lawyers spent hours scouring them.

The digital documents, including PDFs of previously classified memos, offers a window into the climate of fear at the time surrounding U.S. relations with the Soviet Union shortly after the Cuban Missile Crisis of 1962 nearly led to a nuclear war.
The release is nonetheless likely to intrigue people who have long been fascinated with a dramatic period in history, with the assassination and with Kennedy himself.
Many of the documents reflected the work by investigators to learn more about assassin Lee Harvey Oswald’s time in the Soviet Union and track his movements in the months leading up to Kennedy’s assassination in Dallas on Nov. 22, 1963.

An initial review of the papers did not show deviations from the central narrative.
Trump’s secretary of health and human services, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., a son of Robert Kennedy and nephew of John F. Kennedy, has said he believes the Central Intelligence Agency was involved in his uncle’s death, an allegation the agency has described as baseless.
Kennedy Jr. declined comment when contacted by Reuters on Tuesday.
Jack Schlossberg, JFK’s grandson, said on X on Tuesday: “The Trump administration did not give anyone in President Kennedy’s family ‘a heads up’ about the release.”
Fredrik Logevall, a Harvard history professor whose books include “JFK: Coming of Age in the American Century 1917-56,” said in an email the new documents may help fill in the picture.

“It’s valuable to get all the documentation out, ideally in unredacted form. But I don’t expect dramatic new revelations that alters in some fundamental way our grasp of the event,” he said.
One document with the heading “secret” was a typed account with handwritten notes of a 1964 interview by a Warren Commission researcher who questioned Lee Wigren, a CIA employee, about inconsistencies in material provided to the commission by the State Department and the CIA about marriages between Soviet women and American men.
Oswald was married to a Soviet woman, Marina Oswald, at the time of the shooting.
Department of Defense documents from 1963 covered the Cold War of the early 1960s and the U.S. involvement in Latin America, trying to thwart Cuban leader Fidel Castro’s support of communist forces in other countries.

The documents suggest that Castro would not go so far as to provoke a war with the United States or escalate to the point “that would seriously and immediately endanger the Castro regime.”
“It appears more likely that Castro might intensify his support of subversive forces in Latin America,” the document reads.
One document released from January 1962 reveals details of a top secret project called “Operation Mongoose,” or simply “the Cuban Project,” which was a CIA-led campaign of covert operations and sabotage against Cuba, authorized by Kennedy in 1961, aimed at removing the Castro regime.
Trump signed an order shortly after taking office in January related to the documents release, prompting the Federal Bureau of Investigation to find thousands of new documents related to the Kennedy assassination in Dallas.
In the scramble to comply with Trump’s order, the U.S. Justice Department ordered some of its lawyers who handle sensitive national security matters to urgently review records from the assassination, according to a Monday evening email seen by Reuters.
“President Trump is ushering in a new era of maximum transparency,” Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard said in a post on X.
Alice L. George, a historian whose books, including The Assassination of John F. Kennedy, explore modern America, said American’s curiosity about assassinations and questions about government transparency add “to a sense that there must be important evidence hidden away in these files.”
But she said government records were unlikely to resolve questions people still have.
“I think there may continue to be more record releases,” she said. “I seriously doubt that any will include great revelations. The Warren Commission report was done well, but it was done when many of the key players were alive. It’s much harder to find the truth when most of the people involved are dead.”
Kennedy’s murder has been attributed to a sole gunman, Oswald. The Justice Department and other federal government bodies have reaffirmed that conclusion in the intervening decades. But polls show many Americans still believe his death was a result of a conspiracy.

Source : https://www.reuters.com/world/us/trump-release-80000-pages-jfk-assassination-2025-03-18/

A member of a South African research team that is confined for more than a year at an isolated Antarctica base was put under psychological evaluation there after he allegedly assaulted and sexually harassed colleagues, government officials said.

The problems at the SANAE IV base were first reported by South Africa’s Sunday Times newspaper, which said it had seen an email from a team member to authorities last month claiming the man had attacked the base leader and made threats.

The email pleaded for help.

“His behavior has escalated to a point that is deeply disturbing,” the email said, according to The Sunday Times. “I remain deeply concerned about my own safety, constantly wondering if I might become the next victim.” The report said the man allegedly made a death threat.

South Africa’s Ministry of Environment, which oversees the research missions, said in a statement Monday night that the alleged assault on the base leader was reported on Feb. 27, and officials and counselors intervened remotely “to mediate and restore relationships at the base.” They were speaking with team members almost daily, it said.

“The alleged perpetrator has willingly participated in further psychological evaluation, has shown remorse and is willingly cooperative,” the ministry said, adding that he had written a formal apology to the victim of the alleged assault. It said the allegations were being investigated. No one was identified.

The nine-member team, which includes scientists, a doctor and engineers, is expected to stay at the base for about 13 months until next year, authorities said, living in close quarters through the hostile Antarctic winter, whose six months of darkness begin in June.

The base is on a cliff in Queen Maud Land and is surrounded by a glacial ice sheet, more than 4,000 kilometers (2,485 miles) from South Africa.

The next planned visit by a supply ship is in December, according to the South African National Antarctic Program. It takes the ship around 10 days to travel from Cape Town.

Authorities said they had decided not to evacuate anyone from SANAE IV, where the onset of unpredictable weather conditions meant the team was now confined to the base.

The ministry said all team members had undergone evaluations ahead of the trip to ensure they are able to cope with the “extreme nature of the environment in Antarctica” and the isolation and confinement, and no problems were identified.

“It is not uncommon that once individuals arrive at the extremely remote areas where the scientific bases are located, an initial adjustment to the environment is required,” it said.

Previous problems have been reported at another of South Africa’s remote research bases on Marion Island, a South African territory near Antarctica.

Source : https://apnews.com/article/antarctica-research-base-assault-south-africa-b418c718060ed93dc3554c0fa827fa83

Could one of the world’s most overworked countries finally be seeing some much-needed change in the workplace?

Following recent pledges by Chinese government officials to combat overcompetition and tackle the brutal “996 work system” – the expectation of working from 9am to 9pm, six days a week – Chinese firms and companies have been stepping up, implementing official measures to encourage employees to leave work on time.

DJI, a drone manufacturing company headquartered in Shenzhen, is requiring all employees to leave the office by 9pm, a strict policy reinforced by managers and HR that has been generating debate online.

Long hours and working overtime remain prevalent in many Chinese industries, notably manufacturing, finance and China’s hyper competitive tech sector – and while some might argue that 9pm is still a late sign-off time, many have welcomed the move and praised these early efforts as a step in the right direction.

Sharing his personal experience on the Xiaohongshu social media app, a DJI software engineer who has been working at the company for the past four years, said the new measures – launched on Feb 27 – were “big news” for the company.

“I still remember how clocking off after midnight was the norm,” he wrote, adding that ride-hailing drivers who picked him up at early hours of the morning, would often mistake him for rushing to make an early morning flight, rather than heading home from work.

“From today, (working overtime) is history,” he said. “Clocking off on time at 9pm (means) I no longer have to worry about missing the last train, or waking up my wife when I get home.”

Another DJI employee in Shenzhen, with the handle lookrlookr, recounted how she had recently been chased out of the office “for the first time”, even though she was merely collecting a bag she left behind.

“A mandatory clock-off time is normal,” she said, adding that there should be “less overtime”.

At DJI’s Shanghai office, lights are reportedly switched off every day at 9pm to remind workers that it is time to sign off and head home.

Others that also recently introduced anti-involution measures include popular Chinese retailer Miniso.

In an internal memo circulated in mid-February, CEO Ye Guofu announced new rules: Meetings should not last more than 30 minutes, approvals should not take overnight to process, and the use of PowerPoint is strictly prohibited.

Chinese appliance giant Midea Group now mandates all employees to clock off work by 6.20pm and bans meetings after working hours and “unnecessary overtime”.

Writing in response to recent government calls to crackdown on workplace involution, Xiaomi founder and CEO Lei Jun voiced his full support.

“We must oppose involution and firmly adhere to high-quality development,” he wrote on his official WeChat account.

“We must firmly advance towards high-end development, highlighting differentiation and personalisation, and consistently follow the path of high-quality development.”

A 46-year-old man convicted of rape and murder is to be put to death by nitrogen gas in the southern state of Louisiana on Tuesday, the first of four executions scheduled this week in the United States.

Jessie Hoffman, who was sentenced to death for the 1996 murder of Molly Elliott, a 28-year-old advertising executive, will be the first person executed in Louisiana in 15 years.

A district court judge last week stayed Hoffman’s execution on the grounds that the use of nitrogen gas may amount to cruel and unusual punishment, which is banned under the US Constitution.

But the stay was lifted by the conservative-dominated US Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals, allowing the execution to proceed.

Only one other US state, Alabama, has carried out executions by nitrogen hypoxia, which involves pumping nitrogen gas into a facemask, causing the prisoner to suffocate.

The method has been denounced by UN experts as cruel and inhumane.

The vast majority of US executions since the Supreme Court reinstated the death penalty in 1976 have been performed using lethal injection, although South Carolina executed a man by firing squad on March 7.

Hoffman, a parking lot attendant, was convicted in 1998 of abducting Elliott in New Orleans as she went to retrieve her car and join her husband for dinner.

Hoffman forced Elliott to withdraw $200 from an ATM machine, before raping and killing her with a single shot to the head.

He was 18 years old at the time.

Elliott’s nude body was found by a duck hunter the next day on a makeshift dock by the Middle Pearl River.

Hoffman’s lawyers have appealed to the Supreme Court to halt the execution on the grounds that the nitrogen gas would “interfere with Jessie’s ability to practice his Buddhist meditative breathing.”

“The Supreme Court has repeatedly held that prisoners must be allowed to practice their religion as their lives are being taken by execution,” said Cecelia Kappel, one of Hoffman’s attorneys.

“There are plenty of execution methods Louisiana could adopt that would not interfere with Jessie’s ability to practice his Buddhist meditative breathing, and only one, nitrogen gas, that makes it impossible for him to do so,” Kappel said.

Three other executions are scheduled in the United States this week — in Arizona, Florida and Oklahoma.

Aaron Gunches, 53, is to be executed by lethal injection in Arizona on Wednesday for the 2002 murder of Ted Price, his girlfriend’s ex-husband.

Gunches has dropped legal efforts to halt his execution, which would be the first in the southwestern state since November 2022.

Wendell Grissom, 56, is to be executed by lethal injection in Oklahoma on Thursday for shooting and killing Amber Matthews, 23, in 2005 during a home robbery.

Source : https://www.ibtimes.com/us-execute-four-death-row-inmates-this-week-3766675

At least 12 people have been killed after a plane crashed off the Caribbean coast of Honduras on Monday evening, officials said.

The aircraft – operated by Honduran airline Lanhsa – crashed into the sea within a minute of take-off from the island of Roatán.

The Honduran national police and fire department separately said five people had been rescued, while one person is yet to be found.

The cause of the crash is not yet known, but Roatán’s mayor told local media it wasn’t because of the weather, which was normal. The Honduran Civil Aeronautics Agency said an investigation was under way.

The Jetstream 32 aircraft had taken off from the island’s Juan Manuel Gálvez International Airport at 18:18 local time (00:18 GMT on Tuesday), and was bound for Golosón International Airport in La Ceiba on the Honduran mainland.

Civil aviation official Carlos Padilla said, quoted by AFP news agency, that the plane “made a sharp turn to the right of the runway and fell into the water”.

In a statement on social media, the government expressed “solidarity” with the families of the victims.

“The Government of Honduras deeply regrets the tragic accident in Roatán and joins in the national mourning,” it added.

Following the crash, Honduran President Xiomara Castro “immediately activated” the country’s emergency committee, comprised of all emergency services including the military, police, fire department, Red Cross and the Ministry of Health.

Writing on X, she said the committee team was “working tirelessly” to provide assistance.

“May God protect people’s lives,” Castro added.

Videos shared by officials on social media showed rescue teams working in darkness along a rocky coastline, with small boats and stretchers.

In a post on X accompanied by photos, the Honduran armed forces said survivors with injuries were taken to a hospital in the city of San Pedro Sula by air force planes.

Source : https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cpq2pndw82jo

Israel has “resumed combat in full force” against Hamas in the Gaza Strip, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Tuesday night.

In a defiant video statement, he warned that “negotiations will continue only under fire” and that “this is just the beginning”.

His comments came after Israeli aircraft launched massive airstrikes against what the military said were Hamas targets in Gaza.

More than 400 people have been killed in the attacks, the Hamas-run health ministry said, and hundreds more injured.

The wave of strikes was the heaviest since a ceasefire began on 19 January.

STRANDED astronauts Barry Wilmore and Sunita Williams finally made a triumphant splash down on Earth – after being stuck in space for a gruelling nine months.

The pair returned home in a SpaceX Dragon spacecraft alongside two rescue mission astronauts on Tuesday night when the capsule landed spectacularly off the Florida coast.

The capsule, named Freedom, dramatically splashed down in the sea near Tallahassee, Florida – as dolphins majestically swam around the floating spacecraft.

It ended an unexpectedly long mission which started in June 2024 and lasted 286 days.

The gleeful crew were assisted out of the capsule one-by-one for the first time in nearly a year, helped by staff who put them straight into wheelchairs.

The happy heroes smiled and waved at photographers as they were wheeled away from their unthinkable nine-month ordeal.

Tense footage also showed the capsule flying down at incredibly high speeds before parachutes were suddenly deployed.

The spaceship reached a temperature of nearly 2,000C when it re-entered the atmosphere.

As the capsule flew down, it dramatically slowed down from more than 17,000mph to completely stationary within just minutes.

When it landed, the astronauts were greeted from the control centre: “Nick, Alec, Butch, Suni – on behalf of SpaceX, welcome home.”

The centre added: “I see a capsule full of grins, ear to ear.”

Nasa spokesperson Jaden Jennings said that the “splashdown was spectacular”, and that they had “optimal conditions” for the returning mission to Earth.

She added: “A new core memory was made today.”

The astronauts were not controlling or steering the capsule, as it was flying autonomously and only being monitored by the crew.

After the successful landing, recovery teams arrived in “fast boats” to complete safety checks and retrieve the parachutes.

A SpaceX recovery vessel then made its way to the craft, picked it up and opened the spaceship to allow the crew out for their first breath of fresh air.

In a tense moment just before the landing, the capsule lost all communications with the command center for several minutes.

This phenomenon is usual, as during the capsule’s re-entry into the atmosphere plasma builds up around the shield and it gets extremely hot.

Communications returned several minutes later as usual once the capsule had entered the atmosphere.

Barry “Butch” Wilmore and Sunita “Sunni” Williams had initially been sent on a days-long mission to test out Boeing’s Starliner on its first crewed flight.

But after the spaceship developed propulsion problems, they stayed in space at the International Space Station whilst their craft flew back empty.

The two astronauts came home with NASA’s Nick Hague, and Roscosmos cosmonaut Aleksandr Gorbunov, forming NASA/SpaceX Crew-9.

Astronauts Sunita Williams and Butch Wilmore returned to Earth after an eight-day mission turned into a nine-month ordeal in space. The two astronauts came home with NASA’s Nick Hague, and Roscosmos cosmonaut Aleksandr Gorbunov, forming NASA/SpaceX Crew-9.

Elon Musk’s SpaceX Dragon spacecraft brought the astronauts back home and splashed down at 3:27 am off the Florida coast.

A video of astronauts being welcomed by dolphins has gone viral.

The pods were seen swimming around the capsule when the operation to recover the capsule was underway.

“This is extremely cool,” US Vice President JD Vance commented on one of the videos.

Another user shared the video and said the dolphins “wanted to say hi to the astronauts”.

The recovery vessel successfully lifted the capsule out of the water after which the side hatch of the capsule was opened for the first time since September. The astronauts stepped out of the capsule and were taken to Houston for a 45-day rehabilitation program.

Crew-9 undocked at 10:35 am (IST), with NASA sharing a video of the spacecraft detaching from the space station. Elon Musk’s SpaceX was tasked with the responsibility to bring Crew-9 back to Earth. The Dragon capsule atop the Falcon 9 rocket was launched for the mission. Crew-10 has replaced Crew-9 at the International Space Station.

Ms Williams and Mr Wilmore, both former Navy pilots, had flown to the orbital lab on June 5 last year on what was supposed to be an eight-day mission and the first crewed flight of a Boeing Starliner. They were left stranded after the Starliner capsule suffered propulsion issues. Deemed unfit to fly, it returned uncrewed in September.

Source : https://www.ndtv.com/world-news/watch-dolphins-welcome-sunita-williams-butch-wilmore-back-home-7955654#pfrom=home-ndtv_topscroll

Authorities said damage at a Tesla service center in Las Vegas on Tuesday, including cars set ablaze, had “some of the hallmarks” of terrorism.

Las Vegas police said the person who used Molotov cocktails and shot rounds into the vehicles at the Tesla Collision Center, 6260 Badura Ave., was still on the loose Tuesday afternoon.

Video that captured the attack showed someone dressed in all black damaging at least five Teslas — two of which were engulfed in flames — at 2:45 a.m., police said. The word “resist” was also painted on the front doors of the business, police said, and at least three gunshots were fired into the cars.

“This was a targeted attack against a Tesla facility,” Assistant Sheriff Dori Koren said at a press briefing on Tuesday. “We do believe that it is isolated at this time.”

However, he said the Metropolitan Police Department had increased its presence at Tesla-related locations in the valley as a precaution.

According to police, the person responsible for the attack used multiple incendiary devices to set the Teslas on fire, and one of the devices was found unexploded in a car. The collision center is located near Jones Boulevard and the 215 Beltway in the southwest valley.

The Clark County Fire Department and the FBI’s Joint Terrorism Task Force also are investigating the matter. Agents arrived at the scene early Tuesday morning, according to FBI Special Agent in Charge Spencer Evans.

Evans said that while it was too early to call the attack an act of terrorism, it had “some of the hallmarks” and a “potential political agenda.”

“Violent acts like this are unacceptable, regardless of where they occur,” Evans said at Tuesday’s press briefing.

He urged anyone intending to commit similar acts to “seriously reconsider.”

“It’s a federal crime,” Evans said. “We will come after you. We will find you and prosecute you to the fullest extent of the law.”

While he said he was aware of reports of incidents in other states, Evans added that it was still too early to know if they were connected.

In a post on X, Tesla CEO Elon Musk responded to a video of the burning cars shared by the Las Vegas Review-Journal, saying “this level of violence is insane and deeply wrong.”

“Tesla just makes electric cars and has done nothing to deserve these evil attacks,” Musk added in his post.

Nevada Gov. Joe Lombardo, former sheriff of Clark County, replied to the post.

“This type of politically-motivated violence is despicable — and those responsible will be found and prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law,” he wrote.

Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto, D-Nev., said she had full confidence in law enforcement.

“Let me be clear: these actions are unacceptable, and I condemn them fully,” she wrote on X.

Musk leads the new Department of Government Efficiency, also known as DOGE, and its goal of trimming federal spending has spurred layoffs and closure announcements across the federal workforce in the first few weeks of the second Trump administration.

Tuesday’s attack on Tesla vehicles in Las Vegas follows a Cybertruck explosion outside Trump International in Las Vegas on New Year’s Day.

In that incident, authorities have said Matthew Livelsberger, 37, an active-duty military operations sergeant from Colorado who served in the U.S. Army as a Green Beret, shot himself in the head seconds before his rented Tesla Cybertruck exploded.

Seven bystanders were injured as a result of the explosion at the resort near the Strip, according to police.

Authorities have said Livelsberger likely suffered from PTSD and had other “personal grievances.”

Source : https://www.reviewjournal.com/crime/several-vehicle-set-on-fire-at-tesla-in-las-vegas-police-say-3322726/

A survey of over 100,000 Germans revealed that 94% won’t buy a Tesla vehicle. It doesn’t bode well for the automaker, whose sales had already been falling off a cliff in the important European market.

In 2024, Tesla saw a 41% reduction in sales in Germany compared to 2023 despite EV sales surging 27% during the year.

This has already raised red flags about Tesla’s future in Germany, but it is nothing compared to Tesla’s performance so far in 2025.

Tesla’s sales were down 70% in the first two months of 2025, and again, that’s compared to its already poor performance in 2024.

There are many factors at play, including increased EV competition and the Model Y changeover, but in recent months, industry experts have attributed Tesla’s decline in the country to Germans being upset with Tesla CEO Elon Musk’s meddling in local elections and promoting the far-right AfD party.

Musk is currently under probe in Europe for his political meddling, and his reputation has crashed in Germany after a couple of Seig Heil salutes at Trump’s inauguration and several questionable posts promoting fascist and Nazi ideologies, like this one yesterday:

This does not help Tesla’s prospects in Europe, particularly Germany. Only 20% of voters sided with AfD, and Tesla shouldn’t necessarily count on them being potential customers.

AfD has been staunchly against Tesla and even ran ads like this:

Now, a new survey of 100,000 Germans by T-Online about Tesla showed that only 3% of respondents would consider buying a Tesla vehicle:

Those are impressive results, and they explain Tesla’s current sales in Germany.

Some Tesla shareholders hope that the new version of the Model Y will help reverse the trend, but those poll results don’t look good.

Furthermore, Tesla’s Model 3 sales are also crashing in Germany, which suggests that Model Y is not the only problem.

Source : https://electrek.co/2025/03/14/tesla-is-done-in-germany-94-say-they-wont-buy-a-tesla-car/

THE world’s most expensive dog has sold for a whopping £4.4million – and one of its parents is a wolf.

An Indian dog enthusiast dropped the eyewatering sum, equivalent to 500million rupees, on a “wolfdog” called Cadabomb Okami.

The pricey pooch is a cross between an actual wolf and a Caucasian Shepherd – thought to be the first of its kind.

The new owner is S Sathish, 51, a renowned dog breeder from Bengaluru in southern Karnataka, India, who owns over 150 different breeds.

Touted as the rarest dog in the world, Okami was born in the US and sold through a broker in India in February.

At just eight months old, the pup already weighs a staggering 75kg and stands at 30 inches tall.

Sathish, who is president of the Indian Dog Breeders Association, said: “He is an extremely rare breed of dog and looks exactly like a wolf. This breed has not been sold in the world before.

“The dog was bred in the US and is extraordinary. I spent 50 million rupees on buying this pup because I am fond of dogs and like to own unique dogs and introduce them to India.”

Caucasian Shepherds are muscular, fluffy dogs native to cold countries such as Georgia, Armenia, Azerbaijan and parts of Russia.

They are incredible guard dogs, so often used to protect herds of livestock from wolves on mountainsides.

The new arrival has become a sensation in Karnataka where Sathish has paraded him around several high-profile events including film premieres.

One clip of Okami hitting the red carpet at a premiere has attracted almost 3 million views online, Sathish claimed.

The canine enthusiast stopped breeding dogs around a decade ago, but now earns enough money just from showcasing his rare breeds to eager audiences.

He can pull in anywhere between £2200 for 30 minutes to £9000 for five hours just by turning up to events with his unique pooches.

Sathis explained: “I spent money on these dogs because they are rare. Besides, I get enough money because people are always curious to see them.

“They take selfies and pictures. My dog and I get more attention than an actor at a movie screening, we both are crowd-pullers.”

Sathish also owns a Chow Chow – famous for resembling a red panda

At his Cadabom’s Kennels, Sathish also keeps a rare Chow-Chow.

This is a blue-tongued breed that strikingly resembles a Qinling panda – the red and white species from China.

He bought that pup for more than £2.5million last year.

He keeps all his dogs, including Okami and Qinling, on a seven acre farm, where each has a 20ft by 20ft room as a kennel.

Tight security is needed to protect his valuable pack, so he has a 10ft-tall wall around the plot and constant CCTV.

Sathis said: “There is enough space for them to walk and run. There are six people to look after them.

Source : https://www.the-sun.com/news/13805145/worlds-most-expensive-dog-wolf-india/

PRINCE Harry’s secret visa documents have been released but large sections are redacted – and a key question remains.

The US government had until the end of the day to publish the previously unseen papers relating to Harry’s immigration status.

The heavily redacted court documents read: “Plaintiffs allege that the records should be disclosed as public confidence in the government would suffer or to establish whether the Duke was granted preferential treatment.

“This speculation by Plaintiffs does not point to any evidence of government misconduct.

“The records, as explained above, do not support such an allegation but show the regulatory process involved in reviewing and granting immigration benefits which was done in compliance with the
Immigration and Nationality Act, 8 U.S.C. § 1103 and applicable rules and regulation.”

In a surprising twist, pages and pages of the highly anticipated files have been redacted.

The key question regarding whether or not Harry did tick the ‘no’ box about drug use, remains to be answered.

However, the files did conclude the duke was not given special treatment.

But, the majority of a secret hearing in April last year was blacked out.

Judge Carl Nichols ruled that the redacted documents should be made public by today at the latest but did not give a specific time frame.

The Heritage Foundation think tank has been seeking their release after Harry admitted using drugs in his memoir Spare and Netflix show.

They suggest he may have lied about using drugs on his visa application or been given special treatment by the previous White House administration under President Joe Biden.

President Donald Trump last month ruled out seeking to deport Harry while taking a swipe at his wife Meghan Markle, who he described as “terrible”.

On Saturday, court papers filed showed Judge Nichols made the ruling that Harry’s redacted docs would have to be made public.

The legal battle began after groups believed Harry should not have been allowed into the US after revealing his drug consumption.

In his bombshell memoir, Harry admitted cocaine “didn’t do anything for me”, but “Marijuana is different, that actually really did help me”.

It triggered an investigation into how he was allowed to enter the US in 2020, when he quit the UK with Meghan.

Heritage’s Nile Gardiner previously told The Telegraph: “Anyone who applies to the United States has to be truthful on their application, and it is not clear that is the case with Prince Harry.”

This comes after Judge Nichols previously ruled in September last year the files would remain private.

He stated there was not a strong enough public interest to see Harry’s docs released.

But the latest development was pushed by lawyers for the Department of Homeland Security in February.

They argued “iron-glad guardrails” were broken and certain evidence should have been reviewed in court, which were not, which meant their ability to build a case against Harry’s appeal were “severely compromised”.

APPLE users could receive part of a $20 million payout from the tech giant but they only have days left to “confirm” the “payment”.

Earlier this year, Apple agreed to resolve claims that specific Apple Watch models were defective.

Some users also queried how the damaged battery of their watch had swelled.

The settlement benefits those who own one of the listed devices which were first affected in April 2015.

Having been impacted as recent as February 6 of last year, there is a chance that some may be entitled to cash for a 2024 purchase.

The class action lawsuit includes those who own or previously owned a first-generation Series 1, 2 or 3 Watch.

All of these have been noted on Apple’s records as having “reported battery-swelling issues” between 2015 and 2024.

It is thought that the manufacturing error has been caused by a lack of internal space for normal battery swelling.

The battery swelling has been reported for causing further damage to components, including screens, resulting in costly repairs.

Known for its iPhones and Macbook products, Apple has not admitted any fault but has agreed to the settlement.

As part of the resolution, class members could be entitled to receive cash payments, covering their device.

For each item owned an individual could receive $20 with a pro rata portion of the net settlement fund expected to be less than this value.

Americans also have a final chance to cash in on up to $5,400 from a $500,000 settlement over an alleged data breach.

A receipt is all that’s needed to get the cash.

McPherson hospital in Kansas has agreed to pay half-a-million dollars in a class action lawsuit to resolve claims against it.

And Americans also have the chance to grab a share of a $5.8 million settlement – and don’t even need documents to cash in.

Nationstar Mortgage has agreed to pay the millions to resolve claims that it broke mortgage servicing laws.

It is alleged that the violation led to some borrowers losing their homes through foreclosure – when a property is repossessed due to mortgage payments not being made.

If the fund exceeds a certain level, then each member could receive payments worth double the original amount.

With the final approval early next month, those hoping to receive the payout will likely have already acted.

The hearing has been scheduled for April 10.

Class members do not need a claim form but will need to confirm the payment information on the settlement website.

This should ensure they receive a payment.

Those who do not exclude themselves, could still receive automatic benefits.

Source : https://www.the-sun.com/money/13811261/apple-users-settlement-watch-models-payment/

Sunita Williams return : After a nine-month-long overstay, NASA astronaut Sunita Williams and Butch Wilmore are expected to return to Earth tomorrow as the crew successfully undocked from the International Space Station (ISS) today.

Sunita Williams and Butch Wilmore are returning to the Earth after a nine-month-long overstay at the International Space Station (ISS). They are accompanied by astronaut Nick Hague and Russian cosmonaut Aleksandr Gorbunov. Their return to Earth is part of a contingency plan devised by NASA with technical assistance from the world’s richest man, Elon Musk’s company, SpaceX.

NASA said the Crew-9 members successfully undocked from the International Space Station as scheduled. “Sunni and Butch successfully begin their belated journey back home,” the agency said in its commentary.

The four-member crew undocked from the ISS at 1:05 am ET (10:35 am IST) and began a 17-hour trip back to Earth. The replacement crew was handed over the responsibilities of the mission before Sunita Williams and Butch Wilmore returned to Earth.

The four-member crew expected to splash down in the Gulf of Mexico at 5:57 pm ET on Tuesday (3:27 am IST, Wednesday). The exact location of the landing will depend on local weather conditions.

Sunita Williams return | Key points

-Sunita Williams and Butch Wilmore spent 286 days on the International Space Station, where they conducted over 4500 orbits and travelled more than 121 million statute miles

-The crew will undergo NASA’s 45-day post-mission rehabilitation program is designed to help astronauts recover from the physical effects of spaceflight.

-Their return was scheduled to begin initially on Wednesday night, but NASA postponed the journey as unfavourable weather are expected to prevail later in the week.

-‘Butch and Suni’ travelled to the ISS in June last year for a scheduled eight-day mission. They were forced to stay as Boeing Starliner capsule developed issues with its propulsion system.

-The duo was the first crew to fly Boeing’s Starliner in a test flight. The faulty capsule returned to Earth last September.

Source : https://www.hindustantimes.com/world-news/sunita-williams-earth-return-live-updates-butch-willmore-nasa-elon-musk-iss-undocking-spacex-101742263854845.html

The Oscars want more Conan!

After a rapturous reception at this year’s Academy Awards, emcee Conan O’Brien will return to the Dolby Theatre for the 98th Oscars on March 15, 2026.

The announcement comes from Bill Kramer, Academy CEO, and Janet Yang, Academy president, who also confirmed the return of the Emmy-winning producing team Raj Kapoor and Katy Mullan, who will lead the show for the third consecutive year.

Using his signature humor, O’Brien quipped in a statement: “The only reason I’m hosting the Oscars next year is that I want to hear Adrien Brody finish his speech.”

Brody’s best actor speech for “The Brutalist” clocked in as the longest in the ceremony’s history.

“We are thrilled to bring back Conan, Raj, Katy, Jeff and Mike for the 98th Oscars!” Kramer and Yang said in a joint statement. “This year, they produced a hugely entertaining and visually stunning show that celebrated our nominees and the global film community in the most beautiful and impactful way. Conan was the perfect host — skillfully guiding us through the evening with humor, warmth and reverence. It is an honor to be working with them again.”

The 97th Oscars, held earlier this month, delivered the highest viewership numbers in five years. The broadcast drew 19.69 million viewers and had a dominant presence on social media, racking up 104.2 million interactions, surpassing both the Grammys and the Super Bowl in online engagement.

Craig Erwich, president of Disney Television Group, praised O’Brien’s “unforgettable performance,” conveying he’s a a great choice to lead Hollywood’s biggest night once again. “Conan’s unique comedic style perfectly captured the moment, and I’m excited to have his talents back onstage next year to helm another indelible performance.”

Behind the scenes, Kapoor and Mullan will once again oversee production, promising another dazzling celebration of cinema. “We are both so honored to be returning in our roles for the 98th Oscars,” the producers said. “We can’t wait to work with Conan and his entire team as we continue to explore even more special and heartfelt opportunities to celebrate next year’s nominees and the impact of film around the world.”

O’Brien’s return marks another milestone in a career spanning decades in television and comedy. Currently, he hosts the podcast “Conan O’Brien Needs a Friend” and the HBO/Max travel series “Conan O’Brien Must Go” and will appear in the upcoming feature film “If I Had Legs I’d Kick You.”

While it’s too early to know which films will compete for the coveted Oscar statuettes, 2026’s film calendar looks promising. Variety previewed an eclectic mix of upcoming contenders, including big-budget blockbusters like Jon M. Chu’s musical sequel “Wicked: For Good,” auteur-driven projects such as Chloé Zhao’s adaptation of the acclaimed novel “Hamnet,” and two separate Frankenstein films — Guillermo del Toro’s “Frankenstein,” starring Oscar Isaac and Jacob Elordi, and Maggie Gyllenhaal’s “The Bride,” featuring Jessie Buckley and Christian Bale.

Source : https://variety.com/2025/film/awards/conan-obrien-oscars-host-2026-date-march-1236338970/

Pavel Durov, the founder and CEO of social messaging app Telegram, has been allowed to fly home to Dubai as French authorities continue their unprecedented case against him.

The tech billionaire was arrested in August after being accused of failing to properly moderate his app to reduce criminality.

Mr Durov denies failing to cooperate with law enforcement over drug trafficking, child sexual abuse content and fraud. Telegram has previously denied having insufficient moderation.

It is the first time a tech leader has been arrested for criminality taking place on their platform.

Mr Durov said in a post on his Telegram channel: “The process is ongoing but it feels great to be home.”

The 40-year-old was arrested in August 2024 as he arrived in Paris on his private jet, and French judges initially did not allow him to leave France.

But the office of the Paris prosecutor told the BBC on Monday that “the obligations of judicial supervision” had been suspended between 15 March and 7 April.

No further details were given about the conditions of his release from France.

Mr Durov lives in Dubai and was born in Russia, where he has citizenship, as well as in France, the United Arab Emirates and the Caribbean island nation of St Kitts and Nevis.

Telegram is particularly popular in Russia, Ukraine and former Soviet Union states as well as Iran.

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his New Zealand counterpart, Christopher Luxon, met Monday seeking to deepen their defense and economic ties, a day after the countries announced the revival of negotiations for a free trade agreement.

Modi and Luxon met in New Delhi and signed agreements on enhancing cooperation in defense, food processing, pharmaceuticals, renewable energy and critical minerals.

Luxon said he held “highly productive meetings” with Modi and other Indian leaders that will improve ties between India and New Zealand. The defense relationship includes joint military training, he said.

“New Zealand is committed to doing more with India across a wide range of areas — defense and security, trade and economics, people-to-people ties, education, tourism, sports and culture,” Luxon said at joint press conference with Modi.

Luxon was accompanied by business leaders and several parliamentarians on his five-day visit to India.

India and New Zealand on Sunday agreed to revive free trade negotiations that have been stalled for more than 10 years.

The announcement was made after discussions between New Zealand Trade and Investment Minister Todd McClay and his Indian counterpart, Piyush Goyal. It follows India’s recent efforts to broker trade deal agreements with other nations after U.S. President Donald Trump’s decision to impose reciprocal tariffs on imported goods from countries including India.

India and the European Union last month agreed to finalize a long-pending free trade agreement by the end of this year. A similar trade deal between India and the United Kingdom is also in the works.

India’s Commerce Ministry said the free trade deal between India and New Zealand aims to “achieve balanced outcomes that enhance supply-chain integration and improve market access.” It did not offer other details.

Source : https://apnews.com/article/india-new-zealand-free-trade-deal-a3c1515d7b6b07e79fa460f9ef9ee35c

Mixed martial arts fighter Conor McGregor has met Donald Trump in the Oval Office after complaining about Ireland’s “illegal immigration racket”.

The 36-year-old told Mr Trump that his work ethic was “inspiring”, with the two men sharing jovial comments about the fighter’s suit and a map featuring the Gulf of Mexico labelled as the Gulf of America.

In comments made in the White House briefing room before the meeting during the St. Patrick’s Day visit, he said he was visiting the White House to “raise the issues the people of Ireland face”.

“What is going on in Ireland is a travesty,” he said. “Our government is the government of zero action with zero accountability.”

McGregor warned “Ireland is at the cusp of potentially losing its Irishness” due to the “illegal immigration racket”.

“Ireland and America, we are siblings. We consider America our big sibling. So it’s important for Ireland to be a peaceful, prosperous country for 40 million Irish Americans to have a place to visit, [to] come back to their home.

“So we wish for our relationship with the United States to continue, and we wish to be taken care of by the big bro. The United States should look after its little bro. And that’s how we feel,” McGregor said.

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt, who appeared alongside McGregor in the briefing room, said: “We couldn’t think of a better guest to have with us on St. Patrick’s Day.”

At a meeting with Irish Prime Minister Micheal Martin last week, Mr Trump said McGregor was his favourite Irish person partly because “he’s got the best tattoos I’ve ever seen”.

But Mr Martin and deputy prime minister Simon Harris have been critical of today’s Trump-McGregor meeting.

In a post on X, Mr Martin said: “McGregor’s remarks are wrong, and do not reflect the spirit of St Patrick’s Day, or the views of the people of Ireland.”

Meanwhile, Mr Harris said that McGregor was not in the US to represent Ireland and did not speak for the people of Ireland, and “has no mandate to”.

In exclusive comments made to Sky News’ David Blevins about Mr Martin’s comments, McGregor said: “Shame on him for saying that, speaking down on an Irish man.”

He added: “Every metric available to us has shown that the government of Ireland has failed the people of Ireland.”

Mr Trump is well known for his support of Ultimate Fighting Championship, which McGregor is best known for competing in, and attended bouts during the 2024 presidential campaign.

McGregor is a controversial figure in Ireland after a woman who accused him of raping her won her civil case and was awarded more than £200,000 in damages.

Tesco was among the retailers that stopped selling alcohol brands linked to McGregor after Nikita Hand was awarded €248,603 (£206,000) after a jury found McGregor assaulted her in a hotel in 2018.

McGregor is appealing against the outcome of the civil case.

McGregor also pleaded guilty to assaulting a man in a Dublin pub in 2019 and has been subject to several other allegations of assault and sexual assault.

His social media posts were also linked to the 2023 Dublin riots. Irish police were reportedly investigating McGregor’s posts for alleged incitement to hatred in relation to the riots.

Source : https://news.sky.com/story/mcgregor-meets-trump-after-raging-about-immigration-in-ireland-13330939

Chinese nationalist influencers have taken to social media to thank President Donald Trump for terminating media organizations Voice of America (VOA) and Radio Free Asia (RFA), outlets that heavily criticized the Chinese government.

“Thank you, Comrade Chuan Jianguo and Elon Musk, please take care and stay safe,” a Weibo user said on Monday.

Trump signed an executive order to eliminate VOA and RFA, two media outlets accessible to those living under authoritarian regimes and funded by the US government, on Friday. The Chinese government had directed much of its propaganda towards discrediting the outlets due to their constant censure of the government.

One newspaper operated by the Communist Party, The Global Times, celebrated the demise of VOA in an editorial, referring to the outlet as “Washington’s carefully crafted propaganda machine for peaceful evolution.”

“The carefully constructed ‘iron curtain of public opinion’ they have built is also on the verge of collapse under the impact of countless media and self-media showcasing authentic content,” the editorial continued. “As more Americans begin to break through their information cocoons and see a real world and a multidimensional China, the demonizing narratives propagated by VOA will ultimately become a laughingstock of the times.”

The demise of VOA, alongside the 1,300 administrative staff members who have been placed on leave because of it, both have been celebrated by nationalist influencers on Chinese social media.

“Voice of America has been paralyzed! And so has Radio Free Asia, which is just as malicious toward China. How truly gratifying!” wrote Hu Xijin, a former editor-in-chief of the Global Times and prominent nationalist commentator.

“Almost all Chinese people know the Voice of America, as it is a symbolic tool of US ideological infiltration into China,” Hu wrote in a post on microblogging site Weibo. “(I) believe that Chinese people are more than happy to see America’s anti-China ideological stronghold crumble from within, scattering like a flock of startled birds.”

Source :https://www.latintimes.com/china-praises-trump-silencing-voice-america-thank-you-comrade-578602

DONALD Trump has sensationally ended Hunter Biden’s Secret Service protection “effective immediately”.

The President said it was “ridiculous” Joe Biden’s son still had 18 agents protecting him – all of whom are paid for by the taxpayer.

Trump said on Truth Social: “Hunter Biden has had Secret Service protection for an extended period of time, all paid for by the United States Taxpayer.”

“Please be advised that, effective immediately, Hunter Biden will no longer receive Secret Service protection.”

He added that Joe Biden’s daughter, Ashley, who has 13 agents for protection, will also be “taken off the list”.

Trump’s announcement came just hours after a reporter asked him about Hunter’s Secret Service detail.

While touring the John F Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts on Monday afternoon, Trump was asked if he would revoke the protection for the former president’s son.

He said: “Well, we have done that with many.

“I would say if there are 18 with Hunter Biden, that will be something I’ll look at this afternoon.”

He added that this was the first time he heard about the matter.

“I’m going to take a look at that,” the President said.

All former presidents and their spouses receive Secret Service protection for their whole lives under federal law – but the protection offered to their immediate families over the age of 16 ends when they leave office.

Both Trump and Biden extended the details for their children for six months before leaving office.

The President slammed Hunter for being on holiday in South Africa whilst using taxpayer money for his protection.

He said: “There are as many as 18 people on this Detail, which is ridiculous!

“He is currently vacationing in, of all places, South Africa, where the Human Rights of people has been strenuously questioned.

“Because of this, South Africa has been taken off our list of Countries receiving Economic and Financial Assistance.

He added that effective immediately, Hunter Biden will no longer be entitled to Secret Service protection.

Trump continued: “Likewise, Ashley Biden who has 13 agents will be taken off the list.”

Hunter Biden has long been a political target of Trump’s.

The Don took aim at Hunter after he was pardoned by his dad at the end of his term – breaking an earlier pledge that he would not interfere with his son’s legal issues.

Trump called the pardon a “miscarriage of justice”.

The development is another chapter in the pair’s bitter rivalry – after President Trump halted Biden’s access to daily intelligence briefings in February as revenge for Biden doing the same four years ago.

Biden barred Trump from receiving intelligence briefings that are usually given to former presidents, justifying his actions by claiming Trump’s behaviour before the Capital attack was concerning.

Trump added his notorious phrase “YOU’RE FIRED” on Truth Social whilst claiming that Biden no longer needed to “continue receiving access to classified information”.

The Republican previously revoked the security clearance of more than two dozen former intelligence officials, who he accused of fiddling with the 2020 election which he branded the “greatest fraud in US history”.

He has also revoked security details of other officials before, including Mike Pompeo, Trump’s former secretary of state, John Bolton, his former national security adviser, and Brian Hook, a former aide.

It came despite warnings from the Biden administration that the men faced threats from Iran due to actions they carried out on Trump’s behalf, according to The New York Times.

Source : https://www.the-sun.com/news/13803907/trump-ends-secret-service-biden-hunter/

Thai Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra called on Monday (Mar 17) for legal action after six people were killed at the weekend on a highway construction project that has seen several deadly incidents in recent years.

A concrete beam forming part of an under-construction elevated roadway collapsed early on Saturday on Rama II road, an important highway linking Bangkok to the country’s south.

Paetongtarn chaired an urgent meeting with government agencies on Monday to discuss safety after the accident, which also injured dozens of people.

She said contractors could have their licences revoked if they were found to have been negligent and criminal charges could follow.

“We will see if any processes have been ignored, and whether the construction work followed the rules and regulations. There may be criminal responsibility,” she said during the meeting.

Rama II road, which leads southwest from Bangkok, is the primary artery linking the capital to the long narrow stretch of southern Thailand.

Major work has been under way for years to expand the road’s capacity and reduce congestion but the project has been beset by delays and fatalities.

A crane collapse in November last year killed at least three workers, while the Bangkok Post reported two more deadly accidents in May 2023 and January 2024.

Transport Minister Suriya Jungrungreangkit said his department would investigate why there have been so many accidents and look at blacklisting those responsible.

Source : https://www.channelnewsasia.com/asia/thailand-construction-deaths-pm-paetongtarn-shinawatra-legal-action-5005206

The Republican leader issued the warning on his social media platform Truth Social on Monday, signing the post with his name.

“Let nobody be fooled! The hundreds of attacks being made by Houthi, the sinister mobsters and thugs based in Yemen, who are hated by the Yemeni people, all emanate from, and are created by, IRAN,” Trump wrote.

“Any further attack or retaliation by the ‘Houthis’ will be met with great force, and there is no guarantee that that force will stop there.”

The Houthis have led a series of attacks against Israeli vessels and other commercial ships in the Red Sea, in protest against Israel’s war in Gaza and its blockade of humanitarian supplies into the Palestinian territory.

Experts widely acknowledge that Iran helps to arm the Houthis, who are considered part of an informal “axis of resistance” backed by Iran.

While Trump has previously pushed Iran to end its support for the Houthis, his remarks on Monday signal a significant escalation — hinting at potential military action against Iran itself.

“Every shot fired by the Houthis will be looked upon, from this point forward, as being a shot fired from the weapons and leadership of IRAN, and IRAN will be held responsible, and suffer the consequences, and those consequences will be dire!” Trump wrote in his post.

The comments arrive at a delicate time diplomatically for Trump and his counterparts in Iran.

Trump has been pushing Iran to denuclearise — though in 2018, during his first term in the White House, the president withdrew the US from the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), a deal that would have seen Iran curtail its nuclear ambitions in exchange for sanctions relief.

Earlier this month, Trump sent a letter to Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, warning that the US could respond “militarily” if a nuclear deal is not reached.

But Khamenei has rebuffed Trump’s attempts to negotiate, dismissing him as “bullying” and pointing to the fact that Trump scuttled the previous agreement.

Iran has consistently said its nuclear programme is for civilian purposes, and it has denied pursuing a nuclear weapon.

Simultaneously, Trump has heightened US attacks on the Houthis, after the armed group warned last week it would seek to ban Israeli ships from nearby waterways.

“Any Israeli vessel attempting to violate this ban will be subject to military targeting in the declared operational area,” the Houthis said in a statement.

The rebels signalled the ban arose from a blockade Israel has imposed on Gaza, preventing humanitarian supplies from entering the war-torn territory since March 2.

Israel, however, is a longtime ally of the US, and Trump responded to the Houthis’ threats with one of his own on Saturday.

“Today, I have ordered the United States Military to launch decisive and powerful Military action against the Houthi terrorists in Yemen,” Trump wrote over the weekend, ushering in a 24-hour period of intense bombing in Yemen.

From Saturday to Sunday, the US conducted an estimated 47 aerial strikes, hitting seven Yemeni provinces and killing an estimated 53 people. The Yemeni capital of Sanaa, which is controlled by the Houthis, was among the areas affected.

In announcing the weekend attacks, Trump also warned Iran about its backing for the Houthis.

“To Iran: Support for the Houthi terrorists must end IMMEDIATELY! Do NOT threaten the American People, their President, who has received one of the largest mandates in Presidential History, or Worldwide shipping lanes,” he wrote.

“If you do, BEWARE, because America will hold you fully accountable and, we won’t be nice about it!”

The Houthis have attacked nearly 100 vessels in the region since November 2023, sinking two, and Trump is not the first president to carry out attacks against Houthi targets.

Trump’s predecessor, Democratic President Joe Biden, likewise ordered multiple rounds of attacks on Houthi-controlled areas in Yemen.

But Biden and his administration described the attacks as designed to disrupt the Houthis’ military capabilities, and they adamantly denied seeking to escalate the violence. “We don’t want to see a regional war,” Pentagon spokesperson Sabrina Singh said in 2024.

Trump, however, dismissed Biden’s efforts against the Houthis as “pathetically weak”. He and Biden were rivals in the 2020 presidential election, which Trump lost.

The Houthis, meanwhile, have promised to respond to Trump’s attacks. “We will confront escalation with escalation,” their leader, Abdul-Malik al-Houthi, said on Sunday.

Already, the group has claimed to have made a retaliatory strike against a US naval vessel.

On Monday, the US Department of Defence signalled attacks from the Houthis would not be tolerated.

“ If you shoot at American troops, there will be consequences,” spokesperson Sean Parnell said, touting Trump’s “peace through strength” stance. “We will use overwhelming lethal force until we have achieved our objective.”

But Parnell was quick to specify that Trump was not seeking war either, despite the US’s new threats. “This is also not an endless offensive. This is not about regime change in the Middle East. This is about putting American interests first.”

Colin Clarke — the director of research for the Soufan Group, a consultancy firm — told Al Jazeera that Trump’s increasingly heated rhetoric appears to run contrary to some of his campaign-trail rhetoric.

In running for a second term in 2024, Trump pledged to bring peace to the Middle East and withdraw the US from foreign wars.

“ Look, Trump has talked endlessly about withdrawing from the Middle East. He doesn’t want to become entangled in foreign wars,” Clarke said. “So it’s interesting that he’s escalating with these kinetic strikes, really as a signal directly to the leadership in Tehran.”

Source : https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2025/3/17/trump-warns-iran-will-be-held-responsible-for-houthi-attacks-from-yemen

The fire broke out during a concert by a hip-hop duo called DNK at the Pulse club in the town of Kocani about 3am (02:00 GMT) on Sunday when sparks from flares set the ceiling alight. About 155 people were also injured, triggering an outpouring of grief in the small Balkan country.

Authorities were investigating the flouting of license regulations and allegations of bribery linked to the nightclub, which was crammed with young revellers at double capacity when the fire tore through it.

Authorities have so far arrested and detained about 20 people for questioning in connection with the fire, including government officials and the nightclub’s manager.

One of DNK’s singers, Andrej Gjorgjieski, was killed and the other, Vladimir Blazev, was injured while a guitarist, a drummer and a back-up singer also died.

The death toll may rise because 20 of the injured are in critical condition, Health Minister Arben Taravari said on Monday.

Countries including Greece, Bulgaria, Serbia and Turkiye have accepted about 50 patients with the most serious injuries for treatment while several countries are also sending medical teams to North Macedonia, officials said.

“All patients who have been transferred abroad are currently in stable condition. We hope it stays that way and that we will receive positive news from abroad,” Taravari said.

‘We cannot be silent’

In the capital, Skopje, hundreds of people massed at a university in frigid rain for a student-led memorial ceremony, during which people observed several minutes of silence, laid flowers and lit candles at a makeshift shrine.

Emotions ran high for some.

The average annual salary for a female professional soccer player globally is $10,900, says FIFA’s annual report on the women’s game, a figure skewed by a small number of top clubs.
Among the teams FIFA designated as Tier 1, which includes 41 clubs from 16 countries, the average salary was around $24,030, although 16 of those top clubs paid an average gross salary of over $50,000, according to the “Setting the Pace, FIFA Benchmarking Report on Women’s Football” released on Monday.

The highest of those salaries was approximately $120,000.
The average gross salary, however, at Tier 2 and 3 clubs was $4,361 and $2,805, respectively.
“There is a need for players of a certain standard to earn a reliable and sufficient income solely from playing, reducing their dependence on secondary sources of income and allowing them to dedicate the time required to play at a higher level,” the report said.
Tier 1 clubs also featured the longest player contracts, most commonly between one and three years, with salaries highest for contracts of two to three years, while Tier 3 teams were most likely of the tiers to offer contracts under three months.

LEAGUE RECORD

U.S. President Donald Trump, who has ordered the release of classified documents related to the 1963 assassination of U.S. President John F. Kennedy, said on Monday that his administration will make public around 80,000 pages of files related to the former president on Tuesday.
“People have been waiting for decades for this,” Trump told reporters during a visit to The Kennedy Center in Washington.

Earlier this year, Trump signed an executive order directing the federal government to present a plan to release records related to the assassinations of Kennedy, his brother Robert Kennedy and Martin Luther King Jr.
The U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation said in early February it had found thousands of new documents related to the assassination of Kennedy.
Trump signed an order during his first week in office related to the release and promised to release also documents concerning the assassinations of civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr. and Senator Robert Kennedy, both of whom were killed in 1968.

Source : https://www.reuters.com/world/us/around-80000-pages-jfk-files-will-be-released-tuesday-trump-says-2025-03-17/

U.S. President Donald Trump said he would speak to Russia’s Vladimir Putin on Tuesday morning about ending the Ukraine war, with territorial concessions by Kyiv and control of the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant likely to feature prominently in the talks.
“What’s happening in Ukraine is not good, but we’re going to see if we can work a peace agreement, a ceasefire and peace, and I think we’ll be able to do it,” Trump told reporters in Washington on Monday.

Trump has been trying to win Putin’s support for a 30-day ceasefire proposal that Ukraine accepted last week, as both sides traded heavy aerial strikes early on Monday and Russia moved closer to ejecting Ukrainian forces from their months-old foothold in the western Russian region of Kursk.
Trump said Ukrainian soldiers in the Kursk region were “in deep trouble,” surrounded by Russian soldiers.
He said his freeze on military aid to Ukraine earlier this month and his contentious Oval Office meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy may have helped persuade Kyiv.

“A lot of people are being killed over there, and we had to get Ukraine to do the right thing,” he said. “But I think they’re doing the right thing right now.”
Zelenskiy, in his nightly video address, accused Putin of prolonging the war, saying that when the Russian leader speaks to Trump, he will have been aware of the ceasefire proposal for a week.
“This proposal could have been implemented long ago,” he said. “Every day in wartime means human lives,” he said.
Asked late on Sunday what concessions were being considered in ceasefire negotiations, Trump said: “We’ll be talking about land. We’ll be talking about power plants … We’re already talking about that, dividing up certain assets.”
He gave no details, but appeared to be referring to the Russian-occupied Zaporizhzhia facility in Ukraine, Europe’s largest nuclear plant. Russia and Ukraine have accused each other of risking an accident at the plant with their actions.

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt told a regular briefing on Monday that Trump and Putin would discuss a power plant “on the border” of Russia and Ukraine.Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov declined to comment on Trump’s remarks about land and power plants.
The Kremlin said on Friday Putin had sent Trump a message about his ceasefire plan via U.S. envoy Steve Witkoff, who held talks in Moscow, expressing “cautious optimism” that a deal could be reached to end the three-year conflict.
On Sunday, Witkoff, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, and Trump’s National Security Adviser, Mike Waltz, emphasized there were still challenges to be worked out before Russia agrees to a ceasefire, much less a final peaceful resolution to the war.

Waltz was asked in an ABC interview whether the U.S. would accept a peace deal in which Russia was allowed to keep Ukrainian territory it has seized, and replied: “We have to ask ourselves, is it in our national interest? Is it realistic? … Are we going to drive every Russian off of every inch of Ukrainian soil?

‘IRONCLAD’ GUARANTEES

Zelenskiy has not responded publicly to Waltz’s remarks.
He has said he sees a good chance to end the war after Kyiv accepted the U.S. ceasefire proposal, but has also consistently said Ukraine’s sovereignty is not negotiable and that Russia must surrender the territory it has seized.
Russia seized the Crimean Peninsula in 2014 and controls most of four eastern Ukrainian regions after it invaded the country in 2022.
Russia will seek “ironclad” guarantees in any peace deal that NATO nations exclude Kyiv from membership and that Ukraine will remain neutral, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Alexander Grushko told Russian media outlet Izvestia in remarks published on Monday that made no reference to the ceasefire proposal.
“We will demand that ironclad security guarantees become part of this agreement,” Izvestia cited Grushko as saying.
Moscow has also demanded that it keep control of all Ukrainian territory seized, and that the size of the Ukrainian army be limited. It also wants Western sanctions eased and a presidential election in Ukraine, which Kyiv says is premature while martial law is in force.
Putin says his actions in Ukraine are aimed at protecting Russia’s national security against what he casts as an aggressive and hostile West, in particular NATO’s eastward expansion. Ukraine and its Western partners say Russia is waging an unprovoked war of aggression and an imperial-style land grab.
The European Union’s foreign policy chief, Kaja Kallas, said on Monday the conditions demanded by Russia to agree to a ceasefire showed Moscow does not really want peace.
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer said “a significant number” of nations – including Britain and France – were willing to send peacekeeping troops to Ukraine in the event of a peace deal. Defence chiefs will meet this week to firm up plans.
Russia has ruled out peacekeepers until the war has ended.
“If they appear there, it means that they are deployed in the conflict zone with all the consequences for these contingents as parties to the conflict,” Russia’s Grushko said.

Source : https://www.reuters.com/world/trump-says-will-speak-with-putin-tuesday-about-ending-war-ukraine-2025-03-17/

U.S. President Donald Trump must stop making “disrespectful” comments about Canada before the two countries can start serious talks about future ties, Prime Minister Mark Carney said on Monday.
Trump, who is promising potentially crippling tariffs against imports from Canada, frequently muses about making the country the 51st U.S. state.

“We’ve called out those comments. They’re disrespectful, they’re not helpful, and they … will have to stop before we sit down and have a conversation about our broader partnership with the United States,” Carney told reporters in London.

The remarks by Carney are his toughest yet on Trump since launching his political career in January. Carney, who was sworn in last Friday, has yet to speak to Trump and the U.S. president has remained silent about his appointment.

Carney said Canada wanted a more comprehensive discussion and negotiation of the two neighbors’ overall commercial and security relationship.
“When the United States is ready to have that conversation, we’re more than ready to sit down,” he said.
Canada has retaliated with tariffs against tens of billions of dollars’ worth of U.S. imports. Carney said Ottawa would only take action it thought could affect U.S. behavior.

Source : https://www.reuters.com/world/americas/canadas-carney-says-trump-must-stop-comments-before-bilateral-talks-can-start-2025-03-17/

RUSSIAN spies were behind a bizarre mission to firebomb an IKEA store after bribing a teen with a BMW, according to Lithuanian authorities.

Prosecutors accused the Russian intelligence services of puppetting the attack on Ikea because its logo uses the same colours as the Ukrainian flag.

The Ikea shop in Vilnius targeted in the attackCredit: J. Stacevičius / LRTIt is one of a string of attacks and disasters across Europe linked to Russians recruiting “disposable agents” for sabotage.

The Vilnius plot has been connected to a huge shopping centre blaze in Poland three days later, leading to Lithuania and the Poles to uniting forces in the investigation.

The two arsonists behind the May 2024 attack in Lithuania’s capital were both Ukrainian – and one of them was a minor.

They have both been arrested – one in Lithuania and one in Poland – and are to face terrorism charges at trial.

They were coaxed into the carrying out the attack with €10,000 and a BMW.

The prosecutors said the pair accepted the missions during a secret meeting in Warsaw, Poland’s capital.

A statement from Lithuanian officials said that Russia was attempting to “severely intimidate” EU societies into withdrawing their support for Ukraine.

The menacing attacks were also supposed to “destabilise the most important political, economic and social structures of the state”, prosecutors said.

Poland and the Baltic countries — Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia — are among the most ardent supports of Ukraine’s war effort.

Russia has denied carrying out the attacks, and says the West is seeking to inflame anti-Russian feeling.

Arturas Urbelis, from the Lithuanian prosecutor general’s office, said the chain of orders had been traced back to the Russians via more than 20 intermediaries.

He said: “The chain includes the organisers, then more organisers for certain goals, then more intermediaries, all down to the perpetrators. It is a multi-stage, very complex system.”

The arsonists on the ground did not know who they were ultimately working for, he said.

Urbelis added that the store was not targeted at random.

He said: “Ikea’s colours are the same as Ukraine’s flag – this has strong symbolic meaning.”

Prosecutors are still hunting for those involved further up the command pole.

The fire was triggered by a timed detonator on May 9, 2024, but quickly contained.

Saulius Briginas, deputy head of the Lithuanian Criminal Police Bureau, said the pair who set the device travelled between Poland and Lithuania numerous times.

They scouted out the store, took photos and planned escape routes, he said.

Briginas revealed that the detonation device had been hidden among flammable products before the store closed.

The pair is said to have ignited the fire at 4am, filmed the flames, disposed of the kit and clothes and then jumped in an arranged lift back to Warsaw.

There they were given a BMW 530 and the cash as a reward.

A suspect was arrested in Lithuania on May 13, after getting information he was on his way to Riga, Latvia, by bus to carry out another attack.

The prosecutors said he was found with “incendiary-explosive materials” – meaning they successfully foiled another attack.

Three days after the Lithuanian arson attempt, on May 12, an enormous blaze engulfed a shopping centre in Warsaw – almost completely destroying it.

Polish president Donald Tusk said at the time investigators were looking into potential Russian involvement.

And on Monday he welcomed the Lithuanian announcement, saying it had “confirmed [their] suspicions” that the Russians had masterminded the two attacks.

Tusk added: “Good to know before negotiations. Such is the nature of this state.”

Security services around Europe have been on high alert since a spate of mystery fires and attacks spread across the continent last year.

Investigators have alleged potential Russian involvement in a range of crimes including an east London arson attack and antisemitic graffiti in Paris.

Source: https://www.the-sun.com/news/13801508/putin-plot-ikea-fire-lithuania-bmw-bribe/

Ferraris are becoming increasingly popular among younger buyers, with the CEO of the luxury automaker revealing that 40% of new buyers are now under the age of 40.

That reflects a significant upswing from just over 18 months ago, when Ferrari’s chief said the figure stood at 30%.

“40% of the new clients are below 40 years,” Ferrari CEO Benedetto Vigna told CNBC on the sidelines of CONVERGE LIVE in Singapore.

“I don’t know for other brands, but for us, it is an achievement that is thanks to our team,” he added.

The Maranello, Italy-based manufacturer is well known for keeping a tight rein on the production of its cars, seeking to maintain the brand’s promise of exclusivity. Indeed, as of last year, nearly three-quarters of all Ferraris were sold to existing customers.

Famously, founder Enzo Ferrari once said that the company would “always deliver one less car than the market demands.”

Vigna shared a couple of examples during a fireside chat at CONVERGE LIVE of prospective buyers urging the company to speed up production. He insisted, however, that the more-than-two-year wait time was an integral part of what he described as a “very pleasant” experience.

EV launch

In a bold move, a French politician has called for the return of the Statue of Liberty, claiming America no longer embodies its ideals. What sparked this demand?

A member of the French government requested the return of the Statue of Liberty, claiming America had lost its way and no longer represented what the statue was meant to symbolize.

Raphaël Glucksmann, a member of the political party the Place Publique, has been highly critical of President Donald Trump’s handling of Ukraine’s position within the war, along with Trump’s education department cuts.

“We’re going to say to the Americans who have chosen to side with the tyrants, to the Americans who fired researchers for demanding scientific freedom: ‘Give us back the Statue of Liberty,” Glucksmann said to the local French paper Le Monde.

“We gave it to you as a gift, but apparently you despise it. So it will be just fine here at home,” he added.

The crowd cheered after his comments, as European leaders and citizens have taken a stand against Trump, especially after the Zelensky showdown in the White House.

Glucksmann also said the country will welcome anyone fired by the Trump administration’s federal job cuts.

“The second thing we’re going to say to the Americans is: ‘If you want to fire your best researchers, if you want to fire all the people who, through their freedom and their sense of innovation, their taste for doubt and research, have made your country the world’s leading power, then we’re going to welcome them,’” he said.

In the year after Russia launched outright war on Ukraine, NATO leaders approved a set of military plans designed to repel an invasion of Europe. It was the biggest shake-up of the alliance’s defense readiness preparations since the Cold War.

Source : https://www.the-express.com/news/world-news/166510/french-lawmaker-demands-us-return

Thousands of people gathered on Rio de Janeiro’s Copacabana Beach on Sunday in a show of support for former Brazil President Jair Bolsonaro, who faces charges of leading a plot to topple the government and undermine the country’s democracy after he lost a 2022 election.
Charges against the former army captain and several key allies will go before a five-judge panel at Brazil’s Supreme Court on March 25. If judges agree to hear the trial, Bolsonaro and others will become defendants.

In Sunday’s demonstration, people demanded a pardon for supporters of the former president, who were accused of ransacking government buildings days after the inauguration of da Silva.
“I was in Brasília on a vigil before January 8 participating in prayers,” said Monica Alves, a Bolsonaro supporter. “I know the people. There are no troublemakers or criminals there.”

Alessandra Mello, another supporter of the former president, said, “Brazil has lost the right to freedom of expression and to demonstrate. There must be amnesty for these people who do not commit crimes.”
Bolsonaro told supporters that a bill proposing a pardon for people who participated in the January 8 riots has enough support to be approved in the lower house.
“We are talking about innocent people who have no idea or power over what they were doing,” he said during his speech, which was interrupted after some people felt sick from the heat. “What democracy is that which arrests the innocent. … Without freedom of expression there is no democracy.”

Paulo Kramer, a political scientist who worked on Bolsonaro’s 2018 presidential campaign, said the former leader’s strategy now relies more than ever on seeking support directly from voters.
“We believe the battle in the Supreme Court is essentially lost, given the majority justices are opposed to Bolsonaro,” Kramer told Reuters, adding: “Taking the streets is a way to reassert his leadership.”
The Supreme Court did not respond to a request for comment.

Source: https://www.reuters.com/world/americas/thousands-gather-rio-de-janeiro-demonstrate-support-bolsonaro-2025-03-16/

Mar 16, 2025; Indian Wells, CA, USA; Mirra Andreeva (RUS) with the championship trophy after defeating Aryna Sabalenka (not pictured) in threes set in the women’s final of the BNP Paribas Open at the Indian Well Tennis Garden. Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images Purchase Licensing Rights

March 16 (Reuters) – Russian teenager Mirra Andreeva fought back to overcome world number one Aryna Sabalenka 2-6 6-4 6-3 in the Indian Wells final on Sunday, winning a second WTA 1000-level event in a row to keep her charmed year on track.
The 17-year-old Andreeva, the youngest women’s champion at the tournament since Serena Williams in 1999, found her form midway through the match and crumpled to the ground in celebration after closing it out with a forehand winner.
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Top seed Sabalenka pulled herself out of a slump to bring some of her best tennis to the California desert this year and got off to a hot start on Sunday but her form unravelled as the match wore on and she was left to rue missed opportunities.
“I would like to thank myself for fighting until the end and for always believing in me and for never quitting,” Andreeva said at the trophy ceremony.
“I was running like a rabbit today because Aryna, she’s been sending bullets and it was really hard to just keep up.”

Andreeva had lost to Sabalenka twice this year and it looked as though the pattern would continue as the top-seeded Belarusian mixed some nifty drop shots with her usual forehand power to save four break points in the third game.
Sabalenka sent a backhand winner down the line to break in the fourth game and four games later a visibly frustrated Andreeva whacked a ball into the stands after sending a shot into the net as the Russian was broken again.
The teenager got a confidence boost in the second set, however, when she broke Sabalenka with a forehand winner in the third game and fended off two break points in the sixth.

‘MORE AGGRESSIVE’

Fire ripped through a packed and unlicensed nightclub early on Sunday in the North Macedonian town of Kocani, killing 59 people and injuring more than 150, officials said, after sparks ignited the roof as a live band performed.
Hundreds of people scrambled for the small venue’s only exit as the fire spread across the ceiling, leaving many trapped in the country’s deadliest incident in years.

One video from the event, verified by Reuters, showed the moment the fire began: as the band played on stage, two flares spat white sparks into the air, setting a patch of ceiling alight. Seconds later, the panic began.

“Fire broke out, everyone started screaming and shouting: ‘Get out, get out’,” Marija Taseva, 22, told Reuters.
As she tried to escape, Taseva fell to the ground and people trod on her, injuring her face. In the rush, she lost contact with her sister, who did not make it out.
“My sister died,” Taseva said, breaking into tears.
Authorities arrested about 20 people in connection with the fire, including government officials and the manager of the “Pulse” nightclub, which did not have a valid licence, Interior Minister Pance Toskovski told a press conference.

More than 20 of the injured and three of those killed were aged under 18, he said.
Prime Minister Hristijan Mickoski said the licence was issued illegally by the economy ministry and promised those responsible would face justice.
“Regardless of who they are, from which institution, from what level, from which party and profession,” Mickoski said. He declared seven days of national mourning.
The fire began at around 3 a.m. (0200 GMT). About 500 people were in the club at the time, authorities said.
Reuters pictures showed the club’s corrugated iron roof burned through and collapsed in places, its interior wooden beams exposed and blackened.
More than 150 people were hospitalized in Skopje, Kocani and surrounding towns, Health Minister Arben Taravari said, adding that 20 people were critically injured.

People searched for missing loved ones online and at hospitals across the country.
Outside the main hospital in Kocani, relatives and friends of the victims hugged each other and lit candles. Anger and grief spilled over.
“I’m a dead man, I lost everything. They should film me, the whole of Europe should know,” said one man.
“(I knew) 5 or 6, one of those was killed,” said Kocani resident Mihail Gavrilov. “It’s devastating for the entire city and the entire country.”
Simeon Sokolov, 50, found his daughter Anastasija in the emergency ward of the September 8 hospital in the capital Skopje, where she was being treated for burns and smoke inhalation.
“I just know that there are many children who have suffered,” he told Reuters. “Doctors are doing their job and the number is big.”
Some patients were transferred to neighbouring Bulgaria, Serbia and Greece for treatment, authorities from those countries said.
Condolences flooded in from global leaders, including EU commission president Ursula von der Leyen and Pope Francis.

Source: https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/fire-north-macedonia-night-club-leaves-several-dead-media-reports-say-2025-03-16/

The container ship Solong collided with the vessel off the east coast of Yorkshire on Monday.

The crew of a US oil tanker struck by a container ship in the North Sea have been praised as “heroic” for triggering a crucial firefighting system before abandoning the vessel.

A sailor from the Portuguese-registered Solong is missing presumed dead after the collision off the east coast of Yorkshire on Monday morning.

The Stena Immaculate had been carrying 220,000 barrels of jet fuel in 16 segregated tanks, but the maritime company that operates the tanker said only one was damaged thanks to the actions of the crew.

Vice president of the firm Crowley, Cal Hayden, said: “Before being forced to abandon ship, the crew had the dedication and presence of mind to ensure fire monitors were active in order to provide boundary cooling water to the adjacent cargo tanks.

“Their heroic action limited damage to only the cargo tanks impacted due to the allision.”

A fire on the ship burned for three days after the incident and a salvage team has confirmed that 17,515 barrels of the 220,000 being carried have been lost, the company said.

Crowley said the remaining cargo and bunkers are secure and the salvage operation is ongoing.

“The Coastguard position remains that there continues to be no cause for concern for pollution from the tanker,” a statement said.

Source: https://news.sky.com/story/heroic-oil-tanker-crew-praised-after-north-sea-ship-crash-13330632

THE nightclub in North Macedonia that erupted into flames reportedly had a fire exit padlocked and walled up with no handle on the inside, the prosecutor has revealed.

Club Pulse turned into inferno during a concert overnight on Saturday, leaving at least 59 young partygoers dead and another 155 injured – 22 of whom are in critical condition.

The club erupted into flames at around 2:35am on Sunday after pyrotechnics set light to the roof of the busy club, according to interior minister Panche Toshkovski.

As investigations into the blaze continue, State Prosecutor Ljupco Kocevski revealed disturbing details of the decimated building’s lack of fire protections, PlusInfo reports.

He reportedly said the club was covered in flammable materials with no hydrant network and a seemingly extreme lack of fire extinguishers.

There was also only one improvised metal exit door at the back of the building – but it was padlocked and with no handle on the inside.

The building also had no door braking system or a fire notification system with a loud sound signal.

Kocevski added that the club was coated with illegal soundproofing materials along with visual accessories that were made out of easily flammable materials.

There was also no access for emergency fire services from both sides of the building in accordance with the country’s Fire Protection Regulation.

Meanwhile a heartbroken survivor of the nightclub fire has revealed her sister was trampled in the frantic surge for the exit.

One survivor said she was forced to push through charred bodies to save herself as the flames tore through the old warehouse.

Local hip-hop duo, DNK, were performing at the time as harrowing footage shows flames starting to burn directly above the stage.

Officials so far have 20 suspects, including around 15 people in the police station, some who died in the blaze or have been hospitalised, Toshkovski revealed.

Video posted on social media shows how the building was quickly engulfed in flames as clouds of smoke billow into the sky.

Terrifying sparks can be seen bursting through the roof in a separate clip.

Those trapped inside the burning building were said to have frantically ran for the exit as smoke filled the venue.

Recalling the harrowing moment, she told Sky News: “The fire broke out suddenly and everyone started running for the exit.

“There were charred bodies. I don’t know… everyone is stressed.”

Around 500 people were partying in the concert hall at the time, according to local media, but only 250 were sold.

She was rushed to hospital to receive treatment before she started a frantic search for her missing sister who was also in the club.

The local woman said: “She is injured. Running outside she fell and people stomped over her.”

A father of one of the victims of the fire also revealed the pain he has been forced to endure across the last 12 hours.

Dragi Stojanov’s son Tomce, 21, was inside the packed nightclub.

He said this morning: “It’s my only child and he died. What is left for me in life? I don’t need my life anymore.”

As he searched for his son, Stojanov said he saw many of the victims “burnt beyond recognition”.

It comes as the public prosecutor’s office has said the exact number of victims and those injured is still being determined.

Only 39 of the fatalities have been identified so far, interior minister Toshkovski said.

Officials confirmed the youngest victim was a 14-year-old with the oldest being aged 24.

Source: https://www.the-sun.com/news/13789879/fire-dead-nightclub-north-macedonia

A 46-year-old woman has suffered life-threatening injuries after a man poured a flammable liquid on her and set her alight in the eastern city of Gera. The attacker, who police say may be her husband, managed to escape.

German police in the eastern city of Gera are investigating a case of attempted murder after a man doused a woman in a tram in a combustible liquid on Sunday morning and set it alight, inflicting life-threatening injuries.

Police in the state of Thuringia, where Gera is situated, say the suspected attacker is believed to be the 46-year-old husband of the woman.

A police spokeswoman said the 46-year-old woman had been flown to a hospital by helicopter after the attack, whose motivation remains unclear.

An investigation was ongoing, she said.

No one else was injured in the attack, which occurred around 10 a.m. local time (0900 UTC).

Source: https://www.dw.com/en/germany-woman-set-alight-in-gera-tram-and-critically-injured/a-71936277

A senior Houthi leader stated U.S. strikes against Yemen on Saturday were “unjustified”

Yemen’s Houthi militia has vowed retaliation against the U.S. after an airstrike on behalf of Israel killed 31 and injured more than 100 people on Saturday, most of whom were women and children.

Mohammed al-Bukhaiti, a senior Houthi leader, called the U.S.’ attack “unjustified,” adding that it “will result in a response.”

“The Zionist entity has not adhered to the ceasefire agreement, so our naval operations target it alone with the aim of lifting the siege on Gaza,” al-Bukhaiti wrote in an X post shared Saturday.

“This is a moral and humanitarian position. America’s involvement in the aggression against Yemen is unjustified and will result in a response. We will meet escalation with escalation, and the one who starts it is the most unjust,” he added.

The U.S. airstrikes, which marked the Trump administration’s second largest military campaign, were in response to Yemen’s Iran-backed militia resuming “the ban on the passage of all Israeli ships” in defense of Gaza, the New York Times reported.

On March 7, the Houthi rebels warned Israel had four days to resume aid, including food, water and shelter, to Gaza, which Israeli forces had been blocking since March 2 in hopes of pressuring Hamas to release the rest of the hostages, circumventing the Israel-Hamas ceasefire brokered by the Trump administration.

The March 12 deadline came and went with no movement from Israel, prompting the Houthis to resume their attacks on Israeli ships.

On Saturday, the White House shared an X post celebrating the airstrikes.

“President Trump is taking action against the Houthis to defend US shipping assets and deter terrorist threats,” the post stated.

“For too long American economic & national threats have been under assault by the Houthis. Not under this presidency,” it continued. The Houthis, however, have never directly targeted the U.S.

U.S. Central Command also shared photos and videos on X of its air strikes leveling buildings in Yemen.

Many social media users expressed outrage at the strikes, especially in light of Trump campaigning on a terrorism- and war-free presidency.

“Houthis are defending Palestinians from genocidal terrorists. They’re morally righteous, and you’re a compromised Israel-firster soiling the US’s moral reputation,” @SithDubh stated in an X post.

Source: https://www.latintimes.com/yemen-vows-retaliate-against-us-strikes-behalf-israel-kill-31-people-women-children-578494

The live-action version of the classic fairy-tale animation sounded like a surefire hit. But even before it’s reached cinemas, the response to it has been loud and often hostile.

You wouldn’t think that the war in Gaza would have much impact on a Disney remake. But the live-action Snow White, a revamped version of the 1937 animated classic Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, has become a flashpoint for social and political divisions, even before its global release next week.

There was some backlash to the casting of Rachel Zegler, of Colombian descent, as the heroine. More recently, there has been blowback both about Zegler’s pro-Palestinian comments and about pro-Israel comments by Israeli actress Gal Gadot, who plays Snow White’s stepmother, the Evil Queen. And there is an ongoing debate about whether there should have been dwarfs at all, live or CGI. The film’s director, Marc Webb, said in Disney’s official production notes, “I think all good stories evolve over time. They become reflections of the world that we live in”. He has likely got more than he bargained for, as reactions to Snow White inadvertently reflect the most polarised aspects of the world today. Like political rhetoric in countries around the world, responses to the film’s production have been loud, irate and sometimes ugly.

Michael Faraday’s illustrated notes that show how radical scientist began his theories at London’s Royal Institution to go online

He was a self-educated genius whose groundbreaking discoveries in the fields of physics and chemistry electrified the world of science and laid the foundations for Albert Einstein’s theory of relativity nearly a century later.

Now, the little-known notebooks of the Victorian scientist Michael Faraday have been unearthed from the archive of the Royal Institution and are to be digitised and made permanently accessible online for the first time.

The notebooks include Faraday’s handwritten notes on a series of lectures given by the electrochemical pioneer Sir Humphry Davy at the Royal Institution in 1812. “None of these notebooks have been looked at or analysed in any great depth,” said Charlotte New, head of heritage for the Royal Institution. “They’re little known to the public.”

Faraday, the son of a blacksmith, left school at 13 and was working as an apprentice bookbinder when he attended the lectures. He penned very careful notes and presented one of his notebooks to Davy, hoping for a job at the Royal Institution despite his working-class background and rudimentary education.

The notebooks shed light on the workings of Faraday’s mind and reveal he made intricate drawings to visualise the scientific experiments and principles he was learning about at the lectures. “He’s taking the time to make his own publication and grounding what’s being taught to him in his own understanding,” said New. “He’s heavily illustrating his notes to understand the principle that’s been taught to him.” He even wrote an index for each notebook, she said, just for his own use and personal research. “This is at a time when paper is taxed. It shows how he’s really trying to understand the science within.”

When Faraday gave Davy the notebook, he expressed his “desire to escape from trade, which I thought vicious and selfish, and enter into the service of Science”.

Although Davy initially declined to help him, the notebooks – and Faraday himself – seemed to make a good impression. Davy wrote to Faraday soon afterwards to say that he was “far from displeased with the proof you have given me of your confidence, which displays great zeal, power of memory and attention”.

When a lab assistant at the Institution got into a brawl and was fired in February 1813, Davy remembered the 22-year-old Faraday and offered him the job – which involved taking a pay cut, but gave the young man access to the laboratory, free coal, candles and two attic rooms.

Faraday later gave an account of this job offer: “At the same time that he [Davy] gratified my desires as to scientific employment, he advised me to remain a bookbinder, telling me that Science was a harsh mistress… poorly rewarding those who devoted themselves to her service.”

Despite Davy’s advice, Faraday accepted the job. It was a decision that would prove to be seminal for science. Over the next 55 years, while working for the Royal Institution, Faraday discovered several fundamental laws of physics and chemistry – including his law of electromagnetic induction in 1831, which illuminated the relative motion of charged particles.

It was thanks to Faraday’s trailblazing experiments at the institution that he discovered electromagnetic rotation in 1821, a breakthrough that led to the development of the electric motor and benzene, a hydrocarbon derived from benzoic acid, in 1825. He became the first scientist to liquefy gas in 1823, invented the electric generator in 1831 and discovered the laws of electrolysis in the early 1830s, helping to coin terms such as electrode, cathode and ion. In 1845, after finding the first experimental evidence that a magnetic field could influence polarised light – a phenomenon that became known as the Faraday effect – he proved light and electromagnetism are interconnected.

Source: https://www.theguardian.com/science/2025/mar/15/notebooks-michael-faraday-victorian-scientist-einstein

WASHINGTON – President Donald Trump’s administration on Saturday put journalists at Voice of America and other US-funded broadcasters on leave, abruptly freezing outlets long seen as critical to countering a Russian and Chinese information offensive.

Hundreds of reporters and other staff at VOA, Radio Free Asia, Radio Free Europe and other outlets received a weekend email saying they will be barred from their offices and should surrender press passes, office-issued telephones and other equipment.

Trump, who has already eviscerated the US aid agency and Education Department, on Friday issued an executive order listing the US Agency for Global Media as among “elements of the federal bureaucracy that the president has determined are unnecessary.”

Kari Lake, a firebrand Trump supporter and former Arizona news anchor who was put in charge of the media agency after she lost a US Senate bid, wrote — in an email to media outlets she supervises — that federal grant money “no longer effectuates agency priorities.”

A White House press official, Harrison Fields, took a much less legalistic tone in a post on X, simply writing “goodbye” in 20 languages, a sarcastic jab at VOA’s multilingual coverage.

The head of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, which started broadcasting into the Soviet bloc during the Cold War, called the cancellation of funding “a massive gift to America’s enemies.”

Source : https://www.bangkokpost.com/world/2980950/trump-freezes-voa-radio-free-asia-radio-free-europe

In the world of billionaires and the similarly wealthy teams they own, designing a state-of-the-art stadium goes beyond the visual.

In the offices of architecture firm Arup, there is a downstairs soundproof room with premium grade surround-sound speakers and a large screen. It looks like a small theatre.

“We can put a client in there and say, ‘when your team scores, this is what it will sound like if your stadium roof is shaped this way,'” says Chris Dite, who is responsible for the firm’s sports projects.

“But, if we change the roof shape to this, then this is what it will sound like.”

The way the pitch and intensity of the crowd noise changes in the aftermath of a goal is based on data from stadium projects the firm have completed over the last 25 years.

Dite’s previous work includes the Allianz Arena used by German football giants Bayern Munich and the Gtech Community Stadium where Brentford play.

“If you can sit the client in those front rows and make them feel like they’re in it, that’s where you start to really invoke an emotional response,” Dite tells BBC News.

What a goal might sound like in the new Manchester United stadium was not part of the presentation given by the club earlier this week, but the design of the new £2bn ground certainly invoked emotional responses.

Some questioned how realistic it was to build such tall pillars from which a glass panelled canvas drapes over the new stands and surrounding grounds.

The three pillars in the artist’s impression, unveiled by the firm Foster and Partners, are a nod to the trident on the Red Devil’s crest.

“Gravity still exists, unfortunately for us,” remarks Dite. He says he “can’t comment on other architectural businesses” but that Arup doesn’t issue any public designs that haven’t been approved by structural engineers.

Source : https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cewkzk5qv0lo

United Nations aid agencies have been sent questionnaires by the US asking them to state if they have “anti-American” beliefs or affiliations.

Among the 36 questions on the form, sent by the US Office of Management and Budget (OMB) and seen by the BBC, is one asking if they have any links to communism.

Some of the world’s biggest humanitarian organisations have received the questionnaire, including the UN Refugee Agency and the International Committee of the Red Cross.

The Trump administration has launched a cost-cutting drive across the US government, led by billionaire Elon Musk, and has closed down much of its foreign aid.

The UN groups fear the move by the OMB is a sign the US is planning to abandon humanitarian work – or even the UN itself – altogether.

The US pulled out of the World Health Organization on the first day of US President Donald Trump’s second term.

And this week, Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced that the vast majority of the US Agency for International Development’s (USAID) programmes had been terminated.

Surveys indicate that most Americans believe the country overspends on foreign aid.

The US spends a lower percentage of its GDP on aid than European countries but, because of its huge economy, still supplies 40% of global humanitarian funding

Many of the UN aid agencies who were sent the form receive funding, not just from USAID, but directly from the US government.

One question asks: ”Can you confirm that your organisation does not work with entities associated with communist, socialist, or totalitarian parties, or any party that espouses anti-American beliefs?”

Another asks agencies to confirm they don’t receive any funding from China, Russia, Cuba or Iran – these countries may not be Washington’s best friends but, like all 193 UN member states, they fund the big humanitarian agencies.

Other questions ask aid agencies to ensure no project includes any elements of DEI (diversity, equity, and inclusion) or anything related to climate change.

This could be awkward for agencies like Unicef, which supports equal access to education for girls, or the World Food Programme, which tries to prevent famine by supporting drought affected communities to transition to more climate resilient crops.

Professor Karl Blanchet, of Geneva University’s Centre for Humanitarian Studies, believes the aid agencies are being set up to fail: “The decision has already been made. It’s highly likely the US is going to stop its involvement in any UN system.

“It’s multilateralism versus America first – these are two ends of a spectrum.”

Aid agencies working on complex humanitarian operations are more blunt.

“It’s like being asked ‘have you stopped beating your child, yes or no?'” said one frustrated aid worker.

The UN aid agencies believe the questionnaire misunderstands their core principles of neutrality and impartiality – that people suffering because of war or natural disaster should be helped regardless of political beliefs, and that aid should not be used as a tool to strengthen one particular nation.

UN Human Rights has already chosen not to fill out the form.

Source : https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c70enzddxywo

South Koreans gathered in huge numbers in the capital Seoul on Saturday to support or oppose impeached president Yoon Suk Yeol before a court decides whether his short-lived declaration of martial law disqualifies him from office.
The Constitutional Court is expected to decide in the coming days whether to oust Yoon in a case that ignited South Korea’s worst political crisis in decades and rattled markets.

In central Seoul, anti-Yoon protesters filled a large square, chanting for his immediate removal, and were joined by opposition politicians.
A few blocks away, conservative Yoon supporters crammed an entire avenue, calling for his return and waving South Korean and American flags.
The major opposition Democratic Party said a million people had attended the anti-Yoon rally, while police put the number at each demonstration at 43,000, the Yonhap news agency reported.

Yoon is also on trial on a criminal charge of insurrection, although he was freed from detention last week.

His martial law imposition and its fallout have widened deep social rifts between conservatives and liberals and put pressure on institutions and the military, which had found itself in a quandary over whether to enforce martial law.
Pro- and anti-Yoon demonstrators have been taking to the streets in their hundreds of thousands, week after week, since the crisis.
“Last week, I thought that the Constitutional Court would rule, but it didn’t. Then Yoon was released, making me incredibly frustrated,” said Song Young-sun, a 48-year-old protester. “So this week I came here, hoping that the Constitutional Court will rule on the impeachment case next week.”
In a Gallup Korea poll published on Friday, 58% supported Yoon’s impeachment, while 37% opposed it.

Source : https://www.reuters.com/world/asia-pacific/massive-rallies-across-south-korea-ahead-key-ruling-impeachment-yoon-2025-03-15/

France have won the Six Nations after beating Scotland 35-16 in Paris.

England pushed the championship battle to the final game after earlier destroying Wales with a record 68-14 win in Cardiff.

But Les Bleus sealed victory in front of a home crowd in a packed Stade de France to lift their first title since 2022 and only their second since 2010.

Scotland briefly threatened to spoil the party and were unlucky to go into halftime 16-13 behind after a Tom Jordan try was disallowed.

The match remained tight until France threw on their forward replacements and Scotland’s defence tired under the onslaught.

Yoram Moefana grabbed the bonus-point securing fourth try and the celebrations in Paris began.

France had bounced back emphatically from their defeat away to England on matchday two to crush Ireland and Italy and put themselves in pole position entering the final day.

The hosts only needed a win against Scotland, with both England and Ireland also in with a chance, but only if other results went their way.

Last year’s champions Ireland kept their hopes of retaining the title alive with an unconvincing 22-17 bonus-point win over Italy in the early game in Rome.

A week on from having their Grand Slam dream crushed by a 42-27 drubbing in Dublin at the hands of France, Ireland moved top of the table ahead of the other matches.

But they needed both of their championship rivals to slip up, and England’s 10-try demolition of Wales pushed Ireland back into second place, while France’s win meant they finished the competition in third.

The Prince of Wales, who is the patron of the Welsh Rugby Union and his wife the Princess of Wales, the patron of the Rugby Football Union, cheered on opposing sides from the stands.

England’s emphatic bonus-point victory still left them relying on Scotland to beat the favourites to finish in the top spot.

Source : https://news.sky.com/story/france-win-six-nations-with-victory-over-scotland-13329671

Vice President JD Vance admitted that Elon Musk has made “mistakes” while carrying out his mass firings of government employees under the Department of Government Efficiency.

“Elon himself has said that sometimes you do something, you make a mistake, and then you undo the mistake,” Vance told NBC News on Friday. “I’m accepting of mistakes.”

“I also think you have to quickly correct those mistakes,” he added, acknowledging that “there are a lot of good people who work in the government—a lot of people who are doing a very good job.”

Vance did not specify what exactly those mistakes were or how they had been corrected.

Vance struck a comparatively mellow tone about the cuts in comparison to Musk, who has alleged widespread fraud and waste as a justification for DOGE’s purge of the federal workforce. In February, Musk waved a chainsaw on stage at the Conservative Political Action Conference to symbolize his efforts to scale back the federal government.

Pressed about Musk’s claims, Vance questioned the extent of the fraud that Musk has said is widespread.

“I think some people clearly are collecting a check and not doing a job,” he told NBC. “Now, how many people is that? I don’t know, in a 3 million-strong federal workforce, whether it’s a few thousand or much larger than that.”

Vance’s words also seem to undercut the scathing account President Donald Trump gave of workers last week after the Department of Education cut nearly half its staff.

“I feel very badly, but many of them don’t work at all,” Trump said, referring to the tens of thousands of workers he and Musk have laid off across the government.

”Many of them never showed up to work,” he said, without offering support for the claim.

In his interview, Vance made it clear, however, that he does agree with Trump and Musk’s push in principle.

Source : https://www.thedailybeast.com/jd-vance-admits-that-musks-doge-has-made-mistakes-while-blowing-up-government/

Kanye West took to X on Saturday to reveal two new songs, including one, “Lonely Roads Still Go To Sunshine,” featuring contributions from Diddy; North West, West’s eldest daughter with Kim Kardashian; and King Combs, Diddy’s son.

TMZ reports that when Kardashian learned of the song’s existence, she sent out cease and desist letters, resulting in an emergency hearing with a mediator and a judge. TMZ’s sources claim that Kanye promised not to release the song.

The song opens with a message from what sounds like Diddy telling West that he appreciates West taking care of his children and reaching out, because nobody has called him or reached out. West responds by telling Diddy, “Absolutely, I love you so much man, you raised me, even when I didn’t know you.” North can be heard later on in the song rapping the bridge, including, “Doing everything I wanted / That’s the key to life /When you see me shining / Then you see the light.”

TMZ also shared screenshots of a now-deleted Kanye tweet showing a conversation between the rapper and Kardashian which, while it appeared to be about North’s appearance on the song, seemed to focus almost entirely on trademarks. West responded by telling Kardashian, “Amend it or I’m going to war. And neither of us will recover from the public fallout. You’re going to have to kill me.”

West followed the two songs, the second of which is appropriately called “World War 3,″ up with posts revealing his new album cover—a red swastika on a black background—and a new logo for his Sunday Service: the Schutzstaffel (SS) logo.

West is currently dealing with divorce rumors surrounding his marriage to second wife Bianca Censori, who he married in 2022. Amidst speculation, he was recently spotted with a Censori look-alike in Los Angeles, just one month after the couple’s controversial stunt that saw West’s wife walk the Grammy Awards red carpet while nearly naked.

Source : https://www.thedailybeast.com/obsessed/kim-tried-to-get-court-order-against-new-kanye-song-featuring-diddy-and-north/

A DOCTOR claims Gene Hackman’s wife called him 24 hours after officers said she died – casting more mystery over the couple’s deaths.

Betsy Arakawa was found to have passed on February 11 from a rare rodent disease called hantavirus pulmonary syndrome – a week before her Oscar-winning husband passed.

But former emergency care specialist and runner of Cloudberry Health in Santa Fe, Dr Josiah Child, claims that Betsy couldn’t have died on February 11 because “she called my clinic on February 12”.

He told the Mail that Betsy called him a couple of weeks before her death to ask about getting an echocardiogram [heart scan] for her husband.

Child said Bets was not a patient of his, but one of his patients had recommended Cloudberry to her.

He said: “She made an appointment for herself for February 12. It was for something unrelated to anything respiratory.”

And just two days before she was due to see him, Betsy canceled her appointment because her husband wasn’t well, Dr Child claims.

“The appointment wasn’t for anything related to hantavirus. We tried calling her a couple of times with no reply.”

Hantavirus spreads when exposed to rodents’ urine, droppings, and saliva, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Dr Child has raised questions over her cause of death, linking to the mysterious call to the doctor’s office and how she sounded on the phone.

Child said he is not a hantavirus expert but most patients who have that diagnosis die in hospital.

He said: “It is surprising that Mrs Hackman spoke to my office on the phone on February 10 and again on February 12 and didn’t appear in respiratory distress.”

But Dr Child isn’t the only one confused over Betsy’s hantavirus diagnosis.

Betsy’s Oscar-winning husband Hackman, who was suffering from advanced Alzheimer’s, was alone in the house for days following his wife’s death.

It is possible that he did not know of Betsy’s body in the bathroom.

He died on February 18 when the last signal from the actor’s pacemaker was recorded.

YOUTUBER P2istheName has been found dead in a mailroom at the age of 26 – as pals pay touching tributes to the “kind creator”.

The star, whose real name was Philip Enewally, was discovered on Friday, according the Los Angeles County Coroner.

A cause of death has not yet been revealed, as investigations continue into the shock event.

The Youtuber’s mom confirmed her son’s passing to TMZ – and requested privacy on behalf of the family.

She also encouraged fans to visit his channel, which has around four million subscribers, to honour his memory.

Tributes have flooded in for the star, who was known for his gaming videos, comedy skits and vlogs.

Taking to Instagram, fellow YouTuber Coletheman wrote: “My good friend @P2istheName has passed away… wow.

“I’m honestly at a loss for words. He was always so kind to me and gave me so much content creation advice.

“May he rest in peace. This breaks my heart.”

Other fans shared their support, with one writing: “This man was my childhood, I still can’t believe it’s is real. May he rest in peace.”

Another wrote: “Never been touched by a celebrity’s death like this one.”

P2istheName lasted posted two weeks ago, and had previously spoken of plans to move to Atlanta from his hometown of LA.

He rose to fame with videos of himself playing NBA 2K and Fortnite, before expanding to general explainers of popular video games, dubbed “Let’s Plays”.

He also had his own streetwear brand DontMindUs.

Aside from gaming, P2istheName gave fans a glimpse into his personal life with vlogs showing “a day in the life of a young black millionaire” in L.A.

In his most recent Instagram post on February 19, he was seen loading DontMindUs parcels into a van – while posing in a red and black jersey from the brand.

In another slide in the same post, he appeared to be in a mailroom or shipping facility, surrounded by inventory.

Source : https://www.the-sun.com/news/13788614/youtuber-p2isthename-dead-mailroom/

THIS is the concerning moment missing Sudiksha Konanki appears to be sick at a bar shortly before vanishing from her holiday resort.

The 20-year-old student was last seen on March 6, in the Dominican Republic with sources close to the police now claiming the last person to see her has changed his official story several times.

New CCTV footage, obtained by CDN TV, from inside a bar at the Riu Republica resort in Punta Cana shows the young woman hanging out with a group of people.

The University of Pittsburgh student can be seen leaving her drink at a table before going up to a grassy area and appearing to vomit, according to local reports.

The clip is said to have been taken at around 4:05am.

An unknown woman can be seen helping Konanki as she quickly walks back towards the bar area.

The video also shows American man Joshua Riibe, 24, who claims the pair shared a kiss on the beach before Konanki went missing.

Riibe is considered to be the last person to have seen the student after separate CCTV showed them together.

The Iowa resident, who has been interviewed by cops but not named as a suspect in this case, is believed to be in the background of the bar CCTV.

He is stood with two men and also appears to be sick in the short clip.

Riibe and Konanki were stood only around 10ft apart in the footage but did not communicate at any point with each other.

As police continue to look for any signs of Konanki, a number of details have emerged.

Konanki was last seen in the early hours of March 6 near to the Punta Cana resort where she and Riibe were both staying.

The final sighting of her was when surveillance cameras captured five women and one man heading towards the beach at around 4:55am.

This is the same beach where Riibe told cops he kissed Konanki shortly after they first met, according to a transcript of his interview from Noticias SIN.

Riibe, a senior at St. Cloud State University in Minnesota, told police: “We were in waist-deep water. We talked and kissed a bit.”

He also claimed he saved Konanki from drowning while in the water while explaining he was previously a lifeguard.

Riibe said: “It took me a long time to get her out. It was difficult.”

He told cops he was able to pull Konanki until she was “knee-deep and walking at an angle out of the water”.

The senior said he called out to ask if the student was okay but didn’t hear a response before he was sick on the beach.

He added: “After vomiting, I looked around. I didn’t see anyone. I thought she had grabbed her things and left.”

Riibe then claimed he passed out on a beach chair.

Shirtless and shoeless he was seen leaving the beach and returning to the resort at around 8:55am the morning after.

A police source close to the investigation has now claimed he gave differing accounts to police over the course of four meetings, according to a People report.

It is still unclear which elements were changed.

Hundreds of Greenlanders took to the streets on Saturday to protest against US President Donald Trump’s stated goal of taking control of their island.

Video footage showed crowds gathered in the capital, Nuuk, waving Greenland’s flag and holding signs with messages such as “Respect Greenland’s sovereignty,” “We are not for sale” and “Make America Go Away” — a play on Trump’s campaign slogan “Make America Great Again.”

Rallies were also taking place in other towns on the island.

Jens-Frederik Nielsen, leader of the center-right Demokraatit party that won this week’s parliamentary election, was joined by outgoing Prime Minister Mute B. Egede to lead protesters toward the US consulate on Nuuk’s outskirts.

“We want to be ourselves, and our autonomy and freedom will never be put up for debate,” Nielsen told the Danish Broadcasting Corporation during the rally.

“There is not the slightest chance that I will talk to Trump about Greenland becoming part of the US. Greenland will be Greenland,” he said.

Speaking to Greenlandic newspaper Sermitsiaq on Saturday, Egede called the US president’s approach “completely unacceptable.”

What has Trump said about Greenland?

Over the past few months, Trump has repeatedly voiced his interest in taking control of Greenland.

The US president raised the idea again on Thursday during a meeting with NATO chief Mark Rutte at the White House.

When asked by a reporter about a possible annexation, Trump said: “I think it will happen.”

He went on to say that the territory was fundamental to US national security, stressing that the US already has military bases there.

The strategically important Arctic island is home to just 57,000 inhabitants and is a self-governing territory of Denmark.

What has Greenland’s response been?

Lawmakers in Greenland have vehemently opposed Trump’s plans to make the island part of the US.

On Friday, the leaders of the five parties in Greenland’s parliament issued a joint statement rejecting Trump’s comments.

Source : https://www.dw.com/en/greenland-hundreds-protest-against-trumps-takeover-plans/a-71933403

At least 107,000 people turned out in Belgrade on Saturday, the interior minister reported.

Near-daily student protests began in December after the deaths of 15 people when a roof at a railway station collapsed on November 1 in the northern city of Novi Sad, which critics blame on corruption under Vucic.

Sporadic clashes occurred overnight before Saturday’s rally, in front of the National Assembly, from which protesters were to march to Slavija Square. Police deployed hundreds of officers in full riot gear in and around Pionirski Park and across the street.

Thousands of veterans from elite military brigades in maroon berets and bikers who support the students also stood for 15 minutes of silence beginning at 11:52am (10:52 GMT) to honour the victims of the Novi Sad tragedy at the time of the roof collapse.

Some protesters carried banners that read, “He’s Finished,” referring to Vucic. Others chanted, “Pump it up,” a slogan adopted during the four months of student-led protests.

“We came for justice. I hope that after this protest, things will change,” Milica Stojanovic, a biology student in Belgrade, told the AFP news agency before the demonstration.

While Saturday’s gathering is expected to be largely peaceful, on Friday night in the Zarkovo suburb, a car rammed a column of protesters, injuring three people, and police said they apprehended the driver.

In central Belgrade, a student and a university lecturer were injured in an attack by a group of men early on Saturday, police said.

Three people were also detained after an overnight attack on tractors stationed around Pionirski Park, they said.

In statements issued on social media on Saturday, students urged those attending the rally to act “in a calm and responsible manner”.

“The purpose of this movement is not an incursion into institutions, nor to attack those who do not think as we do,” one statement read. “This movement must not be misused.”

In a bid to avert tensions, students also said they had moved a stage at the centre of the planned protest from the front of the National Assembly building to Slavija Square, about 1km (0.6 miles) away.

So far, Serbian prosecutors have charged at least 13 people over the Novi Sad collapse, and the government has announced an anticorruption campaign. Prime Minister Milos Vucevic and two ministers have also resigned.

But pressure has been mounting in the days leading up to Saturday’s rally.

Government-backed media have broadcast increasingly harsh accusations, saying the students are planning to launch a “coup”. Earlier, Vucic himself accused the demonstrators of organising “large-scale violence”.

Vucic has warned of a “final” showdown on Saturday while some student protesters said they would continue to rally until their demands for greater accountability are met.

On Friday, Vucic took to the airwaves with a defiant message to demonstrators, promising to not back down in the face of mass protests.

Source : https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2025/3/15/thousands-join-antigovernment-protest-in-serbias-capital-belgrade

Gaza’s civil defence agency said nine people including journalists were killed in Israeli strikes on Saturday, attacks which could further endanger the fragile truce in the Palestinian territory.

Following the reported strikes, the deadliest since the ceasefire took hold on January 19, Hamas accused Israel of a “blatant violation” of the truce which largely halted more than 15 months of fighting.

The first phase of the truce ended on March 1 without agreement on the next steps, but both Israel and Hamas have refrained from returning to all-out war.

A senior Hamas official said on Tuesday fresh talks had begun in Doha, with Israel also sending negotiators.

On Saturday, Gaza civil defence spokesman Mahmoud Bassal told AFP that “nine martyrs have been transferred (to hospital), including several journalists and a number of workers from the Al-Khair Charitable Organisation”.

He said the killings were “as a result of the occupation (Israel) targeting a vehicle with a drone in the town of Beit Lahia, coinciding with artillery shelling on the same area”.

The health ministry in Hamas-run Gaza said “nine martyrs and several injured, including critical cases” were taken to the Indonesian Hospital in northern Gaza.

In a statement, the Israeli military said it hit “two terrorists… operating a drone that posed a threat to IDF troops in the area of Beit Lahia”.

“Later, a number of additional terrorists collected the drone operating equipment and entered a vehicle. The IDF struck the terrorists,” it added.

Israel has carried out near-daily air strikes in Gaza since early March, often targeting what the military said were militants planting explosive devices.

“The occupation has committed a horrific massacre in the northern Gaza Strip by targeting a group of journalists and humanitarian workers, in a blatant violation of the ceasefire agreement,” Hamas spokesman Hazem Qassem said in a statement.

A separate Hamas statement said the attack was “a dangerous escalation”, adding that it “reaffirms (Israel’s) intent to backtrack on the ceasefire agreement and intentionally obstruct any opportunity to complete the agreement and carry out the prisoner swap”.

During the truce’s initial six-week phase, militants released 33 hostages, including eight who were deceased, in exchange for about 1,800 Palestinian detainees held in Israeli prisons.

Hamas said Saturday that “the ball is in Israel’s court” after offering to release an Israeli-US hostage and return the bodies of four others as part of the truce talks.

Gaza’s civil defence agency said that among the nine killed were at least three photo journalists, one a drone photography specialist, and a driver.

It said two of the photographers worked for the Oman-based Ayn television channel.

Two members of the Al-Khair charitable organisation were killed, including a spokesperson, the civil defence agency said.

“This heinous crime comes in the context of the systematic targeting of Palestinian journalists, who pay with their lives to convey the truth and expose the crimes of the occupation to the world,” a Palestinian Journalists Syndicate statement said.

“The continuation of these brutal attacks against journalists constitutes a war crime and a blatant violation of international laws, especially the Geneva Convention, which guarantees the protection of journalists during conflicts.”

The director of Hamas-affiliated media in Gaza, Ismail Thawabteh, told AFP that local photo journalists were killed while “using a drone to capture images of a Ramadan dining table in Beit Lahia”.

He said they were “directly targeted by the occupation in two air strikes, despite their work being clear”.

The Committee to Protect Journalists said in February that a total of 85 journalists had died in the Israeli-Hamas war, “all at the hands of the Israeli military”, adding that 82 of them were Palestinians.

In November, Reporters without Borders said that more than 140 journalists had been killed in Gaza by the Israeli military since Hamas’s October 7, 2023 attack on Israel which sparked the war.

The attack resulted in the deaths of 1,218 people on the Israeli side, while Israel’s military retaliation in Gaza killed more than 48,543, according to figures from the two sides.

Source : https://www.ibtimes.com/deadly-israeli-strikes-mar-fragile-gaza-truce-3766391

Violent tornadoes ripped through parts of the U.S., wiping out schools and toppling semitractor-trailers in several states, part of a monster storm that has killed at least 32 people as more severe weather was expected late Saturday.

The number of fatalities increased after the Kansas Highway Patrol reported eight people died in a highway pileup caused by a dust storm in Sherman County on Friday. At least 50 vehicles were involved.

In Mississippi, Gov. Tate Reeves announced that six people died in three counties and three more people were missing. There were 29 injuries across the state, he added in a nighttime post on the social platform X.

Missouri recorded more fatalities than any other state as scattered twisters overnight killed at least 12, authorities said. The deaths included a man whose home was ripped apart by a tornado.

“It was unrecognizable as a home. Just a debris field,” said Coroner Jim Akers of Butler County, describing the scene that confronted rescuers. “The floor was upside down. We were walking on walls.”

Dakota Henderson said he and others rescuing people trapped in their homes Friday night found five bodies scattered in the debris outside what remained of his aunt’s house in hard-hit Wayne County, Missouri.

“It was a very rough deal last night,” he said the following day, surrounded by uprooted trees and splintered homes. “It’s really disturbing for what happened to the people, the casualties last night.”

Henderson said they rescued his aunt from a bedroom that was the only one left standing, taking her out through a window. They also carried out a man who had a broken arm and leg.

Officials in Arkansas said three people died in Independence County and 29 others were injured across eight counties.

“We have teams out surveying the damage from last night’s tornadoes and have first responders on the ground to assist,” Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders said on X.

She, Reeves and Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp declared states of emergency. Kemp said he was doing so in anticipation of severe weather moving in later in the day.

On Friday, meanwhile, authorities said three people were killed in car crashes during a dust storm in Amarillo, in the Texas Panhandle.

Extreme weather encompasses a zone of 100 million people

The deaths came as the massive storm system unleashed winds that triggered deadly dust storms and fanned more than 100 wildfires.

Extreme weather conditions were forecast to affect an area that is home to more than 100 million people. Winds gusting up to 80 mph (130 kph) were predicted from the Canadian border to Texas, threatening blizzard conditions in colder northern areas and wildfire risk in warmer, drier places to the south.

The National Weather Service issued blizzard warnings for parts of far western Minnesota and far eastern South Dakota starting early Saturday. Snow accumulations of 3 to 6 inches (7.6 to 15.2 centimeters) were expected, with up to a foot (30 centimeters) possible.

Winds gusting to 60 mph (97 kph) were expected to cause whiteout conditions.

Evacuations were ordered in some Oklahoma communities as more than 130 fires were reported across the state, and nearly 300 homes were damaged or destroyed. Gov. Kevin Stitt said at a Saturday news conference that some 266 square miles (689 square kilometers) burned in the state.

The State Patrol said winds were so strong that they toppled several tractor-trailers.

Experts said it’s not unusual to see such weather extremes in March.

Tornadoes hit amid storm outbreak

Significant tornadoes continued to hit Saturday, with the region at highest risk stretching from from eastern Louisiana and Mississippi through Alabama, western Georgia and the Florida panhandle, the Storm Prediction Center said.

Bailey Dillon, 24, and her fiance, Caleb Barnes, watched a massive twister from their front porch in Tylertown, Mississippi, away as it struck an area about half a mile (0.8 km) near Paradise Ranch RV Park.

They drove over afterward to see if anyone needed help and recorded video of snapped trees, leveled buildings and overturned vehicles.

“The amount of damage was catastrophic,” Dillon said. “It was a large amount of cabins, RVs, campers that were just flipped over — everything was destroyed.”

Paradise Ranch said via Facebook that all staff and guests were safe and accounted for, but Dillon said the damage extended beyond the RV park itself.

“Homes and everything were destroyed all around it,” she said. “Schools and buildings are just completely gone.”

Some imagery from the extreme weather went viral online.

Tad Peters and his father, Richard Peters, had pulled over to fuel up their pickup truck in Rolla, Missouri, on Friday night when they heard tornado sirens and saw other motorists fleeing the interstate to park.

Source : https://apnews.com/article/tornadoes-wildfires-deaths-eb53f6b2463a96b18a08ca9e2db266ab

In recent years, the 3D printing boom has shown us that anything is possible. From toys and tools to medical devices, you can basically print anything—even 2,000-square-foot homes.

Hello, Vulcan. At the Wolf’s Ranch community in Georgetown, a city about 30 minutes away from the Texas capital, most of the home builders aren’t human. In fact, they’re actually robots—3D-printing robots, to be exact. One of them, the Vulcan, is more than 45 feet wide and weighs 4.75 tons.

It makes sense. The Vulcan isn’t building small-scale projects, but rather 3D printing homes. According to Reuters, the Vulcan takes a base mix of concrete powder, water, and sand and prints out a home through its nozzle as if it were toothpaste.

“It brings a lot of efficiency to the trade market,” Conner Jenkins, a senior project manager at Icon, the company behind the Vulcan, said. “So, where there were maybe five different crews coming in to build a wall system, we now have one crew and one robot.”

The world’s largest 3D-printed neighborhood. Icon is an AI and robotics company that uses 3D printing to build homes quickly and at a lower cost. Two years ago, Icon partnered with Lennar, the second-largest homebuilder in the country, to construct 100 3D-printed homes. The project, Wolf’s Ranch, is now the world’s largest 3D-printed neighborhood.

While the initial costs to build the community were slightly higher than expected, Lennar says it’s seen its costs decrease dramatically. Unlike human workers, Icon’s machines operate 24 hours a day. Each printer can do the work of more than 12 construction workers.

There has been flooding and landslides in parts of northern Italy as red alerts cover cities including Florence and Pisa.

Torrential rain prompted the alerts for parts of Tuscany and Emilia-Romagna, with heavy and persistent rainfall expected into the afternoon on Friday.

Tuscany’s president said local rescue and health services were on high alert and advised residents to exercise “the utmost attention and caution”.

Almost a month’s worth of rain fell in Florence on Friday morning while landslides and mudslides were reported in Bologna, where some residents were evacuated on Thursday evening ahead of heavy rain overnight.

No casualties have so far been reported, and the city said the worst of the flooding had passed by mid-morning on Friday.

A family of four was rescued from a landslide in Badia Prataglia, Tuscany on Thursday evening, according to local media.

The national fire brigade said it had received dozens of calls after the Rimaggio flooded and flowed through the Sesto Fiorentino area on Florence’s northern outskirts.

In Pisa, flood defences were being erected along the Arno river as local authorities warned it had surpassed the first flood-risk level.

Roads were also affected by flooding and fallen trees, with residents in Florence advised against all travel after the A1 motorway was partially closed.

Schools were shut in more than 60 municipalities in Tuscany, local media reported, as were several campuses of the University of Florence.

Florence has seen more than double its average March rainfall of 61mm in the past three days.

It saw more than 53mm of rain in just six hours on Friday morning, after a further 36mm had fallen overnight.

The red weather alerts – indicating serious risk of extreme and widespread flooding – were set to continue throughout the day.

Further heavy rain and thunderstorms are expected to move across the northern half of Italy into Saturday, before drier weather begins to move in.

An area of high pressure in the north-east Atlantic has in recent days blocked the path of low pressure systems which normally pass to the north-west of the UK, sending them through the Mediterranean instead.

Some rivers in Emilia-Romagna were already swollen after previous downpours.

More than 1,000 people were evacuated from their homes in the north-eastern region in September 2024 after it was battered by Storm Boris.

The previous year, 13 people died in the region after six months’ worth of rainfall fell in a day and a half. Twenty rivers burst their banks and there were some 280 landslides.

Source: https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cm2jr7nr60ro

The boss of online clothing brand Snag has told the BBC it gets more than 100 complaints a day that the models in its adverts are “too fat”.

Chief executive Brigitte Read says models of her size 4-38 clothing are frequently the target of “hateful” posts about their weight.

The brand was cited in an online debate over whether adverts showing “unhealthily fat” models should be banned after a Next advert, in which a model appeared “unhealthily thin”, was banned.

The UK’s advertising watchdog says it has banned ads using models who appear unhealthily underweight rather than overweight due to society’s aspiration towards thinness.

The Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) received 61 complaints about models’ weight in 2024, with the vast majority being about models who appeared to be too thin.

But it only had grounds to investigate eight complaints and none were about Snag.

Catherine Thom read the BBC report about the Next advert ban and got in touch to say she found it “hypocritical to ban adverts where models appear too thin for being socially irresponsible, however when models are clearly obese we’re saying it’s body positivity”.

The 36-year-old from Edinburgh was one of several people who contacted the BBC with this view, while a Reddit thread had more than 1,000 comments with many along the same theme.

Mrs Thom says she was “bombarded with images of obese girls in tights” after buying from Snag when she was pregnant.

“I see Snag tights plastering these morbidly obese people all over social media,” she says.

“How is that allowed when the photo of the Next model isn’t? There should be fairness, not politically correct body positivity. Adverts normalising an unhealthy weight, be it obese or severely underweight, are equally as harmful.”

‘Fat phobia’
But Snag founder Ms Read says: “Shaming fat people does not help them to lose weight and actually it really impacts mental health and therefore their physical health.”

She thinks the idea of banning adverts showing models with bigger bodies is a symptom of society’s “fat phobia”.

Of her 100 staff, 12 are dedicated “just to remove negative comments and big up those promoting body positivity”.

“Fat people exist, they’re equally as valid as thin people, they buy clothes and they need to see what they look like on people that look like them,” she says.

“You are not worth less the bigger you are. Models of all sizes, shapes, ethnicities and abilities are valid and should be represented.”

Sophie Scott is a 27-year-old salon owner from Lossiemouth in Scotland who has modelled for Snag, and received positive and negative comments about her size on social media.

“I get either ‘you’re so beautiful’ or ‘you need to lose weight’. When I started modelling I was a size 30. Having lost weight since then I’m still on the receiving end of hate comments because it will never be enough for some people.”

Sophie is used to online comments telling her she is “unhealthy”, but says, “fitness is not measured by the way you look. They are making assumptions, they don’t know me or my activity levels.

“People say ‘you’re glorifying obesity’ but I don’t think anyone is looking at me and saying ‘I want to look like that’. Perhaps some people are looking at me and saying ‘she has a similar body type to me’.

“When I get a message from someone saying ‘we are the same size and you’ve inspired me to wear what I want’, it takes away from every hate comment I get.

“If I’ve helped one person accept their body then the hate comments don’t really bother me.”

Source: https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cx2xjd41g33o

In some of his strongest rhetoric yet amid worsening cross-strait ties, Taiwan leader Lai Ching-te has labelled China a “foreign hostile force”.

He said Taiwan had “no choice but to take even more proactive measures” as a result, as he announced a raft of new national security measures, including reinstating a military court system and tightening the residency criteria for those from China, Hong Kong and Macau.

In response to Lai’s remarks, Chinese authorities called him a “destroyer of cross-straits peace” and a “creator of crisis”.

China claims the self-ruled Taiwan as its territory but Taiwan sees itself as distinct from the Chinese mainland.

China was quick to respond to Lai’s statement, with China’s Taiwan Affairs Office spokesperson Chen Binhua said China would have “no choice but to take decisive measures… [if] ‘Taiwan independence’ separatist forces dare to cross the red line”.

“Those who play with fire will surely be burned.”

This is not the first time Lai, whose Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) is seen as pro-independence, has incurred Beijing’s wrath. He was previously labelled a “troublemaker” ahead of the polls, and Chinese state media even suggested he should be prosecuted for secession.

Speaking to reporters after a high-level national security meeting on Thursday, Lai also warned of China’s growing espionage efforts.

President Lai said China had “taken advantage of Taiwan’s freedom” to recruit different members of society, including current and former armed force members, organised crime groups and the media to “divide, destroy and subvert us from within”.

Taiwanese authorities charged 64 people with spying for China last year – a three-fold increase from 2021 – Lai claimed, adding that the majority of them were current or former military officials.

To counter China’s attempts to infiltrate and spy on the military, Lai said he planned to restore the military court system to “allow military judges to return to the frontline… to handle criminal cases involving active-duty military personnel”.

Taiwan had in 2013 abolished the military court system after it came under fire for its opaque handling of the death of an army conscript.

Lai also called on authorities to “provide entertainers with guidelines on conduct while working in China”, adding that this would prevent China from pressuring stars to behave in ways that “endanger national dignity”.

Source: https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c3e4dg3e2z4o

The CDU/CSU bloc and the SPD have reached an agreement with the Greens on a massive increase in government borrowing.

The conservative CDU/CSU bloc of German election winner Friedrich Merz and the Social Democrats (SPD) have agreed in principle with the Greens on plans for a massive increase in state borrowing ahead of a parliamentary vote next week.

The debt reform plan, put forward jointly by the conservatives and the SPD, would exempt defense spending from the country’s constitutionally enshrined debt brake and create a special €500 billion ($545 billion) fund for infrastructure investment.

The compromise includes the allocation of €100 billion for the climate and economic transformation fund.

Support from the Greens means Merz should get the two-thirds parliamentary majority the planned constitutional amendments require in a vote scheduled for next week.

Merz, whose conservative bloc is in negotiations with the SPD to form a new government following last month’s elections, wants to secure the funds before a new parliament convenes on March 25 — at which point the CDU/CSU tie up wtih the SPD and Greens would no longer have the majority necessary to pass the measure.

What did German politicians say?
“Germany is back,” said Merz, announcing the agreement on debt reform.

“It is a clear message to our partners and friends, but also to our opponents, to the enemies of our freedom: we are capable of defending ourselves and we are now fully prepared to defend ourselves,” he said.

Merz also said he expects the country to release €3 billion ($3.27 billion) in military aid to Ukraine once the upper house passes the debt reform.

“There will be no shortage of financial resources to defend freedom and peace on our continent,” Merz stressed. “Germany is making its major contribution to the defense of freedom and peace in Europe.”

Meanwhile, Social Democrat co-leader Lars Klingbeil said a major government borrowing and investment push was a “powerful boost” for Europe’s largest economy.

“We have laid the foundation for Germany to get back on its feet and protect itself,” Klingbeil said after his SPD agreed with conservatives and Greens on the historic debt package.

Green parliamentary group leader Katharina Dröge said the €100 billion, which must be spent on new measures rather than to fill budgetary holes, “will make a difference” as the money would be “channelled in the right direction.” Though the Green will not be part of the next government, she said negotiations to reach Friday’s compromise would allow ministers in the future government to “do the right thing.”

Source: https://www.dw.com/en/germany-parties-agree-on-historic-debt-deal/a-71922888

Presenters Annita McVeigh, Karin Giannone, Kasia Madera and Martine Croxall launched an employment tribunal against the BBC, but it is understood a settlement has been reached with no admission of liability and a three-week tribunal to hear the presenters’ claims will now not go ahead.

The BBC has agreed a settlement with four of its female news presenters over employment tribunal claims including age and sex discrimination, Sky News understands.

Presenters Annita McVeigh, Karin Giannone, Kasia Madera and Martine Croxall launched an employment tribunal against the BBC, which was due to start next week.

Ms McVeigh, Ms Croxall and Ms Madera alleged discrimination on the grounds of age, sex, being a union member and wages, while Ms Giannone alleged discrimination based on age, sex and wages.

It is understood the settlement has been reached with no admission of liability, and a three-week tribunal to hear the presenters’ claims will now not go ahead.

In a statement, the presenters said: “We can confirm that we have reached a resolution with BBC management that avoids the need for a tribunal hearing in respect of our employment-related claims.

“A protracted process lasting almost three years is now over. We’ve been deeply moved by the support we’ve received.

“We look forward to contributing further to the success of BBC News, especially to live programming and the growing streaming services that are so important to our audiences.”

A BBC spokesperson said: “After careful consideration we have a reached a resolution which brings to an end protracted legal proceedings with four members of staff and avoids further costs for the BBC.

“In doing so we have not accepted any liability or any of the arguments made against the BBC. We are simply bringing to a close all of the actions brought against us so that all involved can move forward.

“The BBC successfully launched a single BBC News channel in 2023, bringing the best live and breaking news on TV and online both here and around the world.

“We welcome this opportunity to now look to the future, and to work together on delivering for our audiences – which is our first priority.”

Source: https://news.sky.com/story/four-female-news-presenters-settle-age-and-sex-discrimination-tribunal-claims-with-bbc-13328598

President Donald Trump has made repeated threats to make the US neighbour to the north its 51st state.

Mark Carney has been formally sworn in as the new prime minister of Canada, following the resignation of predecessor Justin Trudeau.

Mr Carney, a former governor of both the Bank of Canada and Bank of England, will try to steer his country through a trade war brought by Donald Trump.

Mr Trump has also made repeated threats to make the US neighbour to the north its 51st state.

Speaking at a news conference after the swearing-in ceremony in Ottawa, Mr Carney said such talk was “crazy” and Canada will “never ever be part of the US”.

The American president has slapped 25% tariffs on Canadian steel and aluminium and is threatening sweeping tariffs on all Canadian products from 2 April.

Mr Carney has already said he is ready to meet Mr Trump if he shows “respect for Canadian sovereignty” and is willing to take “a common approach, a much more comprehensive approach for trade”.

The prime minister also said he would keep in place retaliatory tariffs on US goods until the US showed Canada some respect.

Canada, which is the biggest foreign supplier of steel and aluminum to the US, this week announced 25% retaliatory tariffs on those metals along with computers, sports equipment and other products worth $20bn in total.

Canada already imposed tariffs on 4 March worth a similar amount on US goods in response to broader tariffs by Mr Trump.

Mr Carney also said he respects what Mr Trump is looking to accomplish and hopes to have a call with the president.

In the presence of governor general Mary Simon, the personal representative of King Charles, who is Canada’s head of state, the new prime minister took the oath of office.

He plans to visit France and the UK, as Canada seeks to shore up alliances in Europe, with its relations with the US sinking to unprecedented lows.

Source: https://news.sky.com/story/canada-will-never-ever-be-part-of-us-and-talk-of-nation-becoming-51st-state-crazy-says-new-pm-13328652

Sam Jones says she is “truly sorry” for snatching a baby wombat from its distressed mother – and has left Australia.

The American influencer who snatched a baby wombat from its distressed mother has said “thousands threatened” her life, and that she is “truly sorry” in an Instagram post.

Sam Jones, who describes herself as an “outdoor enthusiast and hunter”, wrote a lengthy statement on social media, saying she was “extremely concerned” about the wombat’s health, so she ran away from the joey’s mother out of fear of attack.

She says she “immediately” returned it to its mother.

“I have done a great deal of reflection on this situation and have realised that I did not handle this situation as best as I should have (…) I have learnt from this situation, and am truly sorry for the distress I have caused.”

In the now-deleted video posted to her 92,000 followers on Instagram, Jones said: “I caught a baby wombat”, as a man filming her laughs.

In the video, the wombat could be seen struggling and heard hissing as its mother followed on the road behind.

She returned the baby wombat to the roadside after several seconds.

Jones left the country on Friday after the Australian government said it was reviewing her visa.

Australia’s Prime Minister Anthony Albanese criticised the influencer, who sparked outrage across the country, telling reporters: “To take a baby wombat from its mother, and clearly causing distress to the mother, is just an outrage.

“And, you know, I suggest to this so-called influencer, maybe she might try some other Australian animals.

“Take a baby crocodile from its mother and see how you go there.

“Take another animal that can actually fight back rather than stealing a baby wombat from its mother – see how you go there.”

Source: https://news.sky.com/story/truly-sorry-us-influencer-who-snatched-baby-wombat-reveals-shes-had-death-threats-13328858

Ex-central banker Mark Carney was sworn in as prime minister of Canada on Friday and immediately said he could work with U.S. President Donald Trump, who is promising tariffs that could devastate the Canadian economy.
Carney succeeds Justin Trudeau, who had a combative and often cold relationship with Trump. Carney, 59, made clear his approach would be different.

“We respect President Trump – President Trump has put some very important issues at the top of his agenda. We understand his agenda,” he told reporters after being sworn in, noting he had worked with Trump at international meetings.

Carney said he would visit London and Paris next week. Canada has sought to shore up alliances in Europe as relations with the United States founder.

Carney crushed his rivals on Sunday in a race to become leader of the ruling Liberal Party. He replaces Trudeau, who spent more than nine years in office.
Former finance minister Chrystia Freeland, whose shock resignation last December triggered a crisis that helped push out Trudeau, becomes transport minister.
Carney, a former head of both the Bank of Canada and Bank of England, successfully argued his position as an outsider with a history of tackling crises meant he was the best person to take on Trump, who has repeatedly talked about annexing Canada.
“We will never, ever in any way, shape or form, be part of the United States,” he said on Friday.
The cabinet is unlikely in office for long, since Liberal insiders say Carney is set to call a snap election within the next two weeks. If he changes his mind, opposition parties say they will unite to bring down the minority government in a confidence vote at the end of March.
Once the election is called, Carney will be limited in what he can do politically because convention dictates he cannot make major decisions during a campaign.
Opinion polls currently suggest it will be a close race with the Conservatives, with neither party gaining enough seats for a majority government.

Source: https://www.reuters.com/world/americas/mark-carney-be-sworn-canadian-prime-minister-now-must-face-trump-2025-03-14/

Pakistan Foregin Office Spokesperson did not implicate India in the train hijack incident but said it was “orchestrated and directed by terrorist ring leaders operating from abroad”.

Islamabad: Pakistan has accused India of “sponsoring terrorism”, without naming New Delhi in the recent train hijack incident that was executed by Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA). Twenty one passengers had died in the attack while more thant 30 Pak military personnel were killed

In a press briefing on the train hostage situation that lasted for more than 24 hours, Pakistan’sForeign Office spokesperson Shafqat Ali Khan claimed that terrorists were in direct communication with “Afghanistan-based planners throughout the incident”.

He added that Pakistan has repeatedly asked Afghanistan to deny the use of its soil for terrorist groups like the Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA), a report in PTI stated. “We urge Afghanistan to hold perpetrators, organisers, financiers, of this reprehensible act of terrorism accountable and cooperate with the government of Pakistan to bring all those who are concerned with this attack, including the real sponsors of terrorism to justice,” he was quoted as saying.

India strongly reacted to the statement and said that Pakistan should look into its own affairs rather than poining fingers at others.

“We strongly reject the baseless allegations made by Pakistan. The whole world knows where the epicenter of global terrorism lies. Pakistan should look inwards instead of pointing fingers and shifting the blame for its own internal problems and failures on to others, the Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson, Randhir Jaiswal said.

The BLA had taken Jaffar Express passengers hostage on Tuesday and threatened to “execute” them allif military intervened. On Wednesday, the Pakistan Army announced that all 33 remaining attackers who seized the train in Pakistan’s restive Balochistan region had been eliminated and the captive passengers freed.

On the question of any possible change of policy because India was blamed in the past for BLA’s activities, the spokesman said there was no change.

“There is no shift in our policy. And again, the facts have not changed. India is involved in sponsoring terrorism against Pakistan. What I was referring to was, in this particular incident, we have evidence of calls being traced to Afghanistan. This is what I said,” he answered.

The spokesperson went on to accuse India for “trying to destabilise its neighbouring countries and running a global assassination campaign”.

Source : https://www.timesnownews.com/world/asia/pakistan-train-hijack-accuses-india-of-sponsoring-terrorism-says-indian-media-glorified-bla-article-119000922

Unlike the internet generated through extensive cable networks, Satellite Access Internet, as the name suggests, provides the internet through communication satellites. And this system is known to be able to sustain the internet at higher speeds.

Internet has changed the primary means of our very existence over the past few decades. Over the recent years, especially in the past one decade, it has traversed past greater advancements from mobile internet, provided by telecom service providers, to broadband services, espousing internet surfing through WiFi systems in your house. Now, the new phenomenon on the horizon, that is catching speed is satellite internet.

The Age Of Internet

In India, the advent of internet and its forms may have been delayed, but its proliferation and subsequent consumption have expanded at an exponential speed. Each change has been marked by some marquee moments, from the days of BSNL and MTNL to the competitive game of throne between private telecom players.

Another major marquee event came to pass when Reliance Jio introduced a disruption in the market with the company’s ultra-cheap mobile internet plans in 2016. This disruption resulted in a complete overhaul of the sector, leaving just three main players, namely Vodafone Idea, Airtel, and Reliance Jio.

Another marquee moment came when these mainstream players jumped into broadband internet service, a field that was once dominated by localised internet service providers.

Today another disruption is en route: the storm of Elon Musk’s Starlink and Satellite Internet Access. Satellite Internet Access is not an old idea, but it has gathered pace over the past few years.

Unlike the internet generated through extensive cable networks, Satellite Access Internet, as the name suggests, provides the internet through communication satellites. And this system is known to be able to sustain the internet at higher speeds.

Will Starlink Make A Dent?

In India, these satellite services are not new, as we have had business-to-business activities carried out in remote locations, including ATMs, in rural areas. But this time, the scale and the ambition are far greater. Starlink is not all alone in this race, as it has competition in India as well.

This new phase of changing internet consumption has the old players, just as before. Reliance and Airtel are active participants in this race as well. In fact, Airtel took the lead in the matter, as Airtel-backed London-based Eutelsat OneWeb in March, claimed, that it would introduce its first service in India, by June. Meanwhile, Reliance is also in the process of establishing India’s first satellite internet system.

Starlink has its task cut out in this mix. Elon Musk’s company currently has this service available in different countries across all the continents on earth. Starlink is available in all of North America, including Canada, Mexico, and the US. Its services are available in South America as well, with the exception of Bolivia. Starlink currently boasts of being able to render services in a 100 countries.

It is also available in most of Europe as well. In addition, according to the company, it also has a set of countries on the waiting list where the service is currently not in place. India happens to be one of them.

Now, apart from the red tape and regulatory issues, it is also about the viability of establishments and services and most importantly, the price and economics of them.

Disney’s live-action remake of Snow White is set to be released in UK cinemas next week, marking the latest efforts by the film studio to revive a beloved old classic.

But the film, which stars Rachel Zegler and Gal Gadot, has faced several issues throughout its production.

The movie is being released amid a debate about how the seven dwarfs are represented on screen, while Zegler has made headlines for critical comments about the original 1937 film.

The European premiere was held on Wednesday at a castle in Northern Spain, instead of a more traditional and high-profile location such as London’s Leicester Square.

Dwarfism debate
The debate around the film began making headlines in January 2022, when Game of Thrones star Peter Dinklage, an actor with Dwarfism, described the decision to retell the story of “seven dwarfs living in a cave” as “backward”.

Disney has used computer-generated dwarfs in the remake and said it would “avoid reinforcing stereotypes from the original animated film”.

But this week, other actors with Dwarfism have said they would have liked the opportunity to play the roles.

Speaking to the Daily Mail, performer Choon Tan said the decision to use CGI was “absolutely absurd and discriminating in a sense”.

“There really is nothing wrong casting someone with dwarfism as a dwarf in any given opportunity,” he said.

“As long as we are treated equally and with respect, we’re usually more than happy to take on any acting roles that are suitable for us,” he added.

Another performer, Blake Johnston, told the newspaper that “we have plenty of dwarf actors out there who are dying for roles like this”.

He said he also said he believed Disney had “succumb to peer pressure on political correctness, which has now given top dwarf actors less work”.

Dinklage, who has a form of dwarfism called achondroplasia, criticised the film in 2022 during an interview with podcaster Marc Maron.

“I was a little taken aback by [the fact] they were very proud to cast a Latina actress as Snow White,” he said, referring to Colombian-American actress Zegler.

“You’re progressive in one way, but then you’re still making that backward story about seven dwarfs living in a cave together? Have I done nothing to advance the cause from my soapbox? I guess I’m not loud enough.”

The actor had previously spoken about the representation of dwarfism, saying it was “bad writing” to make it a “dominant character trait”.

In a statement released after Dinklage’s comments, Disney said they were “taking a different approach with these seven characters” and had made their decision to use CGI after “consulting with members of the dwarf community”.

Pared-down premiere
The film’s European premiere took place on Wednesday at a remote castle in Spain, which was the inspiration behind the castle in the 1937 original animated film.

Zegler performed a rendition of original song Waiting On a Wish at the event on Wednesday evening in Segrovia, north-West of Madrid.

Most media outlets were not invited to the medieval castle, and Zegler instead performed to a relatively small crowd.

The Los Angeles premiere, meanwhile, will be reportedly smaller than usual for a film of this magnitude, with the stars only expected to pose for photographs and speak to Disney’s in-house crews.

News journalists have not been invited to attend the red carpet and therefore will not have the opportunity to interview the film’s cast and creatives.

However, the cast are taking part in a few select sit-down interviews with some outlets as part of a press junket which is taking place this week.

Source: https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cvg1n00qknro

What hope now for avoiding catastrophic climate change? As all of the data on emissions, atmospheric carbon dioxide levels, and global warming point emphatically in the wrong direction, returning president Donald Trump has given the call to “drill, baby, drill”—a pledge to fast-track new fossil fuel projects and ramp up production. One presumes it’s an order that the world’s oil and gas giants, already backsliding from their previous commitments to transition to green energy, will be only too happy to heed.

Against this backdrop, the dark premonitions that haunt the minds of those persuaded by the scientific consensus on climate change—and the myriad horrors of a burning world—only intensify. With every tried and tested climate fix looking like a busted flush, radical new ideas are being explored with increasing urgency.

One of these is geoengineering. The large-scale manipulation of the planetary environment to mitigate the impact of man-made climate change is seen by some as a technical challenge that will draw out the very best of human ingenuity and ultimately save the world. Others see it as the latest example of our deluded faith in technology.

You may be aware by now of solar geoengineering, which in most cases means reflecting sunlight before it has the chance to reach and heat Earth’s surface. Some believe we could pump sulphur dioxide into the stratosphere to form a protective fug of sunlight-reflecting sulphate aerosols. Other theories, such as Enhanced Rock Weathering (ERW), involve carbon sequestration. Rock weathering is actually a totally natural process in which carbon dioxide is drawn out of the atmosphere when a chemical reaction occurs between rainwater and rocks. With ERW, you accelerate this through mechanical means, allowing you to sequester significantly more CO2.

“This explosion would be well over a thousand times larger than the 50 megaton ‘Tsar Bomba’ test, the current largest nuclear explosion in history, which itself was around 3,800 times the strength of the bomb dropped on Hiroshima.”

It’s this process that forms the basis for perhaps the most extreme geoengineering proposal to emerge yet. In January, a paper appeared on arXiv, a website of non-peer-reviewed scholarly articles. Written by Andy Haverly, a 25-year-old Microsoft software engineer from Washington State, its proposition was a modest one—that we should try firing the largest nuclear bomb in history into the Earth’s crust in order to sequester 30 years’ worth of CO2 emissions in underwater rock.

In Haverly’s mind, the 81 gigaton nuclear bomb would be buried somewhere between 3 and 5km beneath the seabed of the remote Kerguelen Plateau, where the surrounding waters of the Antarctic Ocean themselves have a depth of 6 to 8km. This explosion would be well over a thousand times larger than the 50 megaton ‘Tsar Bomba’ test, the current largest nuclear explosion in history, detonated in 1961 by the Soviet Union in the Arctic Circle. (For reference, that explosion was around 3,800 times the strength of the bomb dropped on Hiroshima during World War II. Apparently recycling isn’t going to cut it any more.)

According to Haverly, who doesn’t have a background in climate science or nuclear engineering but is currently studying for a PhD in quantum computing at Rochester Institute of Technology, the bomb would pulverize a vast amount of basalt rock (3.86 trillion tons, to be precise) into tiny pieces. Theoretically, this would then react with CO2 in the ocean to form stable carbonate minerals that lock the carbon away permanently. The deep ocean waters would, he claims, safely contain the blast.

Source: https://www.vice.com/en/article/nuclear-bomb-earths-crust-geoengineering/

The move is the latest development in a brewing trade war between the US and the EU.

US President Donald Trump on Thursday threatened to impose tariffs of 200% on European wine, champagne and spirits if the European Union proceeds with plans to tax American whiskey imports.

The EU’s 50% whiskey tariff, which was due to take effect on April 1, was announced in response to the US administration’s plans to tax European steel and aluminum imports.

“If this Tariff is not removed immediately, the U.S. will shortly place a 200% Tariff on all WINES, CHAMPAGNES, & ALCOHOLIC PRODUCTS COMING OUT OF FRANCE AND OTHER E.U. REPRESENTED COUNTRIES,” the US president wrote on his social media platform Truth Social.

How did we get to this point?
Trump’s announcement on Thursday is the latest development in an escalating trade dispute between the US and many of its allies and closest trading partners, including the EU, Canada and Mexico.

On Wednesday, he told reporters at the White House that he would “of course” retaliate to the EU’s tit-for-tat tariffs.

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen insisted that the EU’s reaction was “strong but proportionate.”

“As the US are applying tariffs worth $28 billion (€26 billion), we are responding with countermeasures worth €26 billion,” she said in a statement.

Von der Leyen added that EU authorities “remain open to negotiation” and “firmly believe that in a world fraught with geopolitical and economic uncertainties, it is not in our common interest to burden our economies with tariffs.”

Shortly before Trump announced the massive 200% tariff on Thursday, European Commission spokesman Olof Gill urged Washington to “immediately revoke” the duties on European steel and aluminum and called for negotiations.

The tariffs “bring nothing but lose-lose outcomes, and we want to focus on win-win outcomes,” Gill said.

Why is Trump imposing the tariffs?
Since returning to the White House on January 20, the US president has slapped tariffs on a range of products from both America’s allies as well as its rivals, including China.

Beijing has promised to use “all necessary measures” to respond to Trump’s measures. It has already imposed tariffs of 10% and 15% on US agriculture products.

Trump has used the threat of heavy tariffs to pressure governments into accepting various policy demands, including curbing fentanyl smuggling and illegal immigration, as well as to address what Washington perceives as global trading imbalances.

Source: https://www.dw.com/en/trump-threatens-200-tariff-on-european-wine-spirits/a-71913486

The video clip of the American tourist pestering the marsupial has outraged many in Australia. Her visa status is now being reviewed.

An American influencer has sparked outrage in Australia after she published a video which appears to show her grabbing a baby wombat.

In the video which has since been deleted from Instagram, self-described “outdoor enthusiast and hunter” Sam Jones is seen picking up the wild animal in an unknown location in Australia.

The wombat, which could be seen hissing and struggling, was followed by its mother on the road.

“I caught a baby wombat,” Jones says to the camera, before placing the joey back on the side of the road.

The marsupials are a protected species that are only found in Australia.

‘Leave the baby wombat alone’

Senior Australian government officials, including Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke and Foreign Minister Penny Wong, on Thursday condemned the influencer.

“It looked pretty dreadful, didn’t it?” Wong told Australia’s Channel Seven, before adding, “look, leave the baby wombat alone.”

In a statement, Burke said authorities were looking into whether the American woman had violated the terms of her visa.

Source: https://www.dw.com/en/australia-angered-by-video-of-us-influencer-grabbing-baby-wombat/a-71914930

Donald Trump’s cancellation of millions in aid to the country left a massive funding gap. The EU’s investment package includes funding to boost vaccine manufacturing and for a transition to clean energy.

The European Union will invest $5 billion (€4.7 billion) in South African aid and development projects, EU chief Ursula von der Leyen announced Thursday.

The majority of the investments will go to supporting the transition to clean energy, such as improving wind, solar and hydrogen power production.

The funds will also be put into vaccine manufacturing.

“South Africa wants to protect the health of [its] people… We Europeans want to diversify some of our most critical supply chains. This is what I call a true mutual interest,” von der Leyen said.

The announcement came at the first bilateral summit between the bloc and South Africa, the continent’s most advanced economy, in seven years.

What led to the summit?
The summit in Cape Town was called to strengthen ties between the bloc and South Africa, the EU’s largest sub-Saharan trading partner.

South African President Cyril Ramaphosa said the meeting came at a time of increasing “global uncertainty … characterized by rising unilateralism, economic nationalism,” a reference to the impact of US President Donald Trump’s policies.

The United States’ decision to ax nearly all aid to South Africa has sparked concerns about funding gaps in critical areas, such as HIV/AIDS treatment.

Source: https://www.dw.com/en/eu-to-invest-5bn-in-south-africa-after-us-aid-withdrawal/a-71915894