Category: World

ASTRONAUTS visiting Mars could unearth a museum of alien fossils that may have belonged to an intelligent civilisation.

Professor Chandra Wickramasinghe backed NASA’s plan to send humans to Mars in the 2030s and Elon Musk’s bid to colonise the planet.

The Buckingham Centre for Astrobiology astrobiologist thinks alien life “unquestionably” existed on the Red Planet.

And he’s even suggested explorers could unearth fossils pointing to alien life, possibly more intelligent than us.

Prof Wickramasinghe told The Sun: “I think it is entirely plausible that Mars, sometime in the past, was a green planet full of life.

“Then something happened that made it a virtually dead planet or nearly a dead planet.

“This could have happened after impact. An episode of comet asteroid impacts could have destroyed all life that existed on it if it did exist on Mars. It could have destroyed it just as on the Earth.

“If there was a huge protracted episode of asteroid comet impacts, then this planet would be a dead planet.

“The fact that Mars and Earth are very similar, geologically very similar, have seasons and they have very similar patterns of oscillation of temperature and so on makes it entirely possible that, in the past, Mars was the home of life.

“I don’t rule out intelligent life.

He added: “I think astronauts will explore all those fossils discussed by Barry DiGregorio, examine them more carefully and decide whether they’re artifacts or real fossils.

“They would encounter bacteria and I think they would find a planet that is very easy to terraform, to make it a living planet like the earth.

“If you go with enough resources, you could build houses and build a civilisation on Mars, and I don’t think that’s impossible.

“I can’t rule out an intelligent civilisation.”

Asked what that life may have looked like, he said: “It’s speculation. It could have been as intelligent as you or I or maybe even more intelligent.

“Who knows? I think evidence has been virtually stamped out of existence possibly through an impact episode, if it did exist.”

DiGregorio had claimed alien fossils had been discovered by NASA’s Curiosity rover in 2018.

He accused NASA of failing to investigate properly so it could boost publicity for a manned mission to Mars.

NASA said it believed the images likely showed signs of crystal growth, not alien fossils.

Billionaire Musk has long signalled his intent to colonise Mars through his SpaceX company.

Last year, the X owner even suggested humans could land there in four years and be living in a self-sustaining city in 20.

NASA says on its website it intends to send humans to Mars in the 1930s.

In 1976, NASA landed two Viking landers on Mars.

NASA scientist Gilbert Levin ran an experiment to test the soil and concluded there were positive signs of life through the presence of radioactive gas.

NASA and its other scientists disagreed, and separate experiments from Viking concluded the soil did not show signs of life.

But Levin spent the rest of his life claiming he’d found signs of alien life until his death in 2021.

Prof Wickramasinghe said: “We have unquestionably found microbial life on Mars, the most secure discovery was the Gilbert Levin discovery in the 1970s when they did the Viking land experiments.”

He added: “That result was overwhelmingly positive. They got the result that they wanted.

“So almost immediately Levin, who I’d known for a long time, made the announcement on behalf of NASA that we have discovered life on Mars.

“This was a step too far for the NASA establishment, and they then revoked that statement.”

On its website, NASA says: “Mars remains our horizon goal for human exploration because it is one of the only other places we know where life may have existed in the solar system.

Source : https://www.the-sun.com/tech/14329268/aliens-live-mars-smarter-humans/

THE male escort “The Punisher” who participated in Sean “Diddy” Combs’ alleged “freak-offs” has opened up about the battle against a storm of negativity since testifying at the music mogul’s trial.

The high-profile federal trial of Combs ended on Wednesday with the jury’s stunning verdict that acquitted the Bad Boy Records executive, 55, of racketeering conspiracy and sex trafficking charges.

Throughout seven grueling weeks, the prosecution laid out their expansive case that consisted of testimony from 34 witnesses, including law enforcement officials, former employees of Combs, as well as two former girlfriends.

Cassandra Ventura, the singer who goes by Cassie, disclosed to jurors how Combs allegedly proposed a “freak-off” to her months into the start of their relationship in 2007, when she was 22.

An emotional Ventura told the court that the alleged drug-fueled sex marathons with paid male escorts became a weekly occurrence, describing how her music career took a backseat while her participation in the “freak-offs” became “her job.”

Ventura testified how she soon began organizing “freak-offs” at Combs’ direction and “because it was what was expected of her.”

She told the court she would at times hire the male escorts, book the hotel rooms, and ensure the rooms were set up with red lighting, towels, drugs, candles, and baby oil.

“I just felt pretty horrible about myself. I felt disgusting. I felt humiliated,” Ventura said on the stand.

Sharay Hayes, a male escort who goes by the nickname “The Punisher,” was among the dozens of escorts who participated in the sex marathons with Combs and Ventura.

Hayes described the “freak-offs” as choreographed encounters where Combs would always be hovering around him and Ventura.

“We started every interaction the same. It was a routine and there was a specific procedure to use baby oil,” Hayes told The U.S. Sun days before the jury delivered its verdicts in the trial.

“Me putting baby oil on myself, or her doing it to herself.

“That was the visual type of desire for the moment. So, it was very consistent every single time, every situation I interacted and involved in.”

‘DAMAGE CONTROL’

Hayes was the ninth witness called to the stand by the prosecution and since his testimony on May 20, the former escort turned author has been trying to navigate the “storm of negativity” that emerged from Combs’ federal trial.

“Honestly, my mindset now is all damage control,” Hayes, who authored the men’s self-help book In Search of FREEZER MEATS, said.

“When you’re thrust into this type of trial, especially under the umbrella as a male escort, you get a storm of negativity, negative perceptions.

“Listen, I’m not trying to sidestep. It’s a decision that I made in terms of a proposition, but doing these interviews and trying to at least control the narrative of who I am as a man, how I represent myself, what I’m trying to do to the best of my ability.

“If there’s going to be an opinion, at least let it be formulated off of someone actually seeing me speak and tell my side and put it out to the public to at least form whatever opinion you’re going.

“This stuff happened over a decade ago. So, the first thing from my mind is that it’s going to be in a public forum.

“And just the idea of these intimate details about yourself being basically broadcasted to the world that everybody can just form an opinion, embellish on that opinion.

“Then you being judged on these very intimate moments. It’s an unfortunate thing. I don’t I don’t wish it on anybody.

“It’s a tough thing to have your name synonymous with those type of acts and that type of atmosphere for the rest of your days.

“So, I don’t know what it’s going to look like in the future, but I’m just trying my best to manage it.”

COMBS STILL IN JAIL

Combs and his family’s post-verdict celebration was short-lived after the judge presiding over his case denied the music mogul bail.

Marc Agnifilo, Combs’ lead defense attorney, proposed a sprawling $1 million bail package to Judge Arun Subramanian that would have allowed his client to be on house arrest at his Star Island estate in Miami while he awaited sentencing.

Agnifilo said Combs would have willingly surrendered his passport and restrict his travels to New York, New Jersey, Miami, and Los Angeles.

Throughout the trial and during closing arguments, Combs and his defense team admitted to his violence behavior towards his staff and former girlfriends.

However, the strategy ended up backfiring and in his ruling, Judge Subramanian used the defense’s own admission against them in their effort to release Combs on bail.

“Even if the defendant was solely required to show that he is not a danger to the community, he could not meet that burden,” the judge told Agnifilo.

“The defense conceded the defendant’s violence. You full-throatedly in your closing arguments told the jury that there was violence here.”

The judge underscored the disturbing 2016 surveillance footage from the Inter-Continental hotel of Combs’ brutal assault on Ventura.

“There was the London Hotel incident. There was violence after the searches in this case,” Judge Subramanian added, referring to the raids on Combs’ properties in Beverly Hills and Miami.

“As to Jane, there was June 2024 after the searches of Combs’ residences. This evidences a disregard for the law and a propensity for violence.”

Agnifilo pushed back on the judge’s ruling, arguing that his client has been a “model prisoner” since his arrest in September 2024.

“I just think we should trust him. He’s not going to flee,” the defense attorney said.

At one point, Agnifilo brazenly told Judge Subramanian that Combs wished to speak with him, but the offer seemingly went unnoticed as the judge reaffirmed his position.

Combs hung his head as he was escorted out of the courtroom by US Marshals, who transported him back to the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn.

“The defense conceded the defendant’s violence. You full-throatedly in your closing arguments told the jury that there was violence here.

Before he left the courtroom, Combs faced his family and told them, “We’re gonna make it through this. I’ll see you when I get out,” according to CNN.

“I love you all. Be strong.”

The judge tentatively set sentencing for October 3, but scheduled a July 8 hearing where he will rule on whether to push the date up per the defense’s request.

Hayes, the former male escort, said that despite all the alleged sex marathons he participated in with Combs and Ventura, he holds no ill will towards the music executive.

“I’m trying to steer strongly away from judgment. Certain things are undeniable to domestic violence and stuff like that,” Hayes told The U.S. Sun.

“But we do understand people have low moments, so I don’t want to categorize a man in his 50s solely based on his low moments and a lot of misinformation that’s being spread.

Source : https://www.the-sun.com/entertainment/14610212/diddy-witness-the-punisher-storm-of-negativity-battle/

TWO people have died and several are injured after a mass shooting in Indianapolis as Fourth of July violence spilled into the weekend.

The horror shooting broke out in the early hours of Saturday morning where “hundreds” of juveniles had gathered near South Illinois Street and West Washington Street.

Cops had already been dealing with an incident in the area when they were called to another skirmish and heard gunfire as they approached the scene just before 1:30 am.

When they arrived, six people had been shot and one was pronounced dead at the scene.

Cops later confirmed that the fatality was a 16-year-old boy.

The six injured victims were transported to local hospitals where one later died – later confirmed to be a 15-year-old male.

A seventh shooting victim ended up walking to an area hospital and is said to be in a stable condition.

The identities of those who died and were injured have not been released.

But police said in a press conference that of those shot, one was 16, one was 17, two were 19 and one was 21.

A number of firearms were taken from the scene by cops and several people were detained for questioning as an investigation continues.

It is not known if the weapons seized and those being questioned were involved in the shooting.

Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department Chief Chris Bailey issued a stern warning to parents at a press conference from the scene on Friday night as he gave initial details about the night of violence.

As thousands of people gathered to celebrate Fourth of July by watching the organized fireworks displays, others including “hundreds of kids” gathered to cause trouble, Bailey said.

“This kind of violence, whether downtown or in any of our neighborhoods is completely unacceptable and unnecessary,” he told reporters.

“Thousands of people came downtown tonight, enjoyed the fireworks and went home.

“Thousands more chose to come down here and all night cause trouble.”

‘WAKE UP’

All night long, he spoke of how he and his officers “dealt with the disturbances, dealt with the utter disrespect for our city, for our laws, and for law enforcement.”

“Hundreds of unsupervised kids down here. I don’t know how many times I have to say it – We are not your children’s keepers. You are.

“Parents and guardians have got to step up.

“A kid is dead tonight. And we just don’t know the age of the young man down the street still here. Dead. He looks young. It’s unacceptable.”

Chief Bailey spoke of how around 20 arrests were made on Friday night alone and with guns seized from children before the mass shooting broke out.

One of the kids he referred to had an assault rifle in the front of his pants as the police chief called for the community to “wake up” to the state of its youth.

“We’re going to find out who did it and we are going to hold them accountable and if I can convince the prosecutor to hold parents accountable I’m going to do that too,” he vowed.

“I’m going to seek some kind of accountability to parents. There has to be more than just ‘what are the police doing?'”

“They ran toward the gunfire as they were working another fight,” he added of the officers who responded to the shooting.

The IMPD is set to release more information as the investigation continues.

Source : https://www.the-sun.com/news/14635126/indianapolis-mass-shooting-fourth-july-weekend-violence/

India has consistently refused to fully open its agriculture sector, particularly around genetically modified crops and dairy products

US President Donald Trump said on Friday he has signed letters to 12 countries outlining tariff levels they will face in what he described as “take it or leave it” offers, with the communications set to go out on Monday.

Speaking to reporters aboard Air Force One, Trump declined to name the countries involved. He also raised the stakes, saying tariffs could now reach as high as 70% – up from previously threatened levels of 50% – with most set to take effect August 1.

“I signed some letters and they’ll go out on Monday, probably twelve,” Trump said, according to news agency Reuters. “Different amounts of money, different amounts of tariffs.”

India appears likely to be among the 12 countries receiving the letters, according to officials familiar with the matter in New Delhi, after intensive negotiations failed to produce a complete breakthrough that would have averted higher tariffs.

“It may not be surprising if India figures in the list because outcomes of the bilateral trade negotiations since March this year until middle of current week were not as per Trump’s expectations,” said one person aware of the matter, speaking anonymously.

“Had it been so [if Trump accepted the terms], both Washington and New Delhi would have announced a deal by now.”

Trump’s announcement came immediately after India’s negotiating team returned from Washington following week-long talks that began June 26 – the fourth face-to-face negotiating round since March. The team, led by chief negotiator Rajesh Agrawal, had been pursuing what officials called an “early harvest” or mini trade deal.

Fundamental disagreements remain over market access, with “the US wanting unfettered access for American agriculture goods in the Indian market, a highly sensitive area for New Delhi as it involves the livelihood of millions of subsistence farmers,” the person said.

India has consistently refused to fully open its agriculture sector, particularly around genetically modified crops and dairy products. The country remains unwilling to allow items like soybean and corn unless certified as non-GM, since such crops are banned domestically.

Another major sticking point is “duty-free access in the Indian automobile sector,” the person added. “The Trump administration wants all without committing to withdraw the Liberation Day tariff, and other punitive tariffs on Indian steel, aluminium, automobiles and auto parts.”

Faced with the deadlock, India escalated the dispute beyond bilateral channels, the person added.

“Hence on return of its negotiating team from Washington, India on July 3 put the US on 30-day notice at the WTO before suspending concessions or other obligations on American imports,” the person explained.

Officials of the commerce ministry did not respond to requests for a comment on the matter.

A second person said bilateral discussions continue through virtual channels and a breakthrough remains possible.

“If India’s interest is served, an initial deal can still be achieved by July 9,” this person added, requesting anonymity. He added that “irrespective of deadlines, India will not sign any deal that is not balanced, equitable and a win-win.”

“Both countries remain committed to reaching the first tranche of a bilateral trade agreement by October 2025, as directed by Modi and Trump during their February 13 meeting”. That broader deal would include services and investment provisions beyond the current focus on goods.

New Delhi and Washington have been attempting to thrash out a trade deal since Trump’s February 13 summit with Prime Minister Narendra Modi, where both leaders agreed to more than double bilateral trade to $500 billion by 2030.

Despite the ambitious target, tensions escalated as Trump reimposed and expanded tariffs.

In March, the US imposed 25% tariffs on steel and aluminium imports from all countries, ending exemptions that had protected some trading partners. On March 26, Trump added 25% duties on passenger vehicles, light trucks and certain automobile parts, specifically targeting imports from countries including India.

The situation deteriorated further when Trump declared April 2 as “Liberation Day,” announcing a global 10% baseline tariff plus additional country-specific levies. India faced a combined 26% tariff – the 10% baseline plus an additional 16% reciprocal tariff.

Trump suspended the additional tariffs for 90 days to allow negotiations, but that reprieve expires July 9. India had initially demanded complete withdrawal of all punitive tariffs but softened its position to focus on partial relief in exchange for limited agricultural concessions.

Commerce minister Piyush Goyal on Saturday defended India’s approach, saying the country “negotiates from a position of strength and not under deadlines.”

He reiterated this position on Saturday when he rebutted opposition leader Rahul Gandhi’s charge that the Modi government would “meekly bow” to Trump’s tariff deadline.

Goyal accused the previous Congress-led United Progressive Alliance government of “negotiating and signing agreements that were not in the national interest.”

The day before, Goyal had emphasised that “India never negotiates trade deals with a deadline” and would announce any agreement only when it is “fully finalised, properly concluded and in the national interest.”

Trump’s ultimatum strategy reflects broader challenges in completing complex trade agreements on an accelerated timeline. Most traditional trade deals take years to negotiate, but Trump’s administration has sought to compress that process into months.

To date, Trump has reached agreements with only Britain and Vietnam. Britain secured a deal in May but accepted a pact to keep tariffs at 10% with preferential treatment for sectors including autos and aircraft engines. Vietnam, threatened with a 46% combined rate, negotiated a reduction to 20% with many US products allowed to enter duty-free.

Source : https://www.hindustantimes.com/india-news/take-it-or-leave-it-tariff-letters-ready-us-prez-101751740934876.html

Reuters has not given a statement yet on what led to the blocking of its main account on X in India

The official X handle of the international news agency Reuters has been withheld in India due to a “legal demand”.

Reuters has not given a statement yet on what led to the blocking of its main account on X in India.

Source : https://www.ndtv.com/india-news/reuters-x-account-in-india-withheld-in-response-to-legal-demand-8831016

The 85-year-old leader appeared in a video aired by state media on Saturday, which showed dozens of people attending an event at a mosque to mark Ashura, the holiest day of the Shia Muslim calendar.

In the footage, Khamenei is seen waving and nodding to the chanting crowd, which rose to its feet as he entered the mosque.

State TV said the clip was filmed at the Imam Khomeini Mosque in central Tehran.

Khamenei has avoided public appearances since the start of the fighting on June 13, and his speeches have all been prerecorded.

The United States, which joined in the Israeli attacks by bombing three key nuclear sites in Iran on June 22, had sent warnings to Khamenei, with US President Donald Trump saying on social media that Washington knew where the Iranian leader was, but had no plans to kill him, “at least for now”.

On June 26, in prerecorded remarks aired on state television, Khamenei rejected Trump’s calls for Iran’s surrender, and said Tehran had delivered a “slap to America’s face” by striking a US airbase in Qatar

Trump replied, in remarks to reporters and on social media: “Look, you’re a man of great faith. A man who’s highly respected in his country. You have to tell the truth. You got beat to hell.”

Iran has acknowledged that more than 900 people were killed in the war, as well as thousands injured. Iran’s retaliatory missile attacks on Israel killed at least 28 people there.

The ceasefire between the two countries took hold on June 24.

Since then, Iran has confirmed serious damage to its nuclear facilities, and denied access to them for inspectors from the United Nations’s nuclear watchdog, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).

The IAEA’s inspectors had stayed in the Iranian capital throughout the fighting, even as Israel attacked Iranian military sites and killed several of the country’s most senior commanders and top scientists, as well as hundreds of civilians.

However, they left after Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian signed a law suspending cooperation with the IAEA on Wednesday.

IAEA Director-General Rafael Grossi on Friday stressed “the crucial importance” of dialogue with Iran to resume monitoring and verification work of its nuclear programme as soon as possible.

Iran was holding talks with the US on its nuclear programme when Israel launched its attacks. The US has been seeking a new agreement after Trump pulled the US out of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), which Tehran signed with world powers in 2015.

Source : https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2025/7/6/irans-supreme-leader-makes-first-public-appearance-since-war-with-israel

It comes as The U.S. Sun exclusively revealed the fate of the Kelly Clarkson Show during the singer’s Sin City residency

KELLY Clarkson shocked fans when she canceled her first live Vegas shows – just minutes before she was due to go on stage.

The much-loved singer, 43, announced earlier this year that she’ll perform a multi-month residency at Caesars Palace in Sin City.

Kelly Clarkson: Studio Sessions – The Las Vegas Residency was due to kick of yesterday and was promising to “bring the studio experience” to the stage.

But, with just an hour and a half until show time, she broke the bad news to fans.

Taking to Instagram, Kelly penned: “We have been working 24/7 to make Studio Sessions the most intimate and extraordinary experience with and for my incredible fans.

“I am beyond grateful that you always show up for me and I am devastated to have to postpone tonight and tomorrow’s opening at Caesars.”

Kelly said that both “prep and rehearsals” had “taken a toll” on her voice, and that she wanted “the shows to be perfect for y’all.”

The Because Of You singer added: “I need to protect myself from doing serious damage so I am taking this weekend and next week to rest up so that we can deliver what you all deserve.

“The show is truly incredible. The musicians and singers are outstanding, and I want us all to start out strong.”

She concluded the heartfelt post with: “I can’t wait to be back next weekend and show y’all what we’ve been working on.”

The announcement came just hours after she got fans going to the show excited with behind-the-scenes snaps, and wrote: “TONIGHT!!”

After news of Kelly cancelling this weekend’s shows, fans commented with one saying: “‘Totally bummed that we flew all the way to Vegas only to find out that the show was cancelled 1 1/2 hours prior to show time. So so sad!!”

While this one added: “‘I’m outside the doors”, followed by crying face emojis.

Kelly will now start her Vegas show later this month, with dates in August as well.

The residency will then take a break and resume in November.

FUTURE OF TALK SHOW

Last month, there was concern from fans that her Vegas residency could put Kelly’s talk show in jeopardy of being canceled.

However, an insider recently assured The U.S. Sun that this wasn’t the case,

In fact, the team at NBCUniversal worked to make sure the residency did not interfere with the talk show.

“NBCUni worked with the Caesars group to make sure filming didn’t overlap. Kelly’s show won’t be impacted by the residency,” the source told us.

“Everyone walked away from it happy. Caesars gets their show, NBC gets their show, and they’ll cross-promote, respectively.”

The source then added: “The Kelly Show is NBC’s number one daytime priority and is in no way in any danger of being canceled.

“There are big plans for the future of the franchise and the network encourages Kelly to take gigs outside of the show because it only helps her talk show’s viewership too.”

Her NBC daytime show is on hiatus for the summer, so it will not be impacted by the July and August Vegas dates.

Source : https://www.the-sun.com/entertainment/14634275/kelly-clarkson-las-vegas-residency-first-shows-cancelled/

A YOUNG woman was miraculously rescued after being swept 20 miles downriver in floods that have killed at least 27 and left dozens of young girls missing.

The 22-year-old was scooped up by fast-moving water from her campsite in Kerr County, Texas by deadly flash floods at 4am, and found clinging to a tree four hours later, reports KENS 5.

A third of a year’s worth of rain fell in a few hours in the area, creating an “extraordinary disaster”, with an enormous search-and-rescue mission still underway.

A Center Point resident, Carl, heard screaming when he stepped into his yard at around 8am on Friday morning.

He spotted the woman clinging to a huge Cyprus tree near Lion’s Park Dam as the river thundered beneath her.

She had for been holding on for several hours after a terrifying 20-mile journey down dams and dodging debris.

Emergency calls weren’t connecting, so the local resident desperately flagged down a police car for help.

Two rescue boats were scrambled and battled perilous currents to rescue the stranded camper.

By this time, the water level had receded considerably, so the woman was stranded 12ft above the water’s surface.

She was forced to drop into the rescue boat, and was finally brought to safety.

Carl said: “It was a true miracle. There’s no other way to explain it.

“We bought her into our house and gave her clothes and something to drink. We had a long talk with her.”

Carl’s family members told KENS 5 that the woman had been with her parents, sister, aunt and uncle at the campsite.

She reportedly was washed from her car with both of her parents, and became separated from the two of them.

Their condition is not yet clear.

The woman had suffered only minor injuries during her hellish journey downstream.

She recounted plunging down four dams and fighting refrigerators, vehicle and other debris along the way.

There are hopes that others missing after floods will be found clinging on somewhere like this woman.

On Saturday morning, Trump posted on Truth Social: “Our Secretary of Homeland Security, Kristi Noem, will be there shortly.

“Melania and I are praying for all of the families impacted by this horrible tragedy.

“Our Brave First Responders are on site doing what they do best. GOD BLESS THE FAMILIES, AND GOD BLESS TEXAS!

Rescue teams were working through Friday night in a desperate bid to locate two dozens girls who were swept away from Camp Mystic – and all-girls summer camp by the Guadeloupe River.

The camp said on Friday morning that the parents of missing children had been notified, but that most of the 750 kids were safe.

Texas Lieutenant Governor Dan Patrick said on Friday afternoon of the missing girls: “That does not mean they’ve been lost. They could be in a tree or out of communication.”

Frantic parents and families posted photos of missing loved ones and pleas for information.

Local media has confirmed that among the missing girls are 9-year-old Laiey Landry, friends Eloise Peck and Lila Bonner, and Renee Smajstrla from the same cabin

The authorities have drafted in helicopters, specialised swimmers, drones and military vehicles in the hope of finding the girls alive.

Elinor Lester, 13, who was at the camp when the flood hit said it had been completely destroyed.

She said: “A helicopter landed and started taking people away. It was really scary.”

Addressing the floods, President Trump said: “It’s terrible, the floods. It’s shocking.”

Asked if Texas would received federal aid, he said: “Oh yeah, sure, we’ll take care of it. We’re working with the governor.”

The flooding in the middle of the night on the Fourth of July holiday caught many residents, campers and officials by surprise.

The Texas Hill Country, which sits northwest of San Antonio, is a popular spot for camping and swimming, especially around the summertime holiday.

Questions have been raised about whether enough warnings and preparations were made.

Source : https://www.the-sun.com/news/14635426/woman-swept-miles-texas-floods-clinging-tree-rescue/

CITIES across the US have canceled their July 4 festivities – just weeks after protesters took to the streets demonstrating against Donald Trump’s illegal immigration crackdown.

Firework displays in some locations have been axed while other celebrations have been scaled back.

Last month, Los Angeles saw six days of protests with some rioters clashing with law enforcement.

Since June 6, around 2,000 migrants have been arrested in Los Angeles County as immigration agents executed raids.

National Guard personnel and hundreds of Marines were deployed in a bid to quell the unrest.

Los Angeles officials have since taken the decision to cancel some events across the county and city.

Bell Gardens’ July 4 event has been axed as chiefs decided to cancel all events scheduled between June 24 and July 10.

The concert, starring the Latin music group Gabrielito Y La Verdad, scheduled for July 3 was subsequently axed.

Officials revealed why they took the decision to pull events and said it was made “out of an abundance of caution.”

Chiefs alluded to concerns for the safety of locals, according to an Instagram post.

But, local officials have slammed the immigration raids.

Jorgel Chavez, the Bell Gardens mayor, labeled the raids in California un-American.

He claimed the presence of masked agents sparked fear among some.

The East Los Angeles Rock’in 4th of July celebration will not take place this year.

Officials at the Los Angeles Department of Parks and Recreation alluded to safety concerns.

On social media, they explained the decision to cancel the event was made with a “heavy heart.”

The Gloria Molina Grand Park’s Summer Block Party has also been shelved.

But in a boost to revelers, organizers said the party, which is a free event, will take place later in the summer.

Independence Day celebrations have been toned down in Cudahy, also located in Los Angeles County.

On June 25, city officials canceled a gig and firework show that was scheduled for July 3.

In Cudahy, 97% of the population identify themselves as Latino or Hispanic, according to US Census Bureau data.

It’s not just across Los Angeles County where July 4 festivities have been canceled or watered down.

Independence Day celebrations in SeaTac will not take place this year, or in 2026, as per the city.

The city’s Angle Lake Park will close at 6pm local time.

DRONE DEBACLE

Last year, around 10,000 revelers flocked to the park despite it only having a capacity of 3,200.

And, a drone show that cost $40,000 appeared to turn into a shabby spectacle.

Fifty out of the 200 flying machines fell into the lake, as reported by the local Fox affiliate KCPQ-TV.

However, there will still be firework displays across Washington on Friday.

Revelers will be treated to bursts of color in cities such as Federal Way, Kent, and Seattle.

But, a spectacle that has previously been labeled the largest in Illinois will not take place.

Itasca’s display has been canceled for the first time in almost three decades, as revealed by city officials.

Construction plans in the village had scuppered plans for the annual show.

Officials at the American Automobile Association estimate that 72.2 million people will travel at least 50 miles away from their home across this week.

“With the holiday falling on a Friday, travelers have the option of making it a long weekend or taking the entire week to make memories with family and friends,” Stacey Barber, the vice president of AAA Travel, said.

Transport officials estimate that the hours between 12pm and 7pm are the worst times to travel.

Last month, protests erupted in Los Angeles and other major cities.

The flare-up in violence saw Waymo robotaxis set alight and other motors vandalized.

Almost 5,000 National Guard personnel and Marines combined were deployed to Los Angeles.

Demonstrations against ICE were reported in New York, Austin, Charlotte, and Chicago.

Protests and rallies also occurred in cities such as Memphis, Detroit and Oklahoma City.

Source : https://www.the-sun.com/news/14629077/july-4-celebrations-canceled-ice-raids-protests-arrests/

DONALD Trump has revealed plans to host the UFC title fight at the White House next year to celebrate America’s 250th birthday.

The “championship” punch up could take place on the presidential lawn and draw over 20,000 fans.

Trump, 79, who is pally with UFC president Dana White and a big UFC fan, announced his ambitious plan at an event in Des Moines, Iowa on Thursday.

It comes just weeks after the president was pictured at the UFC 316 in New Jersey.

Speaking emphatically to the crowd, he called on White to help organise the fight, which he said could take place at the White House because there is “a lot of land”.

He said: “Does anybody watch UFC? The great Dana White?

“We’re going to have a UFC fight. We’re going to have a UFC fight – think of this – on the grounds of the White House.

“We have a lot of land there, we’re going to build a little — we’re not, Dana is going to do it.

“Dana is great, one of a kind — going to be UFC fight, championship fight, full fight, like 20,000 to 25,000 people, and we’re going to do that as part of ‘250.'”

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt later confirmed the plans on X, adding that the president is “dead serious”.

The announcement marks the start of a whole year’s worth of festivities to celebrate 250 years since American gained independence from the British.

Trump’s connections with the UFC date back over two decades, while his relationship with White has always been strong.

The UFC boss backed the president’s political career from the start, calling Trump a “fighter” and endorsing his presidential bid in 2016.

When Trump survived a failed assassination attempt the White declared the president a “tough guy”.

He later called the 79-year-old “the legitimate, ultimate, American badass of all time”.

Later, in an interview with Tucker Carlson at Fox News, he touched on the pair’s strong relationship, calling Trump “great” and a “good friend”.

He said: “This guy has been so good to me it’s unexplainable.

“He’s been a very good friend to me since the day I met him.

“When we bought this company it had such a bad stigma attached to it and the sport that we couldn’t even get into venues, they didn’t want us.

“Donald Trump saw that this thing could possibly be big.

“Plus he’s a sports guy who loves sports, and he offered us to come do the event at the Trump Taj Mahal in Atlantic City.

Source : https://www.the-sun.com/sport/14627683/trump-ufc-white-house-fight/

RUSSIA last night blitzed Ukraine with the heaviest air strikes since the beginning of the war – pounding capital Kyiv with 550 drones and 11 missiles.

The overnight strikes came just moments after Donald Trump had a phone call with Vladimir Putin.

Fires broke out in multiple locations as almost every district in the capital city was struck, according to Tymur Tkachenko, head of Kyiv’s military administration.

Dozens of Ukrainians were injured as toxic smoke engulfed the city.

The Svyatoshynskyi and Solomanskyi districts were among the hardest hit, with blazes on rooftops and in courtyards.

Short on air defence systems, Ukraine could only down two of 11 missiles.

Another nine missiles – one Kinzhal [Dagger], two Iskander-K, and six Iskander-M – wreaked havoc in the city.

The barrage came hot on the heels of Trump’s phone conversation with Putin, which ended in “no progress at all”, according to the US president.

“I didn’t make any progress with him at all,” the US President told reporters outside a Washington air base on Thursday.

The nearly hour-long call appeared to achieve little as Moscow stood firm on its war ambitions.

While Trump emphasised the need to end military hostilities, Kremlin aide Yury Ushakov said Putin was firm, stating: “Russia will continue to pursue its goals.”

He added that Moscow “will not back down” and is focused on addressing what it calls the “root causes” of the war.

It is a thinly veiled reference to Nato expansion and Western military support for Ukraine.

The call took place amid a growing outcry over the US decision to halt some critical arms shipments to Ukraine.

This includes the MIM-104 Patriot surface-to-air missile system (SAM), which is used to stop incoming missiles, precision-guided GMLRS missiles and thousands of high-explosive Howitzer rounds.

Trump defended the pause, blaming his predecessor, Joe Biden.

He said: “Biden emptied out our whole country giving them weapons, and we have to make sure that we have enough for ourselves.”

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said he hoped to speak with Trump about the weapons pause, warning that the delay could embolden Moscow.

Speaking from Denmark on Thursday, he said: “In Russia, only Putin makes decisions, which is why we need a meeting at the leadership level if we want to have peace.”

But peace seemed more distant than ever as the death toll mounted.

In Poltava on Thursday, two people were killed and 47 injured in a Russian airstrike that also ignited a fire at a military draft office — part of what Ukraine called a targeted effort to disrupt its mobilisation efforts.

Another drone attack earlier in the week struck near a recruitment centre in Kryvyi Rih.

Meanwhile, Russia claimed to have captured the border village of Milove in Kharkiv region, opening a new front in the northeast. Ukraine has not confirmed the report.

Kyiv has ramped up its defences as it seeks to thwart Vladimir Putin’s final killer summer offensive, which military analysts say could start as early as July.

Some 125,000 Russian soldiers are reportedly massing along the Sumy and Kharkiv frontiers, according to Ukraine’s military intelligence.

Last week, Ukraine’s fierce resistance forced Russian troops to stop in the Sumy region’s border area, Kyiv’s military Commander-in-Chief Oleksandr Syrsky revealed.

Source : https://www.the-sun.com/news/14624773/trump-putin-kyiv-russia-attack/

PRINCE Harry is totally “whipped” by his wife Meghan Markle and even King Charles know it, a royal expert has claimed.

Writer and broadcaster Esther Krauke also added that the Duchess of Sussex, 43, will also hate her reduced status among the Royal Family.

Ms Krauke made the comments while appearing on the Royal Exclusive show with The Sun’s Royal Editor Matt Wilkinson, alongside co-guest royal biographer Phil Dampier.

She said: “We know that King Charles said something about him being whipped.

“We keep hearing things consistently coming out from courtiers and people that are close to the Royal Family.”

She implied Harry was under the thumb of his wife.

Ms Krauke added that both the late Queen’s and the country’s opinion of Meghan Markle had evolved over time.

She said: “The Queen’s opinion of Meghan involved, and it’s much like how the country’s opinion evolved.

“And much like the public, I think the Queen thought Meghan was a breath of fresh air.

“Very intelligent, very well-spoken, obviously from her acting background.

“And she worked, she welcomed her. I think, like much of the country with open arms, I think where things went wrong was clearly the cultural clash.”

She added: “And I think in some ways Meghan thought she was marrying a billionaire, but was marrying a millionaire with like sort of a reduced status.

“So that might have been not appealing eventually.

“But also I just I don’t think she fully understood or was even interested in what the role was supposed to become.

“She hadn’t earned enough brownie points to actually be able to choose the tools she wanted to go on in the way that she wanted to do or curate her image in the same way, you know, most people would just be like, oh, you have to kind of have skin in the game.

“You have to have, I’m sorry.

“Open schools in Wales on a rainy day for a number of years before you ingratiate yourself and garner that goodwill.

“But I don’t think she had that approach or attitude. And you could say it’s very American, you know, very can-do spirit.”

Mr Dampier previously gave his opinions on the views expressed by royal biographer Bedell Smith that Queen Elizabeth II had shared her alleged doubts over the new Duchess, and feared Harry was “weak”.

Mr Dampier said the author was extremely close to Lady Elizabeth Anson, who was a confidante and a cousin of the Queen.

“And Liza Shockley, as Sally Smith likes to call her, she was speaking to the Queen on a regular basis right up until her death, spoke to her every day, even in lockdown,” he continued.

Mr Dampier claimed, therefore, this meant information had come “right from the horse’s mouth”.

He also alleged “we can trust this information”, which is “very, very telling”.

In harsh comments, the expert shared his thoughts: “And to be honest, it confirms what we’d already suspected that you know, that at first the Queen was very keen on Meghan.”

Mr Dampier further alleged the Queen’s reported “doubts” about Meghan “ruined her close relationship with Harry”.

Bedell Smith also claimed Meghan was rude to the late Queen for 10 minutes over wedding details.

“She remarked that Harry was perhaps a little bit too much in love, was possibly besotted and a bit weak and being manipulated by Meghan,” he continued.

Sharing his own opinions, Mr Dampier added: “I think, unfortunately, that confirms what I’ve been saying or thought for the last few years that, sadly, Meghan never really had any intention of staying in the royal family.

“She saw as a stepping stone getting married to to Harry to to to new fame and fortune.

“And I think that’s what initially Prince William was concerned about. And that’s why they fell out. And now we are where we are. But to have this confirmed by somebody so close to the Queen is, is is really dynamite.”

This comes as for the first time, the Queen’s private concerns have been made public in heartbreaking detail — showing just how perceptive she proved to be.

This week Sally published “explosive” revelations made to her by one of Her Majesty’s closest confidantes, her first cousin once removed, Lady Elizabeth Anson, in several conversations in 2018 and 2019.

Lady Elizabeth claimed there were serious concerns in the upper echelons of the Palace, long before Harry and Meghan made themselves royal pariahs.

Just days before the wedding, she had told Sally: “We hope but don’t quite think [Meghan] is in love.

“We think she engineered it all.”

She added: “It’s worrying that so many people are questioning whether Meghan is right for Harry.

“The problem, bless his heart, is that Harry is neither bright nor strong, and she is both.”

The observations by Lady Elizabeth, who died from lung cancer in November 2020 aged 79, show the warning signs were there from the start — and proved well-founded.

She said Meghan had initially appeared “natural, intelligent and thoughtful” after getting engaged to Harry in 2017.

But as their wedding approached, they both caused a stir with their poor behaviour — and blatant disrespect for the Queen.

Harry was reportedly “rude to her for ten minutes” in one meeting and upset her by asking the Archbishop of Canterbury to perform the wedding service in May 2018, without first seeking permission from the Dean of Windsor.

In January 2020, Harry and Meghan announced they had chosen to “transition this year in starting to carve out a progressive new role within this institution”.

At first, it seemed they wanted to keep one foot in the royal fold, while pursuing financial opportunities on the outside.

But after months of negotiations, the Queen and the then Prince Charles laid down the law — they were either fully in or fully out.

Source : https://www.the-sun.com/royals/14631605/prince-harry-meghan-markle-whipped-king/

JULIAN McMahon is dead at the age of 56 following a ‘private battle’ with cancer, his family announced in an emotional statement on the 4th of July.

It was not publicly known that the actor, best known for his starring roles on Nip/Tuck, Fantastic Four, Charmed and FBI: Most Wanted, was sick prior to his death.

On Friday, Julian’s family announced that he passed away on Wednesday, July 2nd, in Clearwater, Florida, after a private cancer battle.

His wife, Kelly McMahon, said in a statement: “With an open heart, I wish to share with the world that my beloved husband, Julian McMahon, died peacefully this week after a valiant effort to overcome cancer.

“Julian loved life. He loved his family. He loved his friends. He loved his work, and he loved his fans.

“His deepest wish was to bring joy into as many lives as possible. We ask for support during this time to allow our family to grieve in privacy.”

Kelly concluded in the heartfelt message she first shared with Deadline: “And we wish for all of those to whom Julian brought joy, to continue to find joy in life. We are grateful for the memories.”

Julian and his third wife, Kelly, tied the knot in 2014 and shared no kids together – although he has a daughter from his second marriage.

He was married to Baywatch star Brooke Burns from 1999 until 2001 and welcomed daughter Madison McMahon in 2000.

His first marriage was to singer and actress Dannii Minogue, sister of Kylie Minogue, whom he wed in 1994 after meeting on the set of their film, Home and Away, in 1991.

Their marriage lasted just a year and a half as he resided in LA to pursue his acting career while she was living in England for music.

HIS FINAL POST

Julian’s last social media post celebrated what would end up being his final film.

The actor boasted about his psychological thriller, The Surfer, which co-starred Nicolas Cage and was released earlier this year.

He posted a series of promos for the movie after taking a year-long break from Instagram.

Before his February posts, Julian last updated his Instagram page back in July 2024.

He also recently appeared on TV screens alongside Uzo Aduba in the Netflix series, The Residence.

Julian starred in six episodes of the show, which premiered on March 30 this year.

ROAD TO HOLLYWOOD

The Australian actor was born in Sydney on July 27, 1968 and his father, Billy McMahon, served as Prime Minister of Australia from 1971 to 1972.

He started his career in entertainment as a model but quickly transitioned to acting when he starred in the Australian soap opera, The Power, The Passion, in 1989.

Julian’s feature film acting debut came when he was cast as a lead opposite Elliott Gould in the 1992 Australian-American movie, Wet and Wild Summer!

Following the success of the fan-favorite movie, Julian had his eyes set on Hollywood and moved to Los Angeles.

He found early success by becoming a series regular on NBC’s primetime crime drama, Profiler, for its four-season run.

It wasn’t until he got the starring role as charmer-turned-demon Cole Turner in WB’s iconic series, Charmed, that would catapult him to TV stardom.

Following his three-season run on the show alongside love interest Alyssa Milano, he went on to star on a hit series of his own.

Julian was tapped by Ryan Murphy to star in the 2003 plastic surgery drama, Nip/Tuck.

He scored a Golden Globe nomination during his six years of starring as the provocative Dr. Christian Troy.

The role established Julian’s star power as a leading man, which helped him nab one of his more recent roles – a starring spot on CBS’ FBI: Most Wanted.

He played team leader Jess LaCroix for three seasons until his shocking and abrupt exit from the show in 2022.

Although fans were not given a solid reason for the departure, Julian mentioned pursuing other career options at the time.

“Over the past few months, the producers of FBI: Most Wanted and I have had discussions about my departure from the show in favor of additional creative pursuits and the transition of my character Jess LaCroix.

Source : https://www.the-sun.com/entertainment/14633438/julian-mcmahon-dead-cancer-nip-tuck-fantastic-four-charmed/

SWIMMERS should double check before heading to the beach this July 4 weekend as a disgusting problem has washed up on more than 100 shores.

The closures and advisories are affecting coastlines and lakes in at least 12 US states.

Officials are warning beachgoers of a growing and dangerous health threat lurking in the water.

The issue stems from alarming levels of fecal bacteria found in swimming areas, with experts linking the surge to sewage, storm runoff, and warm temperatures.

At least 12 states have issued alerts, shutting down more than 100 beaches or flagging them with warnings.

Massachusetts has the highest number of impacted sites, with 26 closures or advisories in effect.

Illinois comes next, flagging at least 24 beaches for above-safe bacteria levels.

Vermont has closed 19 beaches, while Wisconsin has reported 14 closures or advisories.

New York, New Jersey, Michigan, California, Oregon, Missouri, New Hampshire and Washington have also issued alerts.

Most alerts are triggered when E. coli levels exceed 235 colonies per 100 milliliters of water.

The bacteria can cause diarrhea, vomiting, and serious infections, especially in children and the elderly.

Edward Dudley, director of the E. Coli Reference Center at Penn State University, told NBC News that testing is standard, and closures are common.

The Environmental Protection Agency sets the threshold, but states decide how often to test and how quickly to act.

Illinois, for example, monitors public beaches every two weeks.

Experts say bacteria levels rise in the summer due to increased human activity, heat, and heavy rainfall.

But the danger doesn’t stop at E. coli.

Vibrio vulnificus, a flesh-eating bacteria that thrives in warm saltwater, is also on the radar.

“It’s a rare thing right now with increasing trends in the entire country, but that’s something that we are really concerned about — what is going to be present in the coastal waters,” said Antarpreet Jutla, a University of Florida researcher.

The bug can enter the body through small cuts and kills one in five infected patients.

One Florida woman, Debbie King, needed her leg amputated after a minor scrape led to a vibrio infection in 2023.

She initially thought it was sunburn but ended up in the emergency room days later, the Daily Mail reported.

Another deadly microbe, Naegleria fowleri, is found in freshwater and attacks the brain through the nose.

It has a 97 percent fatality rate, with only five known US survivors.

Maryland resident Ryan Perry was one of them, infected after jet skiing on a river in 2019.

He was hospitalized for weeks and had to relearn basic movements during recovery.

New York officials warned in Suffolk County that contaminated water can also lead to ear, eye, nose, and throat infections.

North Carolina officials flagged Lake Norman for a different threat – toxic algae blooms that look green or scummy.

Source : https://www.the-sun.com/travel/14631479/dozens-us-beaches-shut-down-before-holiday-weekend/

China spared major cognac producers Pernod Ricard, LVMH and Remy Cointreau from hefty duties on EU brandy on Friday, a rare bright spot at a time of trade tensions between Brussels and Beijing as the two sides row over tariffs on Chinese-made EVs.
China will from Saturday levy duties of up to 34.9% for five years on brandy originating in the European Union, most of it cognac from France, the Chinese Commerce Ministry said in a final ruling of an investigation lasting more than a year.

But most of France’s cognac industry, including big brands LVMH-owned Hennessy and Remy Martin, will be exempt from the duties provided they sell at a minimum price, the ministry said in a statement. It did not disclose the minimum prices.
Beijing launched its anti-dumping probe on EU brandy in January last year, in what was widely viewed as retaliation for the EU’s decision to impose big import tariffs on China-made electric vehicles.
French cognac makers generate global exports of $3 billion a year combined. With premium aged bottles of the liquor selling for hundreds of dollars, they have complained they are collateral damage in the broader trade row between Brussels and Beijing.

In addition to the reprieve, China’s commerce ministry will give back deposits made by brandy makers since October, when provisional duties were imposed. The refund issue, which weighed particularly heavily on smaller producers, was one of the sticking points in months-long negotiations, two industry sources said.
China is the world’s biggest market for cognac in value terms. China’s commerce ministry said in a statement on Saturday that 34 firms secured agreements for minimum price commitments instead of tariffs.
Remy Martin owner Remy Cointreau (RCOP.PA), said in a statement that the deal on minimum price commitments constituted “a substantially less punitive alternative”, enabling “the strengthening of some investments in China”.
Pernod Ricard (PERP.PA), said it regrets the increase in the cost of operating in China, but additional costs are significantly less than would be the case if tariffs had been made permanent.

LVMH (LVMH.PA), and Campari (CPRI.MI), did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
There was little sign that the rift between China and the EU was easing.
Olof Gill, the European Commission’s spokesperson for trade, said the tariffs were unfair and unjustified.

WANG AND MACRON

China’s Foreign Minister Wang Yi is visiting Europe this week, seeking to lay the groundwork for a summit between EU and Chinese leaders later this month, with the EV dispute and China’s curbs on the export of rare earths high on the agenda.
At a meeting with French President Emmanuel Macron on Friday, Wang said China and Europe have resolved the brandy issue via friendly consultations, state news agency Xinhua reported.

Wang said he hoped France, as a core power in the European Union, will urge the EU to properly address China-EU trade and economic disputes and actively respond to China’s concerns, the report said.
Asked about media reports that China was poised to shorten the summit to a single day instead of two, a European Commission spokesperson said the programme was still being finalised.
“Nothing has been cancelled because nothing has been announced and no final programme has been agreed yet,” the spokesperson added.
Last week, Reuters reported that French cognac makers had reached a tentative deal on minimum import prices for the Chinese market but that China would only finalise the deal if progress was made regarding EU tariffs on Chinese-made EVs.

INVESTOR RELIEF

Shares of French spirits makers were mixed as investors digested the ruling, with many relieved Beijing had agreed to drop tariffs in return for price commitments, likely reviving sales that have suffered due to the tariffs.
Remy Cointreau shares were up 0.54% and Pernod was down 0.3%, having regained some ground lost earlier in the day. LVMH was down 1.5%.
Monthly cognac exports to China have fallen by as much as 70% due to the trade dispute, according to data from the Bureau National Interprofessionnel du Cognac, a French industry group.
Citi analysts said they expected upgrades to earnings forecasts for Pernod and Remy.
Remy, which makes 70% of its sales from cognac, mostly in the U.S. and China, said it would update its annual guidance when it releases quarterly numbers on July 25.
European spirits makers have also been grappling with a downturn in sales in the United States where inflation has deterred drinkers from pricier spirits. President Donald Trump has also threatened tariffs on imports from the EU.
The minimum price pledges could translate into some price increases, but they will likely be small and it is too early to tell whether there could be an impact on shelf prices, a senior industry source with knowledge of the China negotiations said.
“The French government has been raising this repeatedly with the Chinese government and saying this is a major bone of contention,” said a senior French industry source with knowledge of the China negotiations, who declined to be named because of the sensitivity of the matter.
“I think both sides, France and China, did not want this to get out of hand. They wanted to find a resolution.”
The cognac industry association said the deal for minimum price commitments will be “less unfavourable” than anti-dumping duties but still worse for its members than the historical pre-investigation norm.

Source : https://www.reuters.com/world/china/china-impose-duties-up-349-eu-brandy-starting-july-5-2025-07-04/

It’s only a matter of time before disgraced rappers Kanye West and Sean “Diddy” Combs release a full song — potentially even an album — a source close to the rapper told Page Six.

“I’ll Be Missing You” rapper Diddy, who was found guilty of two counts of transportation to engage in prostitution on Wednesday — but acquitted of more serious charges — will likely fully collaborate with the equalled-canceled West, who now goes by Ye.

“Music was a salvation for him, Diddy, like it was for Ye. Diddy’s looking to make amends. I think a song would be the best way to communicate a change,” said one source who regularly works with Kanye.

“Be on the lookout for the song,” the source added.

“Ye is brave enough to touch a hot [rod like] Diddy right now. I don’t think any other artists would,” the source added.

In fact, their collaboration has already started. In March, West released a snippet of a new track he was working on which featured Combs, 55, recorded in jail at the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn, where he was then being held while awaiting his trial on sex trafficking charges. He had been holed up there since his September 2024 arrest.

A source close to Combs at the time told The Post he was not aware the call was being recorded on video and Combs thought West was simply “checking in” on his kids.

In the call, which could be heard on West’s track, Bad Boy Records founder Diddy urged him to be careful of people trying to “end” them both.

“You be careful out there ’cause they definitely trying to end us,” Combs told West.

“They can’t do it and they ain’t gonna do it. I’m going to beat this s–t and get next to you,” Combs added, referring, to his then-upcoming federal trial over sex trafficking and racketeering charges, which could have seen him sent to prison for life.

Source : https://pagesix.com/2025/07/04/celebrity-news/kanye-and-diddy-full-song-potential-album-collaboration-may-well-happen-source/

Ukraine has been asking Washington to sell it more Patriot missiles and systems that it sees as key to defending its cities from intensifying Russian attacks. A decision by Washington to halt some shipments of weapons to Ukraine prompted warnings by Kyiv that the move would weaken its ability to defend against Russia’s airstrikes

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said he discussed air defences in a conversation with US President Donald Trump on Friday (Jul 4), and agreed to work on increasing Kyiv’s capability to “defend the sky” as Russian attacks escalate.

He added in a message on Telegram that he discussed joint defence production, as well as joint purchases and investments with the US leader.

Ukraine has been asking Washington to sell it more Patriot missiles and systems that it sees as key to defending its cities from intensifying Russian airstrikes.

A decision by Washington to halt some shipments of weapons to Ukraine prompted warnings by Kyiv that the move would weaken its ability to defend against Russia’s airstrikes and battlefield advances. Germany said it is in talks on buying Patriot air defence systems to bridge the gap.

One source briefed on the call told Reuters they were optimistic that supplies of Patriot missiles could resume after what they called a “very good” conversation between the presidents.

US outlet Axios reported, citing unnamed sources, that the call lasted around 40 minutes, and that Trump told Zelenskyy he would check what US weapons due to be sent to Ukraine, if any, had been put on hold.

Zelenskyy, speaking later in his nightly video address, said he and Trump had agreed to “arrange a meeting between our teams to strengthen air defences.

“We had a very detailed discussion on joint production. We need it, America needs it.”

The conversation came a day after Trump said he had a disappointing call with Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Russia pummelled Kyiv with the largest drone attack of the war across the capital, hours after Trump’s conversation with Putin on Thursday.

Zelenskyy called the attack “deliberately massive and cynical.”

Trump spoke with German Chancellor Friedrich Merz on Thursday, according to Spiegel magazine, citing government sources. The two leaders discussed the situation in Ukraine, including strengthening its air defences, as well as trade issues, Spiegel reported on Friday.

Source : https://www.channelnewsasia.com/world/trump-zelenskyy-discuss-weapons-and-escalating-russian-strikes-5221081

Dutch and German intelligence agencies have gathered evidence of widespread Russian use of banned chemical weapons in Ukraine, including dropping a choking agent from drones to drive soldiers out of trenches so they can be shot, they said on Friday.
Dutch Defence Minister Ruben Brekelmans called for tougher sanctions against Moscow.

“The main conclusion is that we can confirm Russia is intensifying its use of chemical weapons,” he told Reuters.

“This intensification is concerning because it is part of a trend we have been observing for several years now, where Russia’s use of chemical weapons in this war is becoming more normalized, standardized, and widespread.”
Germany’s BND foreign intelligence agency confirmed the findings, saying in a statement that it had obtained the evidence alongside its Dutch counterparts. Reuters was first to report on the intelligence.
The head of the Dutch Military Intelligence Agency (MIVD), Peter Reesink, said the conclusions followed “our own independent intelligence, so we have observed it ourselves based on our own investigations.”

Reuters has not been able to independently verify the use of banned chemical substances by either side in the Ukraine war.
The United States first accused Russia of using chloropicrin, a chemical compound more toxic than riot control agents and first used by Germany during World War One, in May last year.
Ukraine alleges thousands of instances of Russian chemical weapons use.
Russia’s defence ministry did not immediately respond to a request to comment for this article. Russia has denied using illegal munitions and it has accused Ukraine of doing so.
Maria Zakharova, spokeswoman for the Russian foreign ministry, said on Wednesday that the Federal Security Service discovered a Ukrainian cache of explosive devices in the east of the country containing chloropicrin.
Ukraine has consistently denied such accusations.

The Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW), a disarmament agency in The Hague with 193 member states, said last year that initial accusations levelled by both countries at each other were “insufficiently substantiated”.
It has not been asked to conduct a full investigation, which must be initiated by member states.
At least three Ukrainian deaths have been tied to chemical weapons use, Brekelmans said, while more than 2,500 people injured on the battlefield reported chemical weapons-related symptoms to Ukrainian health authorities.
Increased use of chemical weapons by Russia poses a threat not only to Ukraine but to other countries, Brekelmans added.
“We must further increase the pressure. This means looking at more sanctions and specifically not allowing them (Russia) to participate in international bodies like the Executive Council of the OPCW,” he said.

Reesink spoke of “thousands of instances” of chemical weapons use, while also citing a Ukrainian figure of 9,000.
Rotating two-year seats on the OPCW council will be up for negotiation in the coming months.
The intelligence findings were presented in a letter to the Dutch parliament on Friday.

LARGE-SCALE PROGRAM

Russia is a member of the OPCW and, like the United States, has destroyed its declared chemical weapons stockpiles.
Increased sanctions could happen in conjunction with the European Commission, which has proposed listing 15 additional new entities and individuals to its sanctions framework, including for suspected use of chemical weapons in Ukraine.
The Dutch military and general intelligence agencies, working with foreign partners, say they have uncovered concrete evidence of intensified Russian chemical weapons production.
This includes heightened research capabilities and the recruitment of scientists for chemical weapons development, Reesink said. He added that Russian officials have given instructions to soldiers on the use of poisonous warfare agents.
“This isn’t just some ad-hoc tinkering at the frontline; it is truly part of a large-scale program. And that is, of course, also concerning because if we don’t clarify and publicize what Russia is doing, it’s highly likely these trends will continue,” Reesink said.
He called the use of chemical weapons by Russian armed forces “almost standing operating procedure.”
“We specifically linked the use of chloropicrin to improvised munitions, such as filled light bulbs and empty bottles that are hung from a drone. When it comes to teargas, we see that they are also misusing and converting existing munitions to act as the carrier for the gas,” he said.

Source : https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/russian-use-chemical-weapons-against-ukraine-widespread-dutch-defence-minister-2025-07-04/

The Western Indian town of Kolhapur has found itself in an unlikely global spotlight, as thousands of local artisans who hand-craft traditional leather footwear are mounting a collective attack on luxury fashion label Prada for plagiarising their designs without credit.

The rhythmic pounding of the hammer in 58-year-old Sadashiv Sanake’s dimly lit workshop bears witness to the hard grind behind handcrafting the iconic Kolhapuri leather sandals.

“I learnt the craft as a child,” he tells the BBC. A day’s toil goes into making just “eight to 10 pairs” of these sandals he says, that retail at a modest $8-10

Barely 5,000 artisans in Kolhapur are still in the profession – a cottage industry that struggles to compete in a mechanised world, caught in the funk of dismal working conditions and low wages.

It’s no surprise then that when Italian luxury brand Prada released a new line of footwear that bore a striking resemblance to the Kolhapuri sandals – but didn’t mention the design origins – local artisans were up in arms.

The backlash was swift. Social media was flooded with accusations of cultural appropriation, prompting Prada to issue a statement acknowledging the sandals’ roots.

Now local politicians and industry associations have thrown their weight behind the artisans who want better recognition of the craft and its cultural legacy.

Mr Sanake was not aware of Prada’s show until the BBC showed him a video of it. When told that that the sandals could retail for hundreds of pounds in luxury markets, he scoffed. “Do they have gold in them?” he asked.

Prada hasn’t revealed the price tag but its other sandals retail at between £600 to £1,000 in the UK as per its website.

The earliest records of Kolhapur sandals date back to the 12th Century.

“These sandals were originally crafted by members of the marginalised Charmakar (cobbler) community, also known as chamars,” said Kavita Gagrani, a history professor at the New College in Kolhapur.

Chamar is a pejorative caste term used to describe Dalits (formerly known as untouchables) who work with animal hides.

“But in the early 20th Century, the craft flourished when the then ruler of Kolhapur, Chhatrapati Shahu Maharaj granted royal patronage to this community,” Ms Gagrani said.

Today, nearly 100,000 artisans across India are engaged in the trade with an industry worth over $200m, according to the Maharashtra Chamber of Commerce, Industry & Agriculture (MACCIA), a prominent industry trade group.

Yet, most of them continue to work in unorganised setups under dismal conditions.

“I was never educated. This is all I know, and I earn about $4-5 a day, depending on the number of orders,” said 60-year-old Sunita Satpute.

Women like her play a critical role, particularly in engraving fine patterns by hand, but are not compensated fairly for their long hours of labour, she said.

That’s why Sunita’s children don’t want to continue the craft.

A short distance away from her workshop lies Kolhapur’s famous chappal gully, or sandal lane, a cluster of storefronts – many of them struggling to stay afloat.

“Leather has become very expensive and has pushed up our costs,” said Anil Doipode, one of the first sellers to open a shop here.

Traditionally, artisans would use cow and buffalo hide to make these sandals. But since 2014, when the Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) came to power, there have been several reports of vigilantes – self-appointed protesters or activists – cracking down on alleged cow slaughter, sometimes with physical violence. The cow is considered sacred by Hindus.

In 2015, Maharashtra state banned the slaughter of cows and the sale and consumption of beef, forcing artisans to rely on buffalo leather sourced from neighbouring states, pushing up their production costs.

Traditional sellers are also struggling to compete with synthetic copies flooding the market.

“Customers want cheaper sandals and can’t always tell the difference,” said Rohit Balkrishna Gavali, a second-generation Kolhapuri sandal seller.

Industry experts say the controversy highlights the need for a better institutional framework to protect the rights of artisans.

In 2019, the Indian government had awarded Kolhapuri sandals the Geographical Indication (GI) – a mark of authenticity which protects its name and design within India, preventing unauthorised use by outsiders.

Globally, however, there is no binding law that stops other countries or brands from aesthetic imitation.

Aishwarya Sandeep, a Mumbai-based advocate, says that India could raise the issue at the World Trade Organization under its TRIPS (Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights) agreement, of which it is a signatory.

But the system is cumbersome, expensive and often lacks enforceability, both in India and abroad, she adds.

Lalit Gandhi, the president of MCCIA, says his organisation is planning to patent the Kolhapuri sandal design, hoping to create a legal precedent for future cases.

But some say real change can only happen when India starts seeing its traditional heritage in a different light.

“It’s about ethical recognition. India must push for royalty-sharing and co-branding,” says Ritu Beri, a renowned designer. “The more we take pride in our culture, the less we will be exploited.”

Of course, this isn’t the first time a global fashion brand has been accused of appropriating Indian handicrafts.

Many big labels have featured Indian fabrics and embroidery work with little to no artist collaboration. “Take Chikankari (a delicate hand-embroidery style from the northern Indian city of Lucknow), Ikat (a cloth-dyeing technique), mirror work; they’ve all been used repeatedly. The artisans remain invisible while brands profit from their inspiration,” Ms Beri says.

Mr Gandhi, however, says that Prada’s endorsement of Kolhapuri sandals could also be beneficial for artisans.

“Under their label, the value [of Kolhapuri sandals] is going to increase manifold,” he says. “But we want some share of that profit to be passed on to artisans for their betterment.”

Rohit Balkrishna Gavali, a sandal-seller in Kolhapur, agrees – he has already begun to see the difference.

“The design Prada used wasn’t even very popular, but now people are asking for it, with clients from Dubai, the US and Qatar” placing orders, he says.

Source : https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cly801q2pw7o

A tiny, obscure animal often sold as aquarium food has been quietly protecting our planet from global warming by undertaking an epic migration, according to new research.

These “unsung heroes” called zooplankton gorge themselves and grow fat in spring before sinking hundreds of metres into the deep ocean in Antarctica where they burn the fat.

This locks away as much planet-warming carbon as the annual emissions of roughly 55 million petrol cars, stopping it from further warming our atmosphere, according to researchers.

This is much more than scientists expected. But just as researchers uncover this service to our planet, threats to the zooplankton are growing.

Scientists have spent years probing the animal’s annual migration in Antarctic waters, or the Southern Ocean, and what it means for climate change.

The findings are “remarkable”, says lead author Dr Guang Yang from the Chinese Academy of Sciences, adding that it forces a re-think about how much carbon the Southern Ocean stores.

“The animals are an unsung hero because they have such a cool way of life,” says co-author Dr Jennifer Freer from British Antarctic Survey.

But compared to the most popular Antarctic animals like the whale or penguin, the small but mighty zooplankton are overlooked and under-appreciated.

If anyone has heard of them, it’s probably as a type of fish food available to buy online.

But their life cycle is odd and fascinating. Take the copepod, a type of zooplankton that is a distant relative of crabs and lobsters.

Just 1-10mm in size, they spend most of their lives asleep between 500m to 2km deep in the ocean.

In pictures taken under a microscope, you can see long sausages of fat inside their bodies, and fat bubbles in their heads, explains Prof Daniel Mayor who photographed them in Antarctica.

Without them, our planet’s atmosphere would be significantly warmer.

Globally the oceans have absorbed 90% of the excess heat humans have created by burning fossil fuels. Of that figure, the Southern Ocean is responsible for about 40%, and a lot of that is down to zooplankton.

Millions of pounds is being spent globally to understand how exactly they store carbon.

Scientists were already aware that the zooplankton contributed to carbon storage in a daily process when the animals carbon-rich waste sinks to the deep ocean.

But what happened when the animals migrate in the Southern Ocean had not been quantified.

The latest research focussed on copepods, as well as other types of zooplankton called krill, and salps.

The creatures eat phytoplankton on the ocean surface which grow by transforming carbon dioxide into living matter through photosynthesis. This turns into fat in the zooplankton.

“Their fat is like a battery pack. When they spend the winter deep in the ocean, they just sit and slowly burn off this fat or carbon,” explains Prof Daniel Mayor at University of Exeter, who was not part of the study.

“This releases carbon dioxide. Because of the way the oceans work, if you put carbon really deep down, it takes decades or even centuries for that CO2 to come out and contribute to atmospheric warming,” he says.

The research team calculated that this process – called the seasonal vertical migration pump – transports 65 million tonnes of carbon annually to at least 500m below the ocean surface.

Of that, it found that copepods contribute the most, followed by krill and salps.

That is roughly equivalent to the emissions from driving 55 million diesel cars for a year, according to a greenhouse gas emissions calculator by the US EPA.

The latest research looked at data stretching back to the 1920s to quantify this carbon storage, also called carbon sequestration.

But the scientific discovery is ongoing as researchers seek to understand more details about the migration cycle.

Earlier this year, Dr Freer and Prof Mayor spent two months on the Sir David Attenborough polar research ship near the South Orkney island and South Georgia.

Using large nets the scientists caught zooplankton and brought the animals onboard.

“We worked in complete darkness under red light so we didn’t disturb them,” says Dr Freer.

“Others worked in rooms kept at 3-4C. You wear a lot of protection to stay there for hours at a time looking down the microscope,” she adds.

But warming waters as well as commercial harvesting of krill could threaten the future of zooplankton.

“Climate change, disturbance to ocean layers and extreme weather are all threats,” explains Prof Atkinson.

This could reduce the amount of zooplankton in Antarctica and limit the carbon stored in the deep ocean.

Source : https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c628nnz3rp9o

Fifty years ago Arthur Ashe pulled off an amazing feat, upsetting the odds and becoming the first black man to win the Wimbledon Men’s final when he beat fellow American Jimmy Connors – but it was not something he wanted to define his life.

His fight to break down barriers around racial discrimination was closer to his heart – and apartheid South Africa became one of his battle grounds.

“I don’t want to be remembered in the final analysis for having won Wimbledon… I take applause for having done it, but it’s not the most important thing in my life – not even close,” he said in a BBC interview a year before his death in 1993.

Nonetheless his Centre Court victory on 5 July 1975 was hailed as one of those spine-tingling sporting moments that stopped everyone in their tracks, whether a tennis fan or not, and it is being commemorated with a special display at the Wimbledon museum.

Ashe was already in his 30s, tall, serene and with a quiet and even-tempered demeanour. Connors, 10 years younger and the defending champion, was an aggressive player and often described as “brattish”.

Ashe’s achievements and the skills and courage he displayed on the court were certainly matched by his actions off it.

In the early 1970s, South Africa repeatedly refused to issue a visa for him to travel to the country alongside other US players.

The white-minority government there had legalised an extreme system of racial segregation, known as apartheid – or apartness – in 1948.

The authorities said the decision to bar him was based on his “general antagonism” and outspoken remarks about South Africa.

However, in 1973, the government relented and granted Ashe a visa to play in the South African Open, which was one of the top tournaments in the world at the time.

It was Ashe’s first visit to South Africa, and although he stipulated he would only play on condition that the stadium be open to both black and white spectators, it sparked anger among anti-apartheid activists in the US and strong opposition from sections of the black community in South Africa.

British journalist and tennis historian Richard Evans, who became a life-long friend of Ashe, was a member of the press corps on that South Africa tour.

He says that Ashe was “painfully aware” of the criticism and the accusation that he was in some way giving legitimacy to the South African government – but he was determined to see for himself how people lived there.

“He felt that he was always being asked about South Africa, but he’d never been. He said: ‘How can I comment on a place I don’t know? I need to see it and make a judgment. And until I go, I can’t do that.'”

Evans recalls that during the tour, the South African writer and poet Don Mattera had organised for Ashe to meet a group of black journalists, but the atmosphere was tense and hostile.

“As I passed someone,” Evans told the BBC, “I heard someone say: ‘Uncle Tom'” – a slur used to disparage a black person considered servile towards white people.

“And then one or two very vociferous journalists stood up and said: ‘Arthur, go home. We don’t want you here. You’re just making it easier for the government to be able to show that they allow someone like you in.'”

But not all black South Africans were so vehemently opposed to Ashe’s presence in the country.

The South African author and academic Mark Mathabane grew up in the Alexandra township – popularly known as Alex – in the north of Johannesburg. Such townships were set up under apartheid on the outskirts of cities for non-white people to live.

He first became aware of Ashe as a boy while accompanying his grandmother to her gardening job at a British family’s mansion in a whites-only suburb.

The lady of the house gifted him a September 1968 edition of Life magazine from her collection, and there, on the front cover, was a bespectacled Arthur Ashe at the net.

Mathabane was mesmerised by the image and its cover line “The Icy Elegance of Arthur Ashe” – and he set out to emulate him.

When Ashe went on the 1973 tour, Mathabane had only one mission – to meet Ashe, or at least get close to him.

The opportunity came when Ashe took time off from competing to hold a tennis clinic in Soweto, a southern Johannesburg township.

The 13-year-old Mathabane made the train journey to get there and join scores of other black – and mostly young – people who had turned out to see the tennis star, who they had given the nickname “Sipho”.

“He may have been honorary white to white people, but to us black people he was Sipho. It’s a Zulu word for gift,” Mathabane, now aged 64, told the BBC.

“You know, a gift from God, from the ancestors, meaning that this is very priceless, take care of it. Sipho is here, Sipho from America is here.”

The excitement generated at the Soweto clinic was not just contained to that township but had spread across the country, he said.

From rural reservations to shebeens or speakeasies (bars) – wherever black people gathered, they were talking about Ashe’s visit.

“For me, he was literally the first free black man I’d ever seen,” said Mathabane.

After the 1973 tour, Ashe went back to South Africa a few more times. In early 1976 he helped to establish the Arthur Ashe Soweto Tennis Centre (AASTC) for budding players in the township.

But not long after it opened, the centre was vandalised in the student-led uprisings against the apartheid regime that broke out in June of that year.

It remained neglected and in disrepair for several years before undergoing a major refurbishment in 2007, and was reopened by Ashe’s widow Jeanne Moutoussamy-Ashe.

The complex now has 16 courts, and hosts a library and skills development centre.

The ambition is to produce a tennis star and Grand Slam champion from the township – and legends such as Serena and Venus Williams have since run clinics there.

For Mothobi Seseli and Masodi Xaba, who were once both South African national junior champions and now sit on the AASTC board, the centre goes beyond tennis.

They feel that fundamentally it is about instilling a work ethic that embraces a range of life skills and self-belief.

“We’re building young leaders,” Ms Xaba, a successful businesswoman, told the BBC.

Mr Seseli, an entrepreneur born and raised in Soweto, agrees that this would be Ashe’s vision too: “When I think about what his legacy is, it is believing that we can, at the smallest of scales, move the dial in very big ways.”

Ashe was initially inclined to challenge apartheid through conversations and participation, believing that by being visible and winning matches in the country he could undermine the very foundation of the regime.

But his experience within South Africa, and international pressure from the anti-apartheid movement, persuaded him that isolation rather than engagement would be the most effective way to bring about change in South Africa.

He became a powerful advocate and supporter of an international sporting boycott of South Africa, speaking before the United Nations and the US Congress.

In 1983, at a joint press conference set up by the Organisation of African Unity (OAU) and UN, he spoke about the aims of the Artists and Athletes Against Apartheid, which he had just co-founded with the American singer Harry Belafonte.

The organisation lobbied for sanctions against the South African government, and at its height had more than 500 members.

Ashe joined many protests and rallies, and when he was arrested outside the South African embassy in Washington DC in 1985, it drew more international attention to the cause and helped to amplify global condemnation of the South African regime.

He was the captain of the US Davis Cup team at the time, and always felt that the arrest cost him his job.

Ashe used his platform to confront social injustice wherever he saw it, not just in Africa and South Africa, but also in the US and Haiti.

He was also an educator on many issues, and specifically HIV/Aids, which he succumbed to, after contracting the disease from a blood transfusion during heart surgery in the early 1980s.

But he had a particular affinity with South Africa’s black population living under a repressive regime.

He said that he identified with them because of his upbringing in racially segregated Richmond in the US state of Virginia.

No wonder then that Ashe was one of the key figures that South African anti-apartheid hero Nelson Mandela was keen to meet on a trip to New York, inviting him to a historic townhall gathering in 1990 shortly after his release from 27 years in prison.

The pair met on a few occasions, however Ashe did not live to see Mandela become president of South Africa following the 1994 election, which brought in democratic rule and the dismantling of apartheid.

But like Ashe, Mandela was able to use sport to push for change – by helping unify South Africa – notably during the 1995 Rugby World Cup when he famously wore the Springbok jersey, once a hated symbol of apartheid.

To celebrate this year’s anniversary of Ashe’s victory, the Wimbledon Championships have an installation in the International Tennis Centre tunnel and a new museum display about him. They are also taking a trailblazer workshop on the road to mark his achievement.

His Wimbledon title was the third of his Grand Slam crowns, having previously won the US and Australian Opens.

Source : https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/ckgdy59ey59o

As Donald Trump cheered the passage of his self-styled, and officially named, Big Beautiful Budget Bill through Congress this week, long-sown seeds of doubt about the scale and sustainability of US borrowing from the rest of the world sprouted anew.

Trump’s tax-cutting budget bill is expected to add at least $3 trillion (£2.2 trillion) to the US’s already eye-watering $37tn (£27tn) debt pile. There is no shortage of critics of the plan, not least Trump’s former ally Elon Musk, who has called it a “disgusting abomination”.

The growing debt pile leaves some to wonder whether there is a limit to how much the rest of the world will lend Uncle Sam.

Those doubts have been showing up recently in the weaker value of the dollar and the higher interest rate investors are demanding to lend money to America.

It needs to borrow this money to make up the difference between what it earns and what it spends every year.

Since the beginning of this year, the dollar has fallen 10% against the pound and 15% against the euro.

Although US borrowing costs have been steady overall, the difference between the interest rates paid on longer-term loans versus shorter-term loans – what’s known as the yield curve – has increased, or steepened, signalling increased doubts about the long-term sustainability of US borrowing.

And that is despite the fact that the US has lowered interest rates more slowly than the EU and the UK, which would normally make the dollar stronger because investors can get higher interest rates on bank deposits.

The founder of the world’s biggest hedge fund, Ray Dalio, believes that US borrowing is at a crossroads.

On its current trajectory he estimates the US will soon be spending $10tn a year in loan and interest repayments.

“I am confident that the [US] government’s financial condition is at an inflection point because, if this is not dealt with now, the debts will build up to levels where they can’t be managed without great trauma,” he says.

So what might that trauma look like?

The first option is a drastic reduction in government spending, a big increase in taxes or both.

Ray Dalio suggests that cutting the budget deficit from its current 6% to 3% soon could head off trouble in the future.

Trump’s new budget bill did cut some spending, but it also cut taxes more, and so the current political trajectory is going the other way.

Secondly, as in previous crises, the US central bank could print more money and use it to buy up government debt – as we saw after the great financial crisis of 2008.

But that can end up fuelling inflation and inequality as the owners of assets like houses and shares do much better than those who rely on the value of labour.

The third is a straightforward US default. Can’t pay won’t pay. Given that the “full faith and credit of the US Treasury” underpins the entire global financial system, that would make the great financial crisis look like a picnic.

Bilawal Bhutto, in an interview with Al Jazeera, said that Masood Azhar may be in Afghanistan, and denied that Hafiz Saeed is free. He also said that Pakistan is willing to act if India shares evidence.

In an interview with Al Jazeera, Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) leader Bilawal Bhutto Zardari said Islamabad has no knowledge of the whereabouts of Masood Azhar, chief of terrorist outfit Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM), and claimed the country would arrest him if India provided credible evidence that he was on Pakistani soil.

Bhutto claimed that, given Azhar’s involvement in the Afghan jihad, Pakistan believes he may be in Afghanistan. “It’s not possible for Pakistan to do what NATO couldn’t do in Afghanistan. There is no reason for us to want anyone of concern to be active,” he said, referencing the Western withdrawal and the Taliban’s return to power in the nation.

Bhutto, whose party is part of the ruling coalition in Pakistan, said, “If and when the Indian government shares information with us that he is on Pakistani soil, we would be more than happy to arrest him.” He added that so far, New Delhi had not done so.

Azhar, one of India’s most-wanted terrorists, has been linked to several major attacks in India, including the 2001 Parliament attack, the 26/11 Mumbai attacks, the 2016 Pathankot airbase assault, and the 2019 Pulwama suicide bombing.

He was designated a global terrorist by the United Nations in 2019 and was released from Indian custody in 1999 as part of the Kandahar hijacking hostage exchange.

When asked why Pakistan was waiting for India to act, Bhutto pointed to international counterterrorism cooperation, where countries exchange lists of suspects. “That’s how we’ve thwarted attacks in London, New York, and Pakistan,” he said.

He also responded to a report by The New York Times, claiming that Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) founder Hafiz Saeed was roaming free. “That’s factually not correct. Hafiz Saeed is in the custody of the Pakistani state,” Bhutto said.

Source : https://www.indiatoday.in/india/story/may-be-in-afghanistan-bilawal-bhutto-says-pakistan-doesnt-know-where-masood-azhar-is-2751079-2025-07-05

Several sharks were spotted prowling the waters at Rockaway Beach on the Fourth of July, prompting a stretch of the popular summer destination to close on the busy holiday weekend.

Chilling video shared on social media captured one of the beasts swimming “very close to beachgoers,” in the shallow waters off the Rockaways, officials said.

Two sharks were seen near Beach 32nd Street at about 11:30 a.m., another sighting was reported at Beach 144th Street and a third at Beach 30th Street, according to Kaz Daughtry, the Deputy Mayor of New York City for Public Safety.

The Beach 30th Street entrance was closed for an hour due to the scare.

Hamas said it had responded on Friday (Jul 4) in “a positive spirit” to a US-brokered Gaza ceasefire proposal and was prepared to enter into talks on implementing the deal which envisages a release of hostages and negotiations on ending the conflict.

US President Donald Trump earlier announced a “final proposal” for a 60-day ceasefire in the nearly 21-month-old war between Israel and Hamas, stating he anticipated a reply from the parties in coming hours.

Hamas wrote on its official website: “The Hamas movement has completed its internal consultations as well as discussions with Palestinian factions and forces regarding the latest proposal by the mediators to halt the aggression against our people in Gaza.

“The movement has delivered its response to the brotherly mediators, which was characterized by a positive spirit. Hamas is fully prepared, with all seriousness, to immediately enter a new round of negotiations on the mechanism for implementing this framework,” the statement said.

In a sign of potential challenges still facing the sides, a Palestinian official of a militant group allied with Hamas said concerns remain over humanitarian aid, passage through the Rafah crossing to Egypt and clarity over a timetable of Israeli troop withdrawals.

Trump said on Tuesday that Israel had agreed “to the necessary conditions to finalise” a 60-day ceasefire, during which efforts would be made to end the US ally’s war in the Palestinian enclave.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has yet to comment on Trump’s announcement and in their public statements, the two sides remain far apart. Netanyahu has repeatedly said Hamas must be disarmed, a position the militant group, which is thought to be holding 20 living hostages, has so far refused to discuss.

Netanyahu is due to meet Trump in Washington on Monday.

Trump has said he would be “very firm” with Netanyahu on the need for a speedy Gaza ceasefire while noting that the Israeli leader wants one as well.

“We hope it’s going to happen. And we’re looking forward to it happening sometime next week,” he told reporters earlier this week. “We want to get the hostages out.”

‘STOP THIS WAR’

Israeli attacks have killed at least 138 Palestinians in Gaza over the past 24 hours, local health officials said.

Health officials at the Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis, southern Gaza, said the Israeli military had carried out an airstrike on a tent encampment west of the city around 2am (7am, Singapore time), killing 15 Palestinians displaced by nearly two years of war.

The Israeli military said troops operating in the Khan Younis area had eliminated militants, confiscated weapons and dismantled Hamas outposts in the last 24 hours, while striking 100 targets across Gaza, including military structures, weapons storage facilities and launchers.

Later on Friday, Palestinians gathered to perform funeral prayers before burying those killed overnight.

“There should have been a ceasefire long ago before I lost my brother,” said 13-year-old Mayar Al Farr as she wept. Her brother, Mahmoud, was shot dead in another incident, she said.

“He went to get aid, so he can get a bag of flour for us to eat. He got a bullet in his neck. It killed him on the spot,” she said.

Adlar Mouamar said her nephew, Ashraf, was also killed in Gaza. “Our hearts are broken. We ask the world, we don’t want food…We want them to end the bloodshed. We want them to stop this war.”

‘MAKE THE DEAL’

In Tel Aviv, families and friends of hostages held in Gaza were among demonstrators who gathered outside a US Embassy building on US Independence Day, calling on Trump to secure a deal for all of the captives.

Demonstrators set up a symbolic Sabbath dinner table, placing 50 empty chairs to represent those who are still held in Gaza. Banners hung nearby displaying a post by Trump from his Truth Social platform that read, “MAKE THE DEAL IN GAZA. GET THE HOSTAGES BACK!!!”

The Sabbath, or Shabbat, observed from Friday evening to Saturday nightfall, is often marked by Jewish families with a traditional Friday night dinner.

“Only you can make the deal. We want one beautiful deal. One beautiful hostage deal,” said Gideon Rosenberg, 48, from Tel Aviv.

Rosenberg was wearing a shirt with the image of hostage Avinatan Or, one of his employees who was abducted by Palestinian militants from the Nova musical festival on Oct 7, 2023. He is among the 20 hostages who are believed to be alive after more than 600 days of captivity.

Ruby Chen, 55, the father of 19-year-old American-Israeli Itay, who is believed to have been killed after being taken captive, urged Netanyahu to return from meeting with Trump in Washington on Monday with a deal that brings back all hostages.

“Let this United States Independence Day mark the beginning of a lasting peace… one that secures the sacred value of human life and one that bestows dignity to the deceased hostages by ensuring their return to proper burial,” he said, also appealing to Trump.

Itay Chen, also a German national, was serving as an Israeli soldier when Hamas carried out its surprise attack on Oct 7, 2023, killing around 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and taking another 251 hostage.

Source : https://www.channelnewsasia.com/world/hamas-says-it-responds-gaza-ceasefire-proposal-positive-spirit-5221456

President Donald Trump on Friday signed the tax and spending cut bill Republicans muscled through Congress this week, turning it into law by his own self-imposed Fourth of July deadline.

At nearly 900 pages, the legislation is a sprawling collection of tax breaks, spending cuts and other Republican priorities, including new money for national defense and deportations.

Democrats united against the legislation, but were powerless to stop it as long as Republicans stayed united. The Senate passed the bill Tuesday, with Vice President JD Vance casting the tiebreaking vote. The House passed an earlier iteration of the bill in May with just one vote to spare. It passed the final version Thursday 218-214.

Here’s the latest on what’s in the bill and when some of its provisions go into effect.

GOP bill includes reductions for businesses and new tax breaks

Republicans say the bill is crucial because there would be a massive tax increase after December when tax breaks from Trump’s first term expire. The legislation contains about $4.5 trillion in tax cuts.

The existing tax rates and brackets would become permanent under the bill, solidifying the tax cuts approved in Trump’s first term.

It temporarily would add new tax deductions on tip, overtime and auto loans. There’s also a $6,000 deduction for older adults who earn no more than $75,000 a year, a nod to his pledge to end taxes on Social Security benefits.

It would boost the $2,000 child tax credit to $2,200. Millions of families at lower income levels would not get the full credit.

A cap on state and local deductions, called SALT, would quadruple to $40,000 for five years. It’s a provision important to New York and other high tax states, though the House wanted it to last for 10 years.

There are scores of business-related tax cuts, including allowing businesses to immediately write off 100% of the cost of equipment and research. Proponents say this will boost economic growth.

The wealthiest households would see a $12,000 increase from the legislation, and the bill would cost the poorest people $1,600 a year, mainly due to reductions in Medicaid and food aid, according to the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office analysis of the House’s version.

GOP bill funds the border wall, deportations and a missile shield

The senior superintendent of police said following an input, a search operation was carried out during which the assault rifle and cartridges were recovered.

An assault rifle AK-47 along with 37 live cartridges were recovered from an agricultural field near Ghoda Chakk village in the Mamdot area of Ferozepur along the India-Pakistan border, an official said on Thursday.

The police suspected that the weapon and cartridges were dropped by a drone from across the border.

With hundreds of civilians shot and killed near aid distribution centers in Gaza in recent weeks, allegations mount over Israeli military tactics.

A little over a week ago, Mahmoud Qassem lost his son, Khader. The 19-year-old had been trying to reach a food distribution center run by the US-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF) in central Gaza.

“The last time his mother and I heard from him was at 11 p.m. that night. He told me he was in a safe place — he had gone to the Netzarim distribution center — and I told him to take care,” Qassem told DW from a tent in Gaza City, where the family has been displaced.

“At 1 a.m., I tried calling him again, but his phone wasn’t receiving calls. I started to feel anxious. There was no word the whole time, and I waited until 2 p.m. on Friday. I felt like a fire was burning inside me,” said the 50-year-old.

On Friday, Qassem went to central Gaza and checked the hospitals until he discovered that Khader had been killed. When the body was eventually recovered, after coordination with the Israeli military, it showed that his son had died from several gunshot wounds.

“A 19-year-old boy who hadn’t even begun to live his life, all for fetching a box,” he said, barely holding back tears. He added that he hadn’t wanted Khader to go, but his son had felt that he needed to provide for his family.

“The situation here is beyond description. People are sacrificing themselves to make it. Only God knows what we are going through. No one feels for us — not Hamas, not Israel, not the Arab countries, not anyone.”

Malaysia’s top two judiciary positions are vacant after Tengku Maimun Tuan Mat retired as Chief Justice on Wednesday (Jul 2), and Abang Iskandar Abang Hashim retired as the President of the Court of Appeal a day later.

Malaysia’s third-ranked judge, Chief Judge of Malaya Hasnah Mohammed Hashim, will take on the duties of the Chief Justice following Tengku Maimun Tuan Mat’s retirement on Wednesday (Jul 2).

Judge Hasnah will exercise the powers of the Chief Justice “until that position is filled”, said the Chief Registrar’s Office of the Federal Court of Malaysia on Thursday.

Malaysia’s top two judiciary positions are vacant after Tengku Maimun retired as Chief Justice when she turned 66 on Wednesday, and Abang Iskandar Abang Hashim retired as the President of the Court of Appeal when he turned 66 a day later.

Judge Hasnah reached the mandatory retirement age of 66 in May, but her term was extended by six months until mid-November by Malaysia’s king.

The Chief Judge of Sabah and Sarawak, Abdul Rahman Sebli, will retire this month when his six-month extension ends.

The statement by the Chief Registrar’s Office did not mention the role of the Court of Appeal president, but it added: “The Malaysian Judiciary remains steadfast in carrying out its responsibility as the guardian of justice and will continue to serve the people and the nation with utmost dedication.”

The judicial vacancies at the highest level have caused disquiet in Malaysia’s legal and political circles.

On Monday, the Malaysian Bar slammed the “silence and indecision on matters concerning the highest level of the judiciary”, calling it “indefensible” and a “failure in institutional responsibility”.

“A breakdown in governance risks damaging public confidence in the judiciary and opens the door to speculation and unhealthy conjecture,” said Malaysian Bar president Mohamad Ezri Abdul Wahab, whose body comprises the country’s 21,400 advocates and solicitors.

The Democratic Action Party (DAP), which is part of Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim’s governing coalition, on Tuesday called for a six-month extension for Tengku Maimun and Abang Iskandar “given their contributions and performances”.

There will be “many vacancies left in the Federal Court due to the recent and impending retirements of Federal Court judges”, the DAP’s central working committee said in a statement.

CNA reported in February that nine of the 14 judges of the Federal Court, the country’s apex judicial body, are reaching the retirement age within months of each other.

Extending Tengku Maimun and Abang Iskandar’s terms would “ensure a smooth transition of new appointees to the Federal Court in due course”, the DAP committee added.

However, Communications Minister and government spokesperson Fahmi Fadzil said the Cabinet did not deliberate in detail on the appointment of a new Chief Justice during its meeting on Wednesday.

The Cabinet meeting was chaired by Deputy Prime Minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi as Anwar is currently on a week-long working visit to Italy, France and Brazil, Fahmi said, as reported by news outlet Malay Mail.

PRIME MINISTER’S ROLE IN APPOINTMENT OF JUDGES
The Chief Justice is appointed by the king, also known as the Yang di-Pertuan Agong, on the prime minister’s advice and after consultation with the Conference of Rulers made up of the heads of the country’s royal households.

Malaysia established a Judicial Appointments Commission (JAC) in 2009 that proposes qualified judicial candidates to the prime minister.

The JAC Act was meant to ensure that the selection process of judges would be unbiased, but lawyers told CNA previously that, in practice, new appointments often attract intense lobbying by politicians and segments in Malaysia’s royal households.

There has been talk that Terrirudin Mohd Salleh – Malaysia’s former Attorney General who was appointed to the Federal Court in November 2024 with the backing of Anwar –is being promoted by politicians and segments of the royal households to be the next Chief Justice, CNA reported in February.

In April, then-Chief Justice Tengku Maimun said removing the prime minister’s role in the appointment of judges could free it from any perception of political influence.

There have been proposals to amend the JAC Act 2009 and the Federal Constitution to remove the role of the prime minister in the appointment of judges, she said in a speech at the 24th Commonwealth Law conference in Malta, as reported by news site Free Malaysia Today.

“Such changes, in my view, would reinforce the impartiality of the selection process, ensuring that judicial appointments remain firmly grounded on merit and free from any perception of political influence,” she said.

Source: https://www.channelnewsasia.com/asia/malaysia-chief-justice-vacancy-retirements-chief-judge-malaya-hasnah-mohammed-hashim-5218091

Jennifer Lopez is looking back on her short-lived marriage to Ben Affleck.

The “Hustlers” star debuted six new songs for 30 fans at an exclusive listening party in Los Angeles on Wednesday night, and one song in particular — “Wreckage of You” — seems to be about her “very difficult” split from the actor.

“‘Wreckage of You’ is a pop ballad that she told us she cowrote and recorded two weeks ago,” said attendee Edgardo Luis Rivera, per Us Weekly.

“She said she was lying in bed after a long day of tour rehearsals when the idea of the song came to her. She mentioned how last year was a very difficult time for her both personally and professionally. She had to cancel her tour and really focus on herself,” the fan further told the outlet.

“Fast-forward to one year later, and she feels better and stronger than ever, so she wanted to write a song about coming out of a bad situation much stronger.”

Lopez “kept thinking of the word ‘wreck’ because it means destruction, but she wasn’t destroyed,” Rivera told the outlet. “In fact, the lyrics of the song are, ‘I’m stronger after the wreckage of you.’”

A second partygoer echoed Riviera’s comments, telling the outlet that the new ballad is a “very emotional, empowering song about walking away from a relationship and coming out a stronger person.”

The other songs played — “Up All Night,” “Regular,” “Free,” “Save Me Tonight” and “Birthday” — were all reportedly upbeat songs that have “a real vibe to them,” according to Rivera.

Reps for Affleck and Lopez did not immediately respond to Page Six’s requests for comment.

Lopez, 55, made headlines in August 2024 when she shockingly filed for divorce from Affleck after two years of marriage.

The split came months after it was reported that they had been separated since April of that year.

Their divorce was finalized in January. However, the terms of their dissolution agreement wouldn’t go into effect until Feb. 21 — at which point, Lopez and the “Gone Girl” star, 52, were officially declared single.

Source : https://pagesix.com/2025/07/03/entertainment/jennifer-lopez-sings-about-ben-affleck-relationship-wreckage-after-very-difficult-year/

Taylor Swift’s Rhode Island, mansion has become synonymous with the singer’s star-studded gatherings, especially on the Fourth of July.

Dozens of A-list celebrities — including Blake Lively, Nick Jonas, Selena Gomez and more — have partied in the $17 million estate, which has gotten heavy use since Swift purchased it in 2013.

Keep reading for a peek inside the coastal manse where all the Independence Day magic happens.

Melania Trump praises Taylor Swift after Donald says singer is ‘no longer hot’

The First Lady loves Miss Americana.

Melania Trump praised Taylor Swift’s talent while visiting a Washington, DC, children’s hospital on Wednesday.

When one young patient told Trump that Swift was the best singer, the former model diplomatically agreed, calling the “Karma” hitmaker “very talented.”

The First Lady’s husband, President Donald Trump, has been outspoken about his disdain for the Grammy winner since she endorsed Kamala Harris in the 2024 presidential election.

The president later criticized Swift’s appearance, writing on Truth Social in May, “Has anyone noticed that, since I said ‘I HATE TAYLOR SWIFT,’ she’s no longer ‘HOT?'”

Taylor Swift teased Travis Kelce’s NFL pals in hilarious post-concert photo op: ‘More muscles than us!’

Call the amateurs and cut ’em from the team.

After Taylor Swift’s impromptu performance at boyfriend Travis Kelce’s Tight Ends and Friends concert last week, the superstar was playfully “talking s–t” to Kelce and two retired NFL stars, according to one of them.

“The Man” singer, 35, told former Tennessee Titans linebacker Will Compton and tackle Taylor Lewan, and her beau that she had “more muscles” than the pro athletes.

“Bussin’ With The Boys” podcast hosts Compton and Lewan went up to Kelce after a “historic week for the boys” to ask for a photo with him and his Grammy-winning girlfriend.

In a clip from their podcast, Compton, 35, details how he leaned over to Travis, also 35, and said, “Hey buddy, you know I’m not leaving this place without a flex… without a pose with you and your girl.”

“You got it,” he said Travis replied before asking the “Cruel Summer” singer to pose for the pic.

“The flex photo,” as Compton calls it, is one of the most-liked posts on their podcast’s Instagram account.

Compton shared that after they snapped the shot, “Taylor [was] talking s–t afterward saying she’s got more muscles than us!”

“It was a great night,” he added.

Taylor took the stage June 24 in Nashville for an impromptu performance of “Shake It Off” during the “Tight Ends and Friends” concert where country stars Kane Brown, Luke Combs, Chase Rice and more had scheduled sets.

Swift worked out “six days a week for sometimes two hours a day,” throughout her nearly two-year-long Eras Tour from March 2023 to December 2024, according to her trainer.

The “Lover” songstress previously revealed that she also trained for shows by singing her entire 44-song setlist while running on a treadmill “fast for fast songs, and a jog or a fast walk for slow songs.”

Source : https://pagesix.com/2025/07/03/celebrity-news/taylor-swift-live-updates-7-3-4-2025/

Michael Madsen, an actor who appeared in dozens of films including “Reservoir Dogs” and “Thelma & Louise,” has died at age 67, his representatives said on Thursday.
Madsen died of cardiac arrest at his home in Malibu, California, his manager, Ron Smith, said.

Born in Chicago, Madsen began acting in the early 1980s in projects that included the TV show “St. Elsewhere” and the movie “The Natural” on his way to racking up more than 300 on-screen credits.

He played Mr. Blonde in 1992 film “Reservoir Dogs” and appeared in several other movies from director Quentin Tarantino including “Kill Bill,” “The Hateful Eight” and “Once Upon a Time … in Hollywood.”
“In the last two years Michael Madsen has been doing some incredible work with independent film,” said a statement from Smith along with fellow manager Susan Ferris and publicist Liz Rodriguez.

Source : https://www.reuters.com/world/us/reservoir-dogs-kill-bill-actor-michael-madsen-dies-67-2025-07-03/

U.S. President Donald Trump said on Thursday that a phone call earlier in the day with Vladimir Putin resulted in no progress at all on efforts to end the war in Ukraine, while a Kremlin aide said the Russian president reiterated that Moscow would keep pushing to solve the conflict’s “root causes.”
The two leaders did not discuss a recent pause in some U.S. weapons shipments to Kyiv during the nearly hour-long conversation, according to a readout provided by Putin aide Yuri Ushakov.

U.S. attempts to end Russia’s war in Ukraine through diplomacy have largely stalled, and Trump has faced growing calls – including from some Republicans – to increase pressure on Putin to negotiate in earnest.
Within hours of the call’s conclusion, an apparent Russian drone attack sparked a fire in an apartment building in a northern suburb of Kyiv, Ukrainian officials said, indicating little change in the trajectory of the conflict.
In Kyiv itself, Reuters witnesses reported explosions and sustained heavy machine-gun fire as air defense units battled drones over the capital, while Russian shelling killed five people in the eastern part of the country.

“I didn’t make any progress with him at all,” Trump told reporters in brief comments at an air base outside Washington, before departing for a campaign-style event in Iowa.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy, meanwhile, told reporters in Denmark earlier in the day that he hopes to speak to Trump as soon as Friday about the ongoing pause in some weapons shipments, which was first disclosed earlier this week.
Trump, speaking to reporters as he left Washington for Iowa, said “we haven’t” completely paused the weapons flow but blamed his predecessor, Joe Biden, for sending so many weapons that it risked weakening U.S. defenses.
“We’re giving weapons, but we’ve given so many weapons. But we are giving weapons. And we’re working with them and trying to help them, but we haven’t. You know, Biden emptied out our whole country giving them weapons, and we have to make sure that we have enough for ourselves,” he said.

The diplomatic back-and-forth comes as the U.S. has paused shipments of certain critical weapons to Ukraine due to low stockpiles, sources earlier told Reuters, just as Ukraine faces a Russian summer offensive and increasingly frequent attacks on civilian targets.
Putin, for his part, has continued to assert he will stop his invasion only if the conflict’s “root causes” have been addressed – Russian shorthand for the issue of NATO enlargement and Western support for Ukraine, including the rejection of any notion of Ukraine joining the NATO alliance.
Russian leaders are also angling to establish greater control over political decisions made in Kyiv and other Eastern European capitals, NATO leaders have said.
The pause in U.S. weapons shipments caught Ukraine off-guard and has generated widespread confusion about Trump’s current views on the conflict, given his statement just last week that he would try to free up a Patriot missile defense system for use by Kyiv.

Ukrainian leaders called in the acting U.S. envoy to Kyiv on Wednesday to underline the importance of military aid from Washington, and caution that the pause in U.S. weapons shipments would weaken Ukraine’s ability to defend against intensifying Russian air strikes and battlefield advances.
The Pentagon’s move has meant a cut in deliveries of the Patriot defense missiles that Ukraine relies on to destroy fast-moving ballistic missiles, Reuters reported on Wednesday.

Source : https://www.reuters.com/business/aerospace-defense/trump-zelenskiy-discuss-pause-us-arms-deliveries-call-ft-reports-2025-07-03/

Chinese automaker Chery ordered engineers and suppliers to travel on short notice to proving grounds in Zhaoyuan, Shandong Province.
Over a weekend, they planned an overhaul of the suspension and steering on the Chinese version of Chery’s Omoda 5 SUV for Europe, a key market in its global expansion. The problem: The car had been designed for China’s smooth streets and slower speeds. Now, it had to withstand Europe’s winding, bumpy roads.
Just six weeks later, Chery started shipping the European-spec Omoda 5 to dealers, complete with new steering, traction control, brakes, vibration dampers and tires.
“You can forget doing something that fast with a European automaker,” said Riccardo Tonelli, Chery’s senior vehicle-dynamics expert, who led the overhaul. “It’s impossible.”
Tonelli, who previously worked at an Italian carmaker and a Korean tire maker, estimated Western manufacturers would take well over a year to push similar improvements through their comparatively bureaucratic organizations.

Chery’s Omoda makeover exemplifies the disruptive speed and flexibility of Chinese automakers, which have seized control of their home market, the world’s largest, from once-dominant foreign competitors. Now, China’s rising auto giants are racing to expand globally, with Chery as the leading exporter. EV giant BYD, China’s largest automaker, poses a bigger long-term competitive threat, industry executives say.
China’s emerging automotive dominance owes largely to a singular manufacturing achievement – slashing vehicle-development time by more than half, to as little as 18 months for an all-new or redesigned model. The average age of a Chinese-brand electric or plug-in hybrid model on sale domestically is 1.6 years, versus 5.4 years for foreign brands, consultancy AlixPartners found.

That speed has rattled legacy automakers, which have historically redesigned vehicles about once every five years, or once a decade for pickups.
This account of how Chinese automakers outmaneuvered global rivals is based on interviews with more than 40 people, including current and former executives, employees and investors at five Chinese and seven global automakers and more than a dozen industry experts. Reuters visited BYD’s Shenzhen headquarters, factories of Chinese EV brands Zeekr and Nio, and European R&D centers of Zeekr and Chery.

The U.S. and Europe have imposed tariffs to shield their car industries, alleging China unfairly subsidizes EVs. But Chinese automakers’ development speed has emerged as the biggest factor in their cost and technological advantages over foreign competitors, Reuters found. Shaving years off vehicle-development cycles saves capital, lowers prices and ensures Chinese players have the freshest models during a technological revolution, executives and industry experts said.
The urgent pace is baked into BYD’s structure. Taking advantage of China’s lower labor costs, BYD deploys about 900,000 employees, nearly as many as the combined workforces of Toyota and Volkswagen, to accelerate design and manufacturing. At its headquarters, BYD promotes a work-focused life through company-subsidized housing, transportation and schools. Unlike most automakers, BYD makes most of its own parts rather than relying on suppliers, another factor that speeds development and lowers costs.

“The survivors will be hugely powerful. But it’s a very cruel and competitive process.”

Chinese automakers’ employees often work six 12-hour days a week, said Peter Matkin, Chery’s chief international-brands engineer. “Global automakers have no idea what they’re up against,” he said.
BYD and Chery each increased sales by about 40% globally in 2024, as U.S. EV pioneer Tesla saw its first annual sales decline, due largely to its aging model lineup. This year, Tesla’s sales are falling as CEO Elon Musk alienates many customers with his right-wing political activities.

Neither Tesla nor Musk commented for this report. Musk said last year that Chinese carmakers could “demolish” competitors.

Chinese automakers’ gains have come at the expense of global rivals. From 2020 to 2024, the top five foreign automakers in China — Volkswagen, Toyota, Honda, General Motors and Nissan — collectively saw their passenger-car sales in that market plunge from 9.4 million annually to 6.4 million, according to data provided to Reuters by consultancy Automobility. Today’s top five Chinese automakers saw sales more than double to 9.5 million last year from 4.6 million vehicles in 2020.

China’s leading foreign automaker, Volkswagen, now develops vehicles with China’s Xpeng, a fast-growing EV maker. Other global automakers, including Toyota and Stellantis, have pursued similar partnerships with Chinese counterparts to learn how they operate.
CEOs and other executives at global automakers including Ford, VW, Stellantis, GM, Renault and others have openly acknowledged the fierce competitive threat posed by Chinese rivals, often citing their development speed. VW’s China chief Ralf Brandstaetter, at April’s Shanghai auto show, touted efforts to speed development of models to compete with Chinese EVs and hybrids, saying it aimed to “be as fast and as competitive as a Chinese startup.”

That’s a reversal: Until about a decade ago, China’s automakers often copied foreign rivals. Chery once made Chevy lookalikes. BYD made Toyota knockoffs.
After mimicking foreign vehicles, China’s industry started scrutinizing competitors’ engineering processes and devising their own different — and faster — paths to product launches, said Allen Han, a professor of automotive studies at Shanghai’s Tongji University and a veteran of Ford and two Chinese automakers.
Chinese engineers have essentially concluded that global industry-standard vetting processes are a wasteful pursuit of “excessive quality,” Han said.
Instead, Chinese automakers release good-enough vehicles quickly, with far fewer prototypes and a fail-fast philosophy mirroring Silicon Valley tech startups, industry executives and experts said. They lean more on simulations and artificial intelligence than real-world testing for safety and durability. They treat model launches more like the start than the end of development, adding frequent upgrades based on consumer feedback.
This urgency stems in part from fierce competition that’s creating more losers than winners: 93 of 169 automakers operating in China have market shares below 0.1%, according to research firm JATO Dynamics. Few make a profit, a struggle exacerbated by overcapacity. China’s assembly lines can produce 54 million cars annually, almost double the 27.5 million the factories produced last year, according to consultancy Gasgoo Research Institute. With supply exceeding demand, automakers are slashing prices.

“The survivors will be hugely powerful,” said Xpeng President Brian Gu. “But it’s a very cruel and competitive process.”
China’s EV-price war sparked alarm after BYD in May discounted 20 models, including its entry-level Seagull, which was selling for 55,800 yuan ($7,789), opens new tab. Great Wall Motor Chairman Wei Jianjun called the industry “unhealthy,” citing an increasingly common industry practice of dumping surplus new-vehicle inventory by selling zero-mileage cars as “used” at steep discounts in China.

To offset losses, China automakers are racing to boost exports globally. In many countries, their vehicles fetch prices on par with comparable models from global automakers – and about double the retail prices the Chinese-brand cars sell for at home.

“Traditional automakers can’t compete on price because the Chinese will always win,” said Phil Dunne, managing director of Stax consulting, who has worked with global and Chinese automakers. But in markets such as Europe, established global automakers “still have a better understanding of the customer; they have invested heavily in new models and their products are getting better.”

COMPANY TOWN

At BYD’s Shenzhen headquarters, cars and buses carrying workers traverse a dozen gates into the campus, a warren of low-rise buildings. Laundry hangs on balconies of employee-housing blocks. Youthful employees busy themselves inside offices and product-testing warehouses, many wearing blue uniforms, untucked shirts and tennis shoes.
“We’re into that kind of young energy, young talent,” said spokesperson Delilah Zhou, who lives in one of many company-subsidized apartments.
The vibe is glitzier at a BYD museum on the campus. Visitors including Reuters journalists recently test-drove two top-of-the-range BYD electric vehicles, the Yangwang U8 SUV and the U9 supercar – a $233,000, 1,300-horsepower two-seater that dances and jumps.

The scene underscored BYD’s ambition to compete in every global market and segment. The automaker increased its China sales from about 400,000 cars in 2020 to more than 3.7 million last year with a dizzying array of models. BYD said it added 200,000 employees – more than General Motors’ entire workforce – in one hiring binge between August and October 2024.
BYD’s market capitalization is $141 billion, almost triple that of VW but still a fraction of Tesla’s near-$1 trillion value, by far the highest of any automaker.

BYD’s product-launch pace, however, leaves Tesla’s in the dust, and BYD sells more than double the number of cars annually. Tesla has five models, only two of which sell in volume. Since Tesla launched its best-selling Model Y in 2020, BYD has rolled out more than 40 all-new vehicles and more than 139 updated or refreshed models, according to JATO data.
Unlike Tesla, BYD also has a thriving gas-electric hybrid business. BYD offers so many models and variants, under four brands, that spokesperson Zhou struggled to recall them all.
“So many,” she said with a laugh. “We have a different strategy than Tesla.”
BYD’s founder and chairman, Wang Chuanfu, has been as pivotal to BYD as Musk has been to Tesla. Yet he is more focused on cars than Musk, the brash South African-born tycoon with a sprawling portfolio of other industrial ventures.
Wang spends many nights in Shenzhen employee housing, eats simple meals and works long days, sometimes in a BYD uniform, two BYD investors and others who know him told Reuters. Unlike many Chinese executives, who are chauffeured around, he often drives himself, said Zhang Wei, a former top-10 stakeholder.

“His life is all about BYD – nothing else,” said Zhang. “This guy is cheap. He’s saving money for you.”
Wang has built BYD’s immense workforce in part by paying modest salaries and recruiting from second-tier colleges, the investors told Reuters. Wang operates with a flat leadership structure with many direct reports, said Mark Blundell, BYD’s UK marketing manager.
“There are few layers between us and the chairman,” he said. “You get decisions quickly, giving us agility and speed.”
Another factor in BYD’s efficiency: its ability to make most components itself rather than buying from suppliers. The Seal electric sedan, for instance, contains 75% in-house parts, compared with 46% for Tesla’s Model 3 and 35% for VW’s electric ID.3, according to an AlixPartners analysis.
Engineers at BYD and other Chinese automakers are willing to change designs and components later in the model-development process than foreign competitors, which employ strict timelines and vetting milestones.
That contrast was evident when Toyota entered a joint venture with BYD to develop Toyota’s bZ3 electric sedan, a China-only EV released in early 2023, according to two Toyota employees. Toyota’s team, one of the people said, was “flabbergasted” by BYD’s willingness to make design and part changes late in development.

Toyota, renowned for vehicle reliability and exacting manufacturing processes, rarely makes significant changes once it has fixed a model’s specifications at the beginning of a four-year development process, the Toyota employees said. Unlike most Chinese automakers, Toyota typically builds six different prototype versions of a model and bulletproofs its reliability in tens of thousands of miles of test-driving.
Toyota engineers came away impressed with BYD’s go-fast approach but wary of risks to long-term reliability, the Toyota staffers said. BYD, one said, offers a “bag full of lessons” but few that Toyota would adopt. Skipping prototypes and road-testing and embarking on late-stage design changes, the person said, amount to “a big no-no in our world” because of worries about “an impact on quality.”
The automaker continues to question and monitor BYD’s long-term durability, the person said.
Toyota declined to comment on the differences between its approach and BYD’s.
Wang told reporters as early as 2008 that BYD would one day outsell Toyota, the world’s largest automaker. Recently, BYD told investors, it plans to sell half its vehicles outside China by 2030 – a goal that, if achieved, could mean BYD takes Toyota’s crown.
But BYD could struggle to sustain its breakneck sales-growth pace outside China – especially if other major markets erect trade barriers like the United States, where Chinese-brand vehicles are all but banned.
“It will be pretty challenging for BYD to reach that goal without access to the U.S. market,” said Tu Le, founder of consultancy Sino Auto Insights, of BYD’s global sales target.

LEGACY AUTOMAKERS ‘CAN’T DO SPEED’

Zeekr, a premium brand of Chinese giant Geely, has worked to perfect its flexible manufacturing approach – a process originally developed by Japanese automakers that allows building a variety of models on one line. On a Reuters visit to its factory in the eastern city of Ningbo, one line shifted without pause between models including Zeekr’s 001 sedan, 009 minivan and the Polestar 4, an electric sedan from another Geely brand.
The vehicles’ journey from idea to assembly is accelerated by round-the-clock engineering. Zeekr engineers in Shanghai and Hangzhou pass work at the end of each day to colleagues at its design center in Gothenburg, Sweden, enabling up to 20 uninterrupted hours of development, said Zeekr Vice President Yun Xu, a project manager for several models.
All major automakers have embraced digital design, virtual reality and artificial intelligence to varying degrees. But Chinese automakers such as Zeekr have pushed further into such technologies to slash development time, industry experts said.

Gothenburg engineers run high-speed digital simulations by plugging individual components into a “hardware-in-the-loop” system, which tests basic parts such as turn signals in a half-hour and gives feedback. Tests on more-critical components, such as brakes or suspension, take several days. Zeekr also has a simulator – shaped like a car – where a human driver tests vehicle systems by running them through digital driving scenarios that replace real-world product-testing.
Legacy automakers tend to work in a linear fashion, with departments waiting their turn to work on parts or systems. Chinese automakers deploy teams in parallel. Zeekr’s Xu estimated that using “old processes” would “double or triple” Zeekr’s development time.
Chinese automakers also save time and money by using standardized vehicle platforms and components across model lines to a greater degree than many global automakers. Mingji Fang, a technical and commercial feasibility specialist at Zeekr, said the EV maker uses artificial intelligence to mine a digital library containing 20 years of Geely designs and tell engineers which existing parts will work best and cost least.
At April’s Shanghai auto show, Matt Noone, design executive at GM’s Buick brand, didn’t hesitate when asked to name the toughest aspect of competing in China.

“Being able to match their speed is the continuous challenge,” said Noone. Buick aims to cut model development time from four years to two, he said.
The Buick GL8, a premium minivan, remains a strong seller in the market for GM, which in recent years has seen a rapid China-sales decline.
GM told Reuters it has been taking steps to improve its product competitiveness in China.
Volkswagen is leaning on Xpeng and joint-venture partner FAW in China, opens new tab as part of its plans to launch 30 EVs and hybrids by 2030. VW didn’t respond to questions about its China operation or development process.
Christian Hering, Zeekr’s chief platform architect for Europe, previously developed navigation software at a Volkswagen supplier for three years starting in 2017. VW’s real-world testing protocols were rigid, he said: Even slight software tweaks were treated like physical-component changes – each requiring 25,000 kilometers (15,534 miles) of road-testing. Hering said he once changed the color of the trees depicted in a Volkswagen navigation system. That simple switch required 75,000 kilometers of tests because it was for three markets – North America, China and Europe.
“That’s why traditional carmakers can’t do speed,” Hering said.
Despite their short-cutting of vetting processes, China-brand models have consistently won top five-star safety ratings from Euro New Car Assessment Programme (NCAP), a leading crash-tester.
“Forget what you might think – that Chinese means lower quality or lower safety performance,” said Matthew Avery, Euro NCAP’s director of strategic development. The quality of modern Chinese-brand vehicles, he said, is “better than others.”

Source : https://www.reuters.com/investigations/how-chinas-new-auto-giants-left-gm-vw-tesla-dust-2025-07-03/

U.S. immigration authorities have arrested Mexican boxer Julio Cesar Chavez Jr in Los Angeles and plan to deport him, they said on Thursday, just days after he lost a high-profile bout to American rival Jake Paul.
The U.S. Department of Homeland Security said Chavez was determined to be in the country illegally last week after he made fraudulent statements on a 2024 application for permanent residence. He is married to a U.S. citizen, it said.

Michael Goldstein, a lawyer for Chavez, said more than two dozen immigration agents arrested the boxer at his home in the Studio City area of Los Angeles on Wednesday.
“The current allegations are outrageous and appear to be designed as a headline to terrorize the community,” Goldstein said.
Homeland Security said that the 39-year-old boxer, son of Mexican world champion fighter Julio Cesar Chavez, is suspected of ties to Mexico’s Sinaloa Cartel, which Washington has designated a foreign terrorist organization.
His wife, Frida Munoz Chavez, was previously married to the son of former Sinaloa cartel leader Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman, who is serving a life sentence in a U.S. prison. The son, Edgar, was assassinated in 2008.

Chavez is the target of a Mexican arrest warrant on allegations of involvement in organized crime and firearms trafficking, DHS said.

In Mexico, Chavez’ family said in a statement they “fully trust in his innocence.”
Chavez lost to influencer-turned-boxer Paul, 28, last weekend before a sold-out crowd in Anaheim, California, in a unanimous decision after 10 rounds.
He was allowed to enter the United States temporarily in early January under former President Joe Biden, DHS said. He had previously overstayed a tourist visa, it said.
The agency said Chavez was convicted in Los Angeles in 2024 on weapons charges. Goldstein denied he was convicted, saying he pleaded not guilty and was granted mental health diversion which will result in dismissal of the charges.
Chavez won the WBC middleweight championship in 2011, but lost the title the next year.

Source : https://www.reuters.com/world/us/mexican-boxer-chavez-jr-arrested-by-us-immigration-officers-dhs-says-2025-07-03/

The El Rancho Unified School District released video that allegedly shows ICE and Border Patrol agents urinating at a school campus in Pico Rivera.

The incident happened the morning of June 17. The school district says that 10 marked and unmarked cars with federal agents pulled into Salazar High School at 9115 Balfour Street. Campus cameras captured some of those agents urinating on school grounds, school district leaders said.

School board leaders called the federal agents’ actions “deeply disturbing.”

“This occurred in broad daylight, commencing at approximately 8:54 a.m. to approximately 9:04 a.m.,” said ERUSD Board President John Contreras.

The District says the agents were from both ICE and CBP, and they urinated behind storage boxes right near a playground. The storage containers are also visible from a neighboring public park and nearby Valencia Elementary School.

Salazar High School was not in session at the time, but district leaders say summer classes were going on at the elementary school.

The district also says the agents came without a warrant and left once they were asked to.

“They also did not exercise sound and respectful judgment, with the risk of exposing themselves to minors and committing a public offense under California law,” Contreras said.

On the same day as the high school incident, federal immigration agents were captured on video aggressively detaining a 20-year-old at a nearby Pico Rivera shopping center.

Adrian Martinez is a U.S. citizen but now faces a felony charge of conspiracy to interfere or impede a federal agent. He tried to intervene as agents detained a janitor. But now, with this new video released Wednesday by El Rancho Unified, the actions of federal agents in Pico Rivera are again causing concerns.

A spokesperson with the Department of Homeland Security sent Eyewitness News the following comment:

“This matter is under investigation.”

Meanwhile, school district leaders are calling for a federal investigation into what agents did near those storage containers on the campus.

Los Angeles County Supervisor Janice Hahn, who represents Pico Rivera, issued the following statement:

Source : https://abc7.com/post/immigration-agents-caught-video-urinating-high-school-pico-rivera-el-rancho-unified-district-says/16926163/

The U.S. government is preparing to breed billions of flies and dump them out of airplanes over Mexico and southern Texas to fight a flesh-eating maggot.

That sounds like the plot of a horror movie, but it is part of the government’s plans for protecting the U.S. from a bug that could devastate its beef industry, decimate wildlife and even kill household pets. This weird science has worked well before.

“It’s an exceptionally good technology,” said Edwin Burgess, an assistant professor at the University of Florida who studies parasites in animals, particularly livestock. “It’s an all-time great in terms of translating science to solve some kind of large problem.”

The targeted pest is the flesh-eating larva of the New World Screwworm fly. The U.S. Department of Agriculture plans to ramp up the breeding and distribution of adult male flies — sterilizing them with radiation before releasing them. They mate with females in the wild, and the eggs laid by the female aren’t fertilized and don’t hatch. There are fewer larvae, and over time, the fly population dies out.

It is more effective and environmentally friendly than spraying the pest into oblivion, and it is how the U.S. and other nations north of Panama eradicated the same pest decades ago. Sterile flies from a factory in Panama kept the flies contained there for years, but the pest appeared in southern Mexico late last year.

The USDA expects a new screwworm fly factory to be up and running in southern Mexico by July 2026. It plans to open a fly distribution center in southern Texas by the end of the year so that it can import and distribute flies from Panama if necessary.

Fly feeds on live flesh

Most fly larvae feed on dead flesh, making the New World screwworm fly and its Old World counterpart in Asia and Africa outliers — and for the American beef industry, a serious threat. Females lay their eggs in wounds and, sometimes, exposed mucus.

“A thousand-pound bovine can be dead from this in two weeks,” said Michael Bailey, president elect of the American Veterinary Medicine Association.

Veterinarians have effective treatments for infested animals, but an infestation can still be unpleasant — and cripple an animal with pain.

Don Hineman, a retired western Kansas rancher, recalled infected cattle as a youngster on his family’s farm.

“It smelled nasty,” he said. “Like rotting meat.”

How scientists will use the fly’s biology against it

The New World screwworm fly is a tropical species, unable to survive Midwestern or Great Plains winters, so it was a seasonal scourge. Still, the U.S. and Mexico bred and released more than 94 billion sterile flies from 1962 through 1975 to eradicate the pest, according to the USDA.

The numbers need to be large enough that females in the wild can’t help but hook up with sterile males for mating.

One biological trait gives fly fighters a crucial wing up: Females mate only once in their weekslong adult lives.

Why the US wants to breed more flies

Alarmed about the fly’s migration north, the U.S. temporarily closed its southern border in May to imports of live cattle, horses and bison and it won’t be fully open again at least until mid-September.

But female flies can lay their eggs in wounds on any warm-blooded animal, and that includes humans.

Decades ago, the U.S. had fly factories in Florida and Texas, but they closed as the pest was eradicated.

The Panama fly factory can breed up to 117 million a week, but the USDA wants the capacity to breed at least 400 million a week. It plans to spend $8.5 million on the Texas site and $21 million to convert a facility in southern Mexico for breeding sterile fruit flies into one for screwworm flies.

How to raise hundreds of millions of flies

In one sense, raising a large colony of flies is relatively easy, said Cassandra Olds, an assistant professor of entomology at Kansas State University.

But, she added, “You’ve got to give the female the cues that she needs to lay her eggs, and then the larvae have to have enough nutrients.”

Fly factories once fed larvae horse meat and honey and then moved to a mix of dried eggs and either honey or molasses, according to past USDA research. Later, the Panama factory used a mix that included egg powder and red blood cells and plasma from cattle.

In the wild, larvae ready for the equivalent of a butterfly’s cocoon stage drop off their hosts and onto the ground, burrow just below the surface and grow to adulthood inside a protective casing making them resemble a dark brown Tic Tac mint. In the Panama factory, workers drop them into trays of sawdust.

Security is an issue. Sonja Swiger, an entomologist with Texas A&M University’s Extension Service, said a breeding facility must prevent any fertile adults kept for breeding stock from escaping.

Source : https://apnews.com/article/fly-factories-cattle-screwworm-texas-baf01b846d38e34d9ff1c1414cd752a4

They’re flushing millions down the toilets.

The city dumped a whopping $5 million to install five new stainless steel toilets at public parks — even though the futuristic pods sell at a relatively cheap retail value of about $185,000.

The “Portland Loos” cost $1 million each with “additional site specific costs” that included related plumbing, electrical and pavement work that went along with the installation, officials said — but some Big Apple residents said the price tag is totally loo-dicrous.

“That frustrates me,” said Bushwick resident Tiv Adler, 29, at Irving Square Park in Brooklyn on Thursday. “I wish we could reallocate that money to more resources for the public.”

But others said when you gotta go, you gotta have somewhere to go — even though the pod at Hoyt Playground was locked Thursday afternoon.

“At this point, I feel like we should actually be able to use it,” said Valeria Martinez, 23, who called the initiative a “waste of money.”

“I think it’ll probably take around a month or two for it to be gross, and be locked again probably,” she added.

The new toilets are part of a long-awaited $6 million pilot program, according to City Hall. Other spots where the facilities have been installed are Joyce Kilmer Park in the Bronx, Thomas Jefferson Park in Manhattan and Father Macris Park in Staten Island.

“Let’s be honest, when nature calls, New Yorkers shouldn’t have to cut their fun short,” Mayor Eric Adams said in a statement.

“We’re proud to be rolling out our new, sleek bathrooms across all five boroughs, which will ensure New Yorkers across our city can soak up more of the sun this summer with friends and loved ones without having to worry about where to go when they have to go.”

The new locations were chosen in neighborhoods that needed some relief with more options for restrooms and many saw the cost as worth it.

“I think public restrooms are a huge issue,” said Williamsburg resident Mike Graffiti, 27. “Does a million sound a little steep? Yeah … there’s a lot of other factors that come into it, where it’s just expensive to do things in New York City because that’s how it is.”

But even the most optimistic New Yorkers were concerned about the cleanliness of the Portland Loos, first used in 2008 by the city in Oregon.

“Will it stay clean? We don’t know,” said Bushwick local Elise Verstraete, 39. “If they lock it at night, it may be, and as long as they maintain it.

“No one [bathroom] is ever that clean,” Verstraete added. “Plus, with the amount of homeless people that trickle in here in the evening, I believe they close [the park] down at night so that might be a good preventative measure, but I don’t think that’s going to stop it.”

The “deluxe” pods include a baby changing station, anti-graffiti walls, and angled louvers for officials to monitor criminal activity.

The facilities can also be connected to full utilities for year-round use, are ADA-accessible and are designed to last decades, if maintained properly.

The new potties are part of Adams’ June 2024 “Ur In Luck” initiative, which aims to expand public bathroom access citywide with nearly 50 new public bathrooms slated to be built and an additional 36 existing facilities set to be renovated through 2029.

Source : https://nypost.com/2025/07/03/us-news/five-futuristic-new-toilets-debut-at-nyc-parks-costing-city-1m-a-pop-a-little-steep/

India has signed a Quad joint statement that condemned the April 22 terrorist attack in Pahalgam in Jammu and Kashmir but refrained from criticising Pakistan.

A meeting of the foreign ministers of the Quad ended with a joint statement condemning the carnage “in the strongest terms” but kept mum on the links of the terrorists with Pakistan and even refrained from identifying the scene of the attack as within the territory of India.

The Quad is a four-nation coalition forged by India, Australia, Japan, and the United States to counter China’s expansionist and hegemonic aspirations in the Indo-Pacific region. External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar joined US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Australian and Japanese foreign ministers, Penny Wong and Takeshi Iwaya, at the meeting of the Quad foreign ministers in Washington, DC, on Tuesday.

India recently declined to sign a joint communiqué that was proposed to be issued at the end of a meeting of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation in Qingdao in China. The draft joint statement had taken note of the SCO’s concerns over the situation in Baluchistan in Pakistan, but had been silent on the terrorist attack in J&K of India. Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, who had attended the meeting, had refused to sign the document, and, as a result, it had not been issued by the SCO, which comprised India, Pakistan, China, Russia, Iran, Tajikistan, Kyrgyz Republic, Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan.

The Quad, unlike the SCO, however, did not completely omit any reference to the terrorist attack in J&K. The four-nation coalition unequivocally condemned all acts of terrorism and violent extremism in all its forms and manifestations, including cross-border terrorism, and renewed it commitment to counterterrorism cooperation. “We condemn in the strongest terms the terrorist attack in Pahalgam, Jammu and Kashmir on April 22, 2025, which claimed the lives of 25 Indian nationals and one Nepali citizen, while injuring several others. We express our deepest condolences to the families of the victims and extend our heartfelt wishes for a swift and full recovery to all those injured,” the four-nation coalition stated. “We call for the perpetrators, organisers, and financiers of this reprehensible act to be brought to justice without any delay and urge all UN Member States, in accordance with their obligations under international law and relevant UN Security Council resolution, to cooperate actively with all relevant authorities in this regard,” stated the foreign ministers of the Quad.

After the April 22 carnage, The Resistance Force (TRF) – a proxy of Lashkar-e-Tayyiba – claimed responsibility for the attack.

The LeT has its headquarters in Pakistan and has been carrying out attacks in India.

Though many nations condemned the latest carnage in J&K, most of them refrained from calling out Pakistan for persistently sponsoring terrorism against India. During the May 7-10 cross-border military offensive and counter-offensive between India and Pakistan, several nations urged New Delhi to exercise restraint or work with Islamabad to diffuse tensions.

President Donald Trump of the US and his administration re-hyphenated India and Pakistan and, despite New Delhi’s rebuttals, claimed credit for brokering a ceasefire between the two South Asian neighbours. Trump said after the terrorist attack in J&K that he was close to both India and Pakistan, and the two nations had been fighting over Kashmir for 1000 years.

Source : https://www.deccanherald.com/india/india-signs-quad-statement-that-condemns-pahalgam-terror-attack-but-refrains-from-blaming-pakistan-3613273

SEAN “Diddy” Combs has been denied bail as the disgraced mogul’s admission of violence during closing arguments comes back to bite him in his quest for freedom.

Judge Arun Subramaniam denied Combs’ defense team’s sprawling $1 million bail package that would have required the Bad Boy Records executive, 55, to surrender his passport, be on an ankle monitor, and restrict his travel.

Combs’ upbeat demeanour darkened, his mouth dropped, and his eyes widened after learning that he will remain in federal custody until his sentencing.

The judge tentatively set sentencing for October 3, but scheduled a July 8 hearing where he will rule on whether to push the date up per the defense’s request.

In his ruling, Judge Subramanian cited his past bail denial rulings and also underscored Combs and his defense team’s confession of domestic violence throughout the trial.

“Even if the defendant was solely required to show that he is not a danger to the community, he could not meet that burden,” the judge said.

“The defense conceded the defendant’s violence. You full-throatedly in your closing arguments told the jury that there was violence here.”

The judge outlined the disturbing 2016 surveillance footage from the Inter-Continental hotel involving Combs’ brutal assault on Cassandra “Cassie” Ventura.

“There was the London Hotel incident. There was violence after the searches in this case,” Judge Subramanian added, referring to the raids on Combs’ properties in Beverly Hills and Miami.

“As to Jane, there was June 2024 after the searches of Combs’ residences. This evidences a disregard for the law and a propensity for violence.”

Marc Agnifilo, Combs’ lead defense attorney, urged the judge to reconsider his ruling, saying his client had been working to “better himself” before he was arrested in September 2024.

“He is a man who’s in the process of working on himself,” Agnifilo said, adding that Combs has been a “model prisoner” since his arrest.

“I just think we should trust him. He’s not going to flee.”

Agnifilo told the judge that Combs would wish to speak with him, but the offer seemingly went unnoticed.

Judge Subramanian rejected the defense’s pleas to release their client and reaffirmed that the bail application was denied.

Combs hung his head as he was escorted out of the courtroom by US Marshals, who will transport him back to the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn.

Before he left the courtroom, Combs faced his family and told them “We’re gonna make it through this. I’ll see you when I get out,” according to CNN.

“I love you all. Be strong.”

SPLIT VERDICT

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

The verdict came minutes into the start of the third day of deliberations and less than 24 hours after jurors initially reached a split verdict on Tuesday afternoon.

The charges Combs was convicted of, two counts of transportation to engage in prostitution, carry a maximum 10-year prison sentence each and no minimum, meaning he could potentially walk free.

Racketeering conspiracy carried a life sentence.

Combs pumped his right fist in celebration and embraced his family and defense counsel after the jury acquitted him of the most serious charges.

He smiled, put his hands together in prayer, and mouthed to the jury, “Thank you. Thank you,” according to The New York Times.

Agnifilo, Combs’ lead defense attorney, had asked Judge Subramanian to release his client today ahead of his sentencing as he is now acquitted of the most serious crimes.

Lead US Attorney Maurene Comey vehemently opposed the defense’s proposal, arguing “A person found guilty shall be detained until the judicial officer finds he is not likely to flee or be a danger.”

Source : https://www.the-sun.com/entertainment/14592626/sean-diddy-combs-sex-trafficking-trial-verdict/

A POPULAR canned food manufacturer has faced increasing pressure over the years, culminating in a Chapter 11 bankruptcy filing earlier this week.

The nearly 140-year-old company, which has been a staple on the shelves of retailers including Walmart and Target, officially filed for bankruptcy protection on Tuesday.

Del Monte Foods is one of the largest producers, distributors, and marketers of branded processed food in the country.

The iconic brand, known for its canned fruits and vegetables, is working to restructure its operations and seek a buyer following years of struggles.

Shifting consumer behavior, supply chain troubles, and increasing operational costs, among other factors, have hit Del Monte Foods hard.

These struggles pushed the company to begin voluntary Chapter 11 proceedings in the US Bankruptcy Court for the District of New Jersey earlier this week, Del Monte Foods shared in a Tuesday press release.

“This is a strategic step forward for Del Monte Foods,” said company CEO Greg Longstreet.

“After a thorough evaluation of all available options, we determined a court-supervised sale process is the most effective way to accelerate our turnaround and create a stronger and enduring Del Monte Foods.

“With an improved capital structure, enhanced financial position and new ownership, we will be better positioned for long-term success.”

As part of the bankruptcy process, Del Monte Foods will secure $912.5 million from its lenders to help fund the brand and keep it operational throughout its sale process.

The Company also filed several customary “first day” motions that will allow Del Monte Foods to continue to deliver high-quality, healthy, and convenient food products to shoppers.

“While we have faced challenges intensified by a dynamic macroeconomic environment, Del Monte Foods has nourished families for nearly 140 years, and we remain committed to our mission of expanding access to nutritious, great-tasting food for all,” said the CEO.

GROCERY GIANT

Del Monte Foods was established in 1886 in California, growing to become one of the largest packaged fruit and vegetable sellers in the country.

The company, however, has struggled over the years under mounting challenges.

Del Monte has accumulated excessive debt – estimated at between $1 billion and $10 billion – while also struggling with a declining private label business and rising costs from inflation, per a court filing.

The company also faced especially tough sales years in 2023 and 2024 that have driven up its debt.

As sales failed to meet expectations, Del Monte Foods was left with “outsized production commitments” as well as greater costs and higher promotional spending, according to Jonathan Goulding, chief restructuring officer of the company.

The trade war has also taken a toll on Del Monte Foods, as retailers focus their efforts on their store brands to increase their sales and retain low prices in the face of tariffs.

At the same time, the tariff turmoil has weighed down on the canned good industry in particular.

President Donald Trump signed an executive order early last month that doubled tariffs to 50% on steel and aluminum imports.

Del Monte Foods has previously made efforts to turn around its business outlook, including layoffs, shutting down certain production facilities, and beginning a debt overhaul last year.

However, its troubles have outweighed its efforts, with Del Monte Foods becoming the fourth company in the food and beverage sector to file for bankruptcy this year, according to data analytics firm Debtwire.

Outside of the consumables sector, other companies have resorted to Chapter 11 bankruptcy.

Source : https://www.the-sun.com/money/14611562/del-monte-canned-food-company-walmart-target-bankruptcy/

A TRUCK crash left a grim mess on a major highway after it spilled chicken carcasses across the asphalt.

The accident shut down traffic for nearly half a day.

The semi overturned on Interstate 26, completely blocking the westbound lanes.

It happened Tuesday morning at mile marker 26 near Dorman High School in Spartanburg, South Carolina, about 35 miles northeast of Greenville.

The driver fell asleep at the wheel and ran into a cable barrier, according to South Carolina Highway Patrol.

The impact caused the truck to flip, dumping its load of dead chickens onto the interstate.

Photos shared by the South Spartanburg Fire District show the truck on its side with animal remains scattered across the road.

Crews from the fire district and the South Carolina Department of Transportation responded to the wreck.

Cleanup took hours due to the amount of material on the road, CBS local affiliate WNCN reported.

South Spartanburg Fire District said DOT responded with “sand trucks for a preliminary application” as part of an “extensive cleanup” effort.

No one was injured in the crash, though it resulted in standstill traffic as crews worked to clean up the mess.

The South Carolina Highway Patrol cited the truck driver for driving too fast for the conditions.

All westbound lanes remained closed for almost 12 hours following the crash, which is still under investigation by state troopers.

SPILLS HAPPEN

Strange highway spills like this aren’t a new phenomenon.

Over the years, roads have been covered in all kinds of bizarre cargo, from bees and beer to sex toys and cash.

One Oklahoma crash in 2022 turned Interstate 40 into a slippery scene after a truck dumped adult toys and lubricant across the lanes.

The items belonged to CamSoda, an adult entertainment brand, which lost a large shipment in the crash.

Another wreck in Florida last year spilled Coors Light all over I-75 when a semi clipped another vehicle.

Cans of beer littered the highway and caused a boozy mess that took hours to clear.

In May, millions of bees were released after a truck carrying over 200 hives overturned on I-80 in Utah.

Nearby trails had to be closed as stings sent people to the hospital.

MONEY GRAB

The bizarre spills extend to California, where cash spilled from an armored truck brought traffic to a standstill.

Drivers rushed to grab flying bills and two people were arrested for taking the money.

A weed spill in Missouri saw 500 pounds of marijuana dumped across I-70 in 2022.

Police had said the truck lost control and hit a semi, sparking a chain-reaction crash.

And in Pennsylvania the same year, 100 monkeys were thrown across a highway after a truck transporting them crashed.

Source : https://www.the-sun.com/motors/14614547/interstate-closed-truck-overturned-chicken-carcasses-south-carolina/

A SECRET underground facility has been at the heart of one of the wildest alien conspiracies in America, and believers say it’s still active.

For nearly 50 years, the base has been tied to chilling claims of genetic experiments, UFOs, and a deadly firefight between aliens and humans.

Some conspiracy theorists say the government is hiding a war that broke out after workers accidentally drilled into an alien domain.

They believe the hidden base is located inside Archuleta Mesa, near the remote town of Dulce, New Mexico.

The area has been dubbed “Alien Mountain” by locals who claim to have seen strange creatures, glowing crafts, and mutilated cattle.

Although no hard evidence has ever confirmed the existence of a facility inside the mesa, researchers and residents remain convinced it’s real.

“The whole town of Dulce, whoever you want to talk to, they’ll tell you what they’ve seen, a lot of them,” resident Geraldine Julian told the Santa Fe New Mexican in 2016.

She said she once saw a creature with the lower half of a goat and the upper body of a human, a supposed product of an alien experimentation.

Other locals say they have seen steam rising from the mountain, and even claim to have photos of UFOs flying nearby.

Dory Vigil, who snapped one of the eerie photos, said he would take a lie detector test to prove he is telling the truth.

“It’s not just a fairy tale,” Julian said.

“All the things are true, and I believe every last one of them, too, because I’ve seen it myself.”

Much of the modern conspiracy theory centers around author, ex-government employee, and conspiracy theorist Phil Schneider, who claimed he helped build the base, per the Daily Mail.

Schneider, who died in 1996, alleged that during construction, his team accidentally breached an alien section and triggered a deadly shootout underground.

He said 66 people were killed, including military personnel and scientists, and showed off missing fingers as proof of his injuries.

He also described a seven-level facility with sections devoted to alien housing, mind control, and advanced tech.

Before his death, Schneider toured UFO conventions with a piece of metal he said came from the base, allegedly used today in stealth aircraft.

While skeptics dismissed him, newly declassified documents have sparked fresh interest in whether such a base could be real.

Government records show that in the 1970s, scientists at Los Alamos National Laboratory developed a nuclear-powered tunneling machine called the Subterrene.

The device was designed to melt rock and carve smooth tunnels underground.

Los Alamos is located just 100 miles from Dulce.

Though there’s no official record linking the Subterrene to the mesa, conspiracy research says it shows the tech may have existed to build such a base.

The first rumors began in the mid-1970s, when New Mexico State Police officer Gabe Valdez investigated mutilated cattle near the area.

Source : https://www.the-sun.com/news/14609837/underground-base-ufo-alien-new-mexico-conspiracy-dulce/

The EFTA is made up of Switzerland, Norway, Liechtenstein and Iceland, while Mercosur comprises full members Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay, Uruguay and Bolivia, as well as associate members Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Guyana, Peru, and Suriname.

The deal, which has been a decade in the making, will establish a free trade area between the two blocs that covers nearly 300 million people and a combined gross domestic product (GDP) of more than $4.3 trillion (€3.64 trillion).

“Both sides will benefit from improved market access for more than 97% of their exports, which will boost bilateral trade and bring benefits to businesses and people,” the organizations said in a joint statement.

What else do we know about the trade deal?

The “comprehensive and broad-based” Free Trade Agreement (FTA) covers trade of goods, services, investment, and intellectual property rights, among a range of other sectors.

The FTA will also see the removal of customs duties, which is designed to boost trade between the two blocs.

The agreement, which was announced as Mercosur leaders gathered for a summit hosted by Argentine President Javier Milei in Buenos Aires, still needs to be approved by parliaments from countries in both blocs.

Exploratory talks between EFTA and Mercosur began in 2015, with negotiations formally opening two years later. Fourteen rounds of talks have been held since.

Source : https://www.dw.com/en/south-americas-mercosur-europes-efta-bloc-seal-trade-deal/a-73134998

With large parts of Europe gripped in a record-breaking heat wave, the European Commission has proposed that the bloc reduce its net greenhouse gas emissions 90% by 2040. That’s in comparison to levels back in 1990, and on track to meet the target of net-zero emissions by 2050.

The binding emissions reduction target was first proposed last year, and came after months of tough negotiations among member states. The existing target requires the EU to reduce net emissions by at least 55% by 2030; in May, the Commission said the bloc had already cut climate-warming emissions by 37%.

The new target will give certainty to investors, “strengthen industrial leadership of our businesses, and increase Europe’s energy security,” the commission said in a statement on Wednesday.

But not all member states are on board with the plan, and a controversial flexibility clause on buying carbon credits on international markets has activists crying foul.

‘Carbon credits is simply magical thinking’

Under the proposal, EU member states could purchase international carbon credits on green projects in third countries from 2036 onward, using them to offset up to 3% of the benchmark 1990 emissions.

“This can provide a safety-net to ensure a 90% target is achievable as we are closing on climate neutrality,” the commission said.

But climate activists have said the flexibility clause was included due to pressure from member states like France and Germany, along with major industry lobbyists, at the cost of reduced investments at home.

Mathieu Mal, a climate and agriculture expert at the European Environment Bureau, said the 3% flexibility clause was a “bad idea” for a variety of reasons.

“What this means is that the EU would be investing in other countries outside the bloc to reduce their emissions, and that’s problematic because we need these investments within the EU. We also have our sectors to decarbonize and we need funds for energy transformation here,” he said.

“Every country across the world needs to commit to climate action. If the EU counts these carbon credits towards its own goals, then what about the countries who also need to reduce their emissions and achieve their own targets?”

In May, the European Scientific Advisory Board on Climate Change advised against outsourcing part of the bloc’s climate efforts, saying it “risk[s] diverting resources from domestic investments and could undermine environmental integrity.” It called on all reduction toward net zero to be “achieved through domestic action.”

Critics of the clause have called it a ruse for heavy polluters who find it cost intensive to decarbonize in Europe and easier to invest in projects abroad that lack sufficient oversight.

“The use of carbon credits is simply magical thinking for a bloc unwilling to live up to its responsibility for causing the climate catastrophe we’re already living through,” said Friends of the Earth Europe. “Carbon credits have a long record of failure and ultimately do not stop Europe emitting more than its fair share of carbon emissions.”

Speaking with DW, Mal highlighted previous concerns about green investments in third nations. “There have been lots of issues in the past. Projects carried out in some countries often don’t have high standards, they often remain just on paper. There are questions if they were ever materialized,” he said.

Is 90% emissions reduction by 2040 too ambitious?

The Commission’s new target has the backing of at least some of the EU member states.

As Denmark takes over the EU’s rotating presidency this week, it has listed the 2040 target as one of its top priorities. “Anyone who says that the green transformation cannot be achieved with high ambition and social justice at the same time should come to Denmark,” said Villy Sövndal, a lawmaker with the European Greens group and Denmark’s former foreign minister.

“Competitiveness in the 21st century is not linked to fossil fuels but to the advancement of the energy transition,” Pedro Sanchez, Spain’s socialist prime minister, said last week at the EU summit in Brussels.

But other countries consider the 2040 target to be too ambitious. Italy has said an 80-85% target for 2040 would be more realistic, and the Czech Republic said Wednesday it disagreed with the commission’s proposal.

Speaking at the EU summit, French President Emmanuel Macron also indicated it was still too early to agree to setting the target for 2040. “The reality is that I want to get my 2030 target right first,” he said, “and take the democratic and political time to convince others to get to 2040.”

While Germany and France both back the 3% flexibility clause, France expects an even higher percentage of the overall goal to be met by purchasing international carbon credits, with some reports suggesting up to 10%.

85% of Europeans believe climate change is serious

According to Teresa Ribera, the EU’s green transition chief, some political groups in the EU continue to deny climate change whereas others lack courage in confronting their constituents about steps required to combat the problem.

“Political courage is needed to understand that there is a difficulty,” she said in an interview with The Guardian on Wednesday. “You need to face it with honesty.”

The EU’s climate plans have raised concerns around the costs of green transition and disruption to industrial growth and livelihood, if decarbonization is carried out without adequate support. However, Ribera believes there is no time to waste.

“Sorry, but it’ll be much more expensive if we don’t act,” she said.

A Eurobarometer survey released this week showed that 85% of Europeans believe climate change is a serious problem and tackling it should be a priority, while 77% agreed that the cost of damage due to climate change is much higher than the investment needed for a net-zero transition.

Source : https://www.dw.com/en/amid-severe-heat-wave-eu-pitches-flexible-2040-climate-goal/a-73125560

Three Indian nationals were abducted from Diamond Cement Factory in Mali on July 1 during a terrorist attack.

Three Indian nationals working at a cement factory in Mali were abducted on July 1 after armed assailants carried out a coordinated attack on the facility, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said in a statement on Tuesday. The incident took place at the Diamond Cement Factory located in Kayes, in the western part of the West African nation.

The MEA confirmed that the attack was part of a broader wave of violence on July 1, during which multiple military and government installations across western and central Mali were targeted by terrorists. The identities of the abducted Indian nationals have not yet been made public.

India’s embassy in Bamako, the capital of Mali, is in constant contact with local authorities, law enforcement agencies, and the management of the cement factory. Officials are also in touch with the families of the kidnapped individuals and are providing regular updates.

The government has strongly condemned the incident, calling it a “deplorable act of violence,” and urged Malian authorities to take all necessary steps to ensure the safe and swift release of the hostages. Senior officials in the Ministry of External Affairs are closely monitoring the situation and remain engaged through diplomatic and security channels.

Reiterating that the safety of Indian nationals abroad remains a top priority, the MEA has advised all Indian citizens in Mali to exercise extreme caution, remain vigilant, and stay in close contact with the Indian embassy for further assistance.

Source : https://www.news18.com/world/three-indians-abducted-in-terror-strike-on-cement-plant-govt-says-rescue-efforts-underway-ws-kl-9417513.html

The United States will place a lower-than-promised 20 per cent tariff on many Vietnamese exports, Donald Trump said on Wednesday (Jul 2), cooling tensions with its tenth-biggest trading partner days before the US president could raise levies on most imports.

Vietnamese goods would face a 20 per cent tariff and trans-shipments from third countries through Vietnam will face a 40 per cent levy, he said. Vietnam could import US products with a zero per cent tariff, he added.

“It is my Great Honor to announce that I have just made a Trade Deal with the Socialist Republic of Vietnam,” Trump said on Truth Social after speaking with Vietnam’s top leader, To Lam.

Trump’s announcement comes just days before a Jul 9 deadline before he ramps up tariffs on most imports, one of the Republican’s signature economic policies.

Under that plan, announced in April, US importers of Vietnamese goods would have had to pay a 46 per cent tariff.

Details were scant. It was not clear which products Trump’s 20 per cent tariff would apply to, or whether some would qualify for lower or higher total duties.

Also left to later discussion was how the new trans-shipment provision, aimed at products largely made in China and then labelled “Made in Vietnam”, would be implemented and enforced.

The Vietnamese government did not confirm the specific tariff levels in a statement celebrating what it described as an agreement on a joint statement about a trade framework.

Vietnam would commit to “providing preferential market access for US goods, including large-engine cars,” the government in Hanoi said.

A deal between the two countries would be a political boost for Trump, whose team has struggled to quickly close deals with Washington’s biggest trading partners ahead of the deadline.

While the administration has teased a forthcoming deal with India, truces reached earlier with Britain and China were limited in scope. Talks with Japan, the US’ sixth-largest trading partner and closest ally in Asia, appeared to hit roadblocks.

The US is Vietnam’s largest export market and the two countries’ growing economic, diplomatic and military ties are a hedge against Washington’s biggest strategic rival, China. Vietnam has worked to retain close relations with both superpowers.

Shares of major US apparel and sportswear makers including Nike, Under Armour and North Face maker VF Corp closed higher on Wednesday on the news.

Lam also asked Trump for the US to recognise Vietnam as a market economy and remove restrictions on the exports of high-tech products to the country, Vietnam said. Those changes have long been sought by Hanoi.

The White House and the Vietnamese trade ministry did not respond to requests for additional comment.

GROWING TRADE TIES

Since Trump imposed tariffs on hundreds of billions of dollars in Chinese goods in his 2017-2021 term, US trade with Vietnam has exploded, though almost all of it in the form of goods to the US from Vietnam as importers sought workarounds for the China levies.

Since 2018, Vietnam’s exports are up nearly threefold from less than US$50 billion that year to about US$137 billion in 2024, Census Bureau data shows. US exports to Vietnam are up only about 30 per cent in that time – to just over US$13 billion last year from less than US$10 billion in 2018.

“‘Transshipping’ is a vague and often politicised term in trade enforcement,” said Dan Martin, business adviser at Dezan Shira & Associates, on LinkedIn.

“How it’s defined and how it’s applied in practice will shape the future of US-Vietnam trade relations.”

Trump announced a wave of tariffs for countries around the world on Apr 2, before pausing the implementation of most duties until Jul 9. More than a dozen countries are actively negotiating with the Trump administration to avoid a steep spike in tariffs on their exports.

Britain accepted a 10 per cent US tariff on many goods, including autos, in exchange for special access for aircraft engines and British beef.

Like the agreement struck with Britain in May, the one with Vietnam resembles a framework rather than a finalised trade pact.

China and the US also came to a truce in a tit-for-tat tariff battle in which Beijing restored American access to some rare-earth minerals, but the two sides left most of their disagreements to later negotiations.

Source : https://www.channelnewsasia.com/world/trump-vietnam-trade-deal-lower-tariffs-5216671

The elderly Dalai Lama assured followers on Wednesday that upon his death he would be reincarnated as the next spiritual leader of Tibetan Buddhism and spelt out a succession process that sets up a renewed clash with China.
The eagerly awaited statement, made days before the frail Nobel peace laureate turns 90, put to rest speculation, started by the Dalai Lama himself, that he may be the last of Tibet’s spiritual leaders, ending a line that stretches back centuries.

Speaking during a week of celebrations in the northern Indian hill town of Dharamshala to mark his birthday, the Dalai Lama said a non-profit institution he has set up will have sole authority to identify his reincarnation, countering China’s insistence that it will choose his successor.
Beijing reiterated on Wednesday that it had to approve the reincarnation and that it had to be done in China through a centuries-old ritual. A spokesperson for the U.S. State Department said it would continue calling on China to cease interference in the succession and respect freedom of religion.
Beijing views the Dalai Lama, who fled to India from Tibet in 1959 after a failed uprising against Chinese rule, as a separatist. The Dalai Lama has said his successor will be born outside China and urged his followers to reject anyone chosen by Beijing. In previous years, he had also said it was possible that there might be no successor at all.

“I am affirming that the institution of the Dalai Lama will continue,” the Dalai Lama said in a video message, setting off claps and cheers from more than 100 monks in maroon robes who had gathered in a library in Dharamshala.
The event was attended by journalists from around the world and an audience of long-time supporters including Hollywood star Richard Gere, sitting in a hall whose walls displayed ornate paintings of the Buddha and photographs of the Dalai Lama.
The Dalai Lama added that the Gaden Phodrang Trust, the non-profit organisation he set up to maintain and support the tradition and institution of the Dalai Lama, has sole authority to recognise his reincarnation in consultation with the heads of Tibetan Buddhist traditions.
“They should accordingly carry out the procedures of search and recognition in accordance with past tradition … no one else has any such authority to interfere in this matter,” he said.

Tibetan tradition holds that the soul of a senior Buddhist monk is reincarnated in the body of a child upon his death.
Born as Lhamo Dhondup on July 6, 1935, to a farming family in what is now Qinghai province, the 14th Dalai Lama was identified as such a reincarnation at age two by a search party based on several signs, such as a vision revealed to a senior monk, the Dalai Lama’s website says.
He is now regarded as one of the world’s most influential religious figures, with a following extending well beyond Buddhism, and was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1989.

‘OPEN TO VISITING TIBET’

The Dalai Lama was in good health and has not given any written instructions yet on the succession, said Samdhong Rinpoche, a senior official of the Gaden Phodrang Trust.
He told reporters the successor can be of any gender and their nationality would not be restricted to Tibet
Penpa Tsering, leader of the Central Tibetan Administration, the Tibetan government-in-exile in India, said the Dalai Lama would be open to visiting Tibet if his health permits and if there were no restrictions from China. It would be his first visit to the country since 1959.
“It’s entirely dependent on China and the Chinese government,” he said, adding that Beijing had put a condition that if the Dalai Lama visits, he should stay.
“His holiness’ response is ‘If I get to go to Tibet and China, I will go, but I will not live there, because there is no freedom there’. This is also connected with the reincarnation where his holiness says ‘I will be born in a free world'”, Tsering said.
Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Mao Ning said China had the right to approve the Dalai Lama’s successor, as a legacy from imperial times, and that Beijing practices a policy of freedom of religious belief.
A spokesperson for the U.S. State Department said it would continue to call on China to return to direct dialogue with the Dalai Lama, his representatives, or democratically elected Tibetan leaders, without preconditions, to “achieve meaningful autonomy for Tibetans.”
“ We will also continue to call on China to cease its interference in the succession of the Dalai Lama and other Tibetan Buddhist lamas and to respect the freedom of religion or belief of individuals of all faiths,” the spokesperson said.
Tsering, leader of the government-in-exile, said the U.S. had lifted some restrictions on funds for Tibetans in exile and that the Tibetan government was also looking for alternate sources of funding.
A selection ritual, in which the names of possible reincarnations are drawn from a golden urn, dates to 1793, during the Qing dynasty.

Source : https://www.reuters.com/world/china/dalai-lama-says-institution-dalai-lama-will-continue-2025-07-02/

High-level insiders at Paramount Global — the parent company of CBS News — tell Page Six there’s shock following reports that Skydance Media made their own deal with President Trump’s team as part of a settlement over Trump’s “60 Minutes” lawsuit against the media company.

Following news that Paramount settled with Trump for $16 million, Fox Business Network senior correspondent Charles Gasparino posted via X on Wednesday alleging that Skydance boss David Ellison — who’s behind a multibillion dollar merger with Paramount — additionally promised “to run public service announcements as part of the deal, which will bring the all-in settlement to close to $30 million.”

The report is causing turmoil over at Paramount, with a source telling us those with knowledge of the deal are shocked to hear there was any alleged backchanneling.

A source close to the situation tells Page Six that the $16 million was the only settlement sanctioned by an official mediator, and that Paramount knew nothing of an alleged deal between Trump and Ellison for the PSAs.

We hear there was disbelief inside the company when execs learned of the additional commitments alleged in the X post.

A source further claims that PSAs were never approved by the Paramount board, or sanctioned by the mediator.

The Post reported that PSAs were on the negotiating table back in May.

Paramount released a statement on Tuesday night saying: “Paramount will pay $16M in total, which includes plaintiffs’ fees and costs, and except for fees and costs, will be allocated to the future presidential library.”

As part of the deal, CBS is not acknowledging any journalistic wrongdoing with the settlement.

Ellison — whose studio has produced the Tom Cruise blockbusters “Top Gun: Maverick” and “Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning” — has been working on an $8 billion merger with Paramount.

Gasparino reported last month in The Post’s “On the Money” column that Trump regulators were stalling approval of the deal as they investigated whether CBS News violated Federal Communications Commission guidelines that its content must be free of political bias as part of his lawsuit.

Trump had accused the network of election interference over its editing of a “60 Minutes” interview last year with then-Vice President Kamala Harris. The president was initially seeking $20 billion in the suit.

Paramount’s controlling owner Shari Redstone will reportedly receive a nearly $2 billion payout if the merger between the media conglomerate and Skydance goes through.

There has already been plenty of unrest at the company over Trump’s lawsuit.

“60 Minutes” executive producer Bill Owens abruptly quit in April — citing a loss of journalistic independence.

Source : https://pagesix.com/2025/07/02/entertainment/paramount-insider-shock-over-reported-side-deal-with-trump/

Kate Middleton made an emotional admission about her life post-cancer treatment.

While visiting Colchester Hospital on Wednesday, the Princess of Wales described the “really, really difficult” period of her life.

“You put on a sort of brave face, stoicism through treatment,” she explained. “Treatment’s done, then it’s like, ‘I can crack on, get back to normal,’ but actually [that’s not the case].”

The 43-year-old noted that despite “not necessarily [being] under the clinical team any longer,” she was unable “to function normally at home as [she] perhaps once used to.”

Middleton added, “[Having] someone to help talk you through that, show you and guide you through that sort of phase that comes after treatment … is really valuable.”

Finding a “new normal … takes time,” the royal continued.

The 43-year-old noted that despite “not necessarily [being] under the clinical team any longer,” she was unable “to function normally at home as [she] perhaps once used to.”

Middleton added, “[Having] someone to help talk you through that, show you and guide you through that sort of phase that comes after treatment … is really valuable.”

Finding a “new normal … takes time,” the royal continued.

She completed her chemotherapy treatment in September 2024, and four months later, revealed her cancer-free status in a lengthy statement.

“I remain focused on recovery,” she wrote in January.

“As anyone who has experienced a cancer diagnosis will know, it takes time to adjust.”

Middleton has been slowly resuming her royal roles in the last couple of months, most recently attending Trooping the Colour in June.

Source : https://pagesix.com/2025/07/02/royal-family/kate-middleton-admits-shes-not-able-to-function-normally-after-cancer-treatment/

Meghan Markle’s lifestyle company, As Ever, was forced to issue refunds and offer free food to customers after one of their newly released items was oversold.

Some unlucky customers who purchased the Duchess of Sussex’s apricot spread on June 20 received an email from the company, advising them that their orders could not be fulfilled.

“Due to high demand, we are unable to fulfill your order of the apricot spread at this time,” the email read. “We are refunding the purchase of this item by the end of this week.”

The As Ever team also told the consumers that when the apricot spread was “back in stock,” they would “be the first to receive it, free of charge.”

Several customers shared that they were disappointed with the sales blunder but happy that Markle and her team are rectifying the situation.

“Great news!! I’m getting my two jars of jam!! Unfortunately, I’m only getting one jar of the apricot jam, but I’m getting refunded and they will send a jar the next time!! I can’t wait! #AsEver,” one costumer on X wrote.

“Just received a message from AsEver. They cannot fill my order of 1 jam but are refunding me and sending me a free jar in the next order. I like the way they take care of customers,” another praised.

“😢😢😢😢 Has anyone else received this? I’m so bummed. But at the same time…WOW, they’ll send me a FREE jar once it becomes available,” a third fan tweeted alongside a screenshot of the email from As Ever.

“Shout out to #AsEver! I got my order today sans the apricot spread. BUT I had an email that because they couldn’t fullfill it not only are they refunding me they promised me a freebie when it’s back in stock! That’s over & above but I’d expect nothing less from Meghan & the team,” a fourth person gushed.

In April, Markle, 43, was forced to apologize for being unable to fulfill customers’ orders after As Ever’s limited-edition honey sold out.

In addition to receiving refunds, the unlucky shoppers were also promised they would receive her next limited-edition item in the mail “as a gift from [Markle].”

In February, the mom of two announced on Instagram that her company, American Riviera Orchard, would be renamed as As Ever after her original brand name faced several trademark snags.

Since the rebrand, the former “Suits” actress has faced criticism.

Most recently, jam guru Donna Collins slammed Markle’s new apricot spread after it quickly sold out online.

Source : https://pagesix.com/2025/07/02/celebrity-news/meghan-markle-forced-to-issue-refunds-after-her-latest-stock-issue/

Guests attending Jeff Bezos and Lauren Sánchez’s days-long, $50 million wedding lineup in Venice were allegedly left exhausted halfway through the extravagant affair.

“What people won’t know from the pictures is how exhausting and full-on it was for the guests,” a source told the Daily Mail on Tuesday.

The insider noted that the summer heat — as well as the constant back and forth between venues —made the entire over-the-top itinerary difficult for attendees to get through.

“The heat didn’t help but people were forever needing to get around Venice, which means by boat, and that was a hassle and took ages,” the source said.

“And there were a lot of people who all needed to get to the same place at the same time,” the source added.

A-list invitees were allegedly grumbling about the less-than-restful schedule of events.

“People were complaining about being completely tired by the time of the wedding day, never mind the day after,” the source alleged.

Festivities kicked off last Thursday night with a welcome dinner at the Madonna dell’Orto Church in Cannaregio, as guests were spotted arriving via water taxis and boats, including the bride and groom.

Sánchez stunned in a structured gold Schiaparelli haute couture gown with floral embellishments for the first lavish soirée.

The next day, the Amazon founder, 61, and Sánchez, 55, said “I do” at the breathtaking basilica on San Giorgio Maggiore island. The “Fly Who Flew to Space” author looked glam in a corseted, long-sleeve lace gown by Dolce & Gabbana for their nuptials.

The celebrations continued into Saturday with a luxurious pajama party where performers included Usher and DJ Cassidy.

A slew of celebrities were present at the three-day affair, including Mick Jagger, Oprah Winfrey, Leonardo DiCaprio, Sydney Sweeney, Jerry Seinfeld, Orlando Bloom, Jessica Alba, Bill Gates, Brooks Nader and Ivanka Trump.

Also present were Kim Kardashian, Kylie Jenner, Kendall Kenner, Khloé Kardashian and Kris Jenner.

A source told Page Six last week that Kris allegedly pushed for Khloé, Kendall and Kylie to be invited to the wedding.

“Originally, the quintet was going to be a duo of just Kim [Kardashian] and Kris,” our source said, adding, “But Mama Kris asked Lauren if she could bring the other three when they were in Paris for the bachelorette party.”

Source : https://pagesix.com/2025/07/02/celebrity-news/jeff-bezos-and-lauren-sanchez-exhausted-guests-during-their-50m-days-long-wedding-extravaganza/

American contractors guarding aid distribution sites in Gaza are using live ammunition and stun grenades as hungry Palestinians scramble for food, according to accounts and videos obtained by The Associated Press.

Two U.S. contractors, speaking to the AP on condition of anonymity because they were revealing their employers’ internal operations, said they were coming forward because they were disturbed by what they considered dangerous and irresponsible practices. They said the security staff hired were often unqualified, unvetted, heavily armed and seemed to have an open license to do whatever they wished.

They said their colleagues regularly lobbed stun grenades and pepper spray in the direction of the Palestinians. One contractor said bullets were fired in all directions — in the air, into the ground and at times toward the Palestinians, recalling at least one instance where he thought someone had been hit.

“There are innocent people being hurt. Badly. Needlessly,” the contractor said.

He said American staff on the sites monitor those coming to seek food and document anyone considered “suspicious.” He said they share such information with the Israeli military.

Videos provided by one of the contractors and taken at the sites show hundreds of Palestinians crowded between metal gates, jostling for aid amid the sound of bullets, stun grenades and the sting of pepper spray. Other videos include conversation between English-speaking men discussing how to disperse crowds and encouraging each other after bursts of gunfire.

The testimonies from the contractors — combined with the videos, internal reports and text messages obtained by the AP — offer a rare glimpse inside the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, the newly created, secretive American organization backed by Israel to feed the Gaza Strip’s population. Last month, the U.S. government pledged $30 million for the group to continue operations — the first known U.S. donation to the group, whose other funding sources remain opaque.

Journalists have been unable to access the GHF sites, located in Israeli military-controlled zones. The AP cannot independently verify the contractors’ stories.

A spokesperson for Safe Reach Solutions, the logistics company subcontracted by GHF, told the AP that there have been no serious injuries at any of their sites to date. In scattered incidents, security professionals fired live rounds into the ground and away from civilians to get their attention. That happened in the early days at the “the height of desperation where crowd control measures were necessary for the safety and security of civilians,” the spokesperson said.

Aid operation is controversial

Gaza’s more than 2 million Palestinians are living through a catastrophic humanitarian crisis. Since Hamas attacked Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, setting off the 21-month war, Israel has bombarded and laid siege to the strip, leaving many teetering on the edge of famine, according to food security experts.

For 2 1/2 months before GHF’s opening in May, Israel blocked all food, water and medicine from entering Gaza, claiming Hamas was stealing the aid being transported under a preexisting system coordinated by the United Nations. It now wants GHF to replace that U.N. system. The U.N. says its Gaza aid operations do not involve armed guards.

Over 57,000 Palestinians in Gaza have been killed since the war erupted, according to the territory’s Health Ministry, which does not distinguish between civilians and militants.

GHF is an American organization, registered in Delaware and established in February to distribute humanitarian aid during the ongoing Gaza humanitarian crisis. Since the GHF sites began operating more than a month ago, Palestinians say Israeli troops open fire almost every day toward crowds on roads heading to the distribution points, through Israeli military zones. Several hundred people have been killed and hundreds more wounded, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry and witnesses.

In response, Israel’s military says it fires only warning shots and is investigating reports of civilian harm. It denies deliberately shooting at any innocent civilians and says it’s examining how to reduce “friction with the population” in the areas surrounding the distribution centers.

AP’s reporting for this article focuses on what is happening at the sites themselves. Palestinians arriving at the sites say they are caught between Israeli and American fire, said the contractor who shared videos with the AP.

“We have come here to get food for our families. We have nothing,” he recounted Palestinians telling him. “Why does the (Israeli) army shoot at us? Why do you shoot at us?”

A spokesperson for the GHF said there are people with a “vested interest” in seeing it fail and are willing to do or say almost anything to make that happen. The spokesperson said the team is composed of seasoned humanitarian, logistics and security professionals with deep experience on the ground. The group says it has distributed the equivalent of more than 50 million meals in Gaza in its food boxes of staples.

GHF says that it has consistently shown compassionate engagement with the people of Gaza.

Throughout the war, aid distribution has been marred by chaos. Gangs have looted trucks of aid traveling to distribution centers and mobs of desperate people have also offloaded trucks before they’ve reached their destination. Earlier this month, at least 51 Palestinians were killed and more than 200 wounded while waiting for the U.N. and commercial trucks to enter the territory, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry and a local hospital. Israel’s military acknowledged several casualties as soldiers opened fire on the approaching crowd and said authorities would investigate.

Videos, texts, internal reports document havoc at food sites

AP spoke to the two contractors for UG Solutions, an American outfit subcontracted to hire security personnel for the distribution sites. They said bullets, stun grenades and pepper spray were used at nearly every distribution, even if there was no threat.

Videos of aid being dispensed at the sites seen by the AP appear to back up the frenetic scenes the contractors described. The footage was taken within the first two weeks of its distributions — about halfway into the operations.

In one video, what appear to be heavily armed American security contractors at one of the sites in Gaza discuss how to disperse Palestinians nearby. One is heard saying he has arranged for a “show of force” by Israeli tanks.

“I don’t want this to be too aggressive,” he adds, “because this is calming down.”

At that moment, bursts of gunfire erupt close by, at least 15 shots. “Whoo! Whoo!” one contractor yelps.

“I think you hit one,” one says.

Then comes a shout: “Hell, yeah, boy!”

The camera’s view is obscured by a large dirt mound.

The contractor who took the video told AP that he saw other contractors shooting in the direction of Palestinians who had just collected their food and were departing. The men shot both from a tower above the site and from atop the mound, he said. The shooting began because contractors wanted to disperse the crowd, he said, but it was unclear why they continued shooting as people were walking away.

The camera does not show who was shooting or what was being shot at. But the contractor who filmed it said he watched another contractor fire at the Palestinians and then saw a man about 60 yards (meters) away — in the same direction where the bullets were fired — drop to the ground.

This happened at the same time the men were heard talking — effectively egging each other on, he said.

In other videos furnished by the contractor, men in grey uniforms — colleagues, he said — can be seen trying to clear Palestinians who are squeezed into a narrow, fenced-in passage leading to one of the centers. The men fire pepper spray and throw stun grenades that detonate amid the crowd. The sound of gunfire can be heard. The contractor who took the video said the security personnel usually fire at the ground near the crowds or from nearby towers over their heads.

During a single distribution in June, contractors used 37 stun grenades, 27 rubber-and-smoke “scat shell” projectiles and 60 cans of pepper spray, according to internal text communications shared with the AP.

That count does not include live ammunition, the contractor who provided the videos said.

One photo shared by that contractor shows a woman lying in a donkey cart after he said she was hit in the head with part of a stun grenade.

An internal report by Safe Reach Solutions, the logistics company subcontracted by GHF to run the sites, found that aid seekers were injured during 31% of the distributions that took place in a two-week period in June. The report did not specify the number of injuries or the cause. SRS told the AP the report refers to non-serious injuries.

More videos show frenzied scenes of Palestinians running to collect leftover food boxes at one site. Hundreds of young men crowd near low metal barriers, transferring food from boxes to bags while contractors on the other side of the barriers tell them to stay back.

Some Palestinians wince and cough from pepper spray. “You tasting that pepper spray? Yuck,” one man close to the camera can be heard saying in English.

SRS acknowledged that it’s dealing with large, hungry populations, but said the environment is secure, controlled, and ensures people can get the aid they need safely.

Verifying the videos with audio analysis
To confirm the footage is from the sites, AP geolocated the videos using aerial imagery. The AP also had the videos analyzed by two audio forensic experts who said they could identify live ammunition — including machine-gun fire — coming from the sites, in most cases within 50 to 60 meters of the camera’s microphone.

In the video where the men are heard egging each other on, the echo and acoustics of the shots indicate they’re fired from a position close to the microphone, said Rob Maher, a professor of electrical and computer engineering at Montana State University and an author and research expert in audio forensic analysis. Maher and the other analyst, Steven Beck, owner of Beck Audio Forensics, said there was no indication that the videos’ audio had been tampered with.

The analysts said that the bursts of gunfire and the pop sequences in some of the videos indicated that guns were panning in different directions and were not repeatedly aimed at a single target. They could not pinpoint exactly where the shots were coming from nor who was shooting.

GHF says the Israeli military is not deployed at the aid distribution sites. Lt. Col. Nadav Shoshani, an army spokesman, said the army is not stationed at the sites or within their immediate proximity, especially during operating hours. He said they’re run by an American company and have their own security.

One of the contractors who had been on the sites said he’d never felt a real or perceived threat by Hamas there.

SRS says that Hamas has openly threatened its aid workers and civilians receiving aid. It did not specify where people were threatened.

American analysts and Israeli soldiers work side by side, contractors say

According to the contractor who took the videos, the Israeli army is leveraging the distribution system to access information.

Both contractors said that cameras monitor distributions at each site and that American analysts and Israeli soldiers sit in a control room where the footage is screened in real time. The control room, they said, is housed in a shipping container on the Israeli side of the Kerem Shalom crossing into Gaza.

The contractor who took the videos said some cameras are equipped with facial recognition software. In live shots of the sites seen by the AP, some videos streams are labeled “analytics” — those were the ones that had the facial recognition software, said the contractor.

If a person of interest is seen on camera — and their information is already in the system — their name and age pops up on the computer screen, said the contractor. Israeli soldiers watching the screens take notes and cross-check the analysts’ information with their own drone footage from the sites, he said.

The contractor said he did not know the source of the data in the facial recognition system. The AP could not independently verify his information.

An internal SRS report from June seen by the AP said that its intel team would circulate to staff a “POI Mugs Card,” that showed photos of Palestinians taken at the sites who were deemed persons of interest.

The contractor said he and other staff were told by SRS to photograph anyone who looked “out of place.” But the criteria were not specified, he said. The contractor said the photos were also added to the facial recognition database. He did not know what was done with the information.

SRS said accusations that it gathers intelligence are false and that it has never used biometrics. It said it coordinates movements with Israeli authorities, a requirement for any aid group in Gaza.

An Israeli security official who was not named in line with the army’s protocol, said there are no security screening systems developed or operated by the army within the aid sites.

Source : https://apnews.com/article/palestinians-israel-gaza-contractors-aid-distribution-fe27f3ea83e06a09d66424eed7a5d56f

US airstrikes on Iran set back the regime’s nuclear program between one to two years, but likely “closer to two,” the Pentagon’s top spokesperson said Wednesday.

“Our assessment of the battle damage around Fordow, Natanz and Isfahan remains unchanged,” Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell told reporters during a press briefing.

“We believe, and certainly all of the intelligence that we’ve seen has led us to believe, that those facilities, especially, have been completely obliterated.”

US allies share the Department of Defense’s internal intelligence assessments of the effectiveness of last month’s military operation on Iran’s uranium enrichment sites, Parnell noted, including how long the Pentagon expects it will now take the Islamic Republic to build a nuclear weapon.

“We have degraded their program by one to two years, at least,” Parnell said.

Last month, President Trump and several top administration officials slammed a leaked preliminary assessment of Operation Midnight Hammer, which reportedly indicated Iran could bring its nuclear program back online in as quickly as one to two months.

The classified Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA) bomb damage assessment — reported by the New York Times and CNN — estimated that on the high end, Iran could restart uranium enrichment within a year, according to those who viewed the report.

Multiple B-2 Spirit stealth bombers dropped 14, 30,000-pound bunker-buster bombs on Iranian nuclear sites as part of Operation Midnight Hammer on June 22.

The attack was complemented by a barrage of dozens of Tomahawk cruise missiles fired by a US submarine.

Trump ordered the airstrike after intelligence pointed to Iran getting close to developing a nuclear weapon and after more than a week of back-and-forth strikes between Tehran and Israel.

Source : https://nypost.com/2025/07/02/us-news/pentagon-says-iran-nuclear-program-set-back-closer-to-2-years-after-us-strikes/

The family of the Colorado terror suspect who injured 8 Israeli hostage supporters with homemade firebombs last month can be deported, a federal judge ruled on Wednesday.

US District Court Judge Orlando Garcia dismissed Mohamed Sabry Soliman family’s legal challenge to their deportation — stating that the Trump administration has conducted normal and legal removal proceedings.

Soliman’s wife and five children had sued to prevent expedited removal proceedings, but the judge ruled he “lacks jurisdiction to grant Petitioners the relief they seek.”

Garcia’s decision superseded another court’s ruling last month, when Biden-appointed US District Court Judge Gordon Gallagher slammed the brakes on the Trump administration’s attempt to deport Soliman’s family.

Soliman, 45, and his family moved to the US from Egypt in 2022 but both his work authorization and tourist visas have expired.

Charges against the madman include 12 federal hate crime charges and state charges including two counts of first degree murder.

Disturbing video footage of the June 1 attack in Boulder, Colorado, showed the 45-year-old screaming “Free Palestine” and calling for death to “Zionists” as he tossed Molotov cocktails and sprayed homemade flamethrowers.

Eight victims, four men and four women between 52 and 88 years old, were hospitalized with burn injuries as a result of Soliman’s heartless attack; 21 others suffered injuries but were not hospitalized.

Those victims were supporting “Run for Their Lives” in support of Israeli hostages captured by terror group Hamas.

Source : https://nypost.com/2025/07/02/us-news/boulder-terror-suspect-mohamed-solimans-family-can-be-deported-judge-rules-reversing-decision-that-paused-proceedings/

Kyiv has warned that an interruption of US weapons shipments will encourage Russia to prolong the war in Ukraine, now in its fourth year.

On Tuesday the White House said it had cut off some weapons deliveries to Ukraine.

The decision was taken “to put America’s interests first” following a defence department review of US “military support and assistance to other countries”, White House spokesperson Anna Kelly said.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said the two countries were now “clarifying all the details on supplies”, while the foreign ministry warned any delays “would only encourage the aggressor to continue war and terror, rather than seek peace”.

The ministry particularly emphasised the need for Kyiv to strengthen its air defences – as Russia continues to pummel the country with missiles and drones on a near-nightly basis.

A Kyiv-based US diplomat was invited to the foreign ministry for talks on Wednesday.

However, Ukraine’s defence ministry said it had not received any official notification from the US about the “suspension or revision” of the weapons deliveries, and urged people not to speculate on the basis of partial information.

But in a statement the defence ministry also said the path to ending the war was “through consistent and joint pressure on the aggressor”.

At the weekend Ukraine endured its biggest aerial attack since the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion, with more than 500 drones and ballistic and cruise missiles launched at its cities.

US officials did not immediately say which shipments were being halted.

According to American broadcaster NBC, the weapons being delayed could include Patriot interceptors, Howitzer munitions, missiles and grenade launchers.

The US has sent tens of billions of dollars in military aid to Ukraine since Russia launched its full-scale invasion in February 2022, leading some in the Trump administration to voice concerns that US stockpiles are too low.

The Kremlin, for its part, welcomed news of the reduction in weapons shipments, saying reducing the flow of weapons to Kyiv will help end the conflict faster.

“The fewer the number of weapons that are delivered to Ukraine, the closer the end of the special military operation,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters.

Fedir Venislavskyi, an MP for Ukraine’s ruling party, said the decision was “painful, and against the background of the terrorist attacks which Russia commits against Ukraine… it’s a very unpleasant situation”.

A Ukrainian military source quoted by the AFP news agency said Kyiv was “seriously dependent on American arms supplies, although Europe is doing its best, but it will be difficult for us without American ammunition”.

Ukraine’s European allies have spent billions in military aid over the last three-and-a-half years.

However, military support for Kyiv is not endorsed by everyone on the political spectrum.

Czech President and former top Nato official, Petr Pavel, has been a staunch supporter of Ukraine – but he told BBC Russian he could “not guarantee” continued ammunition support for Kyiv, as that was dependent on the result of forthcoming Czech elections.

“I don’t know what will be the priorities of a new government,” he said.

The Pentagon’s move is based on concerns that US military stockpiles are falling too low, a source told CBS News, although Anna Kelly stressed “the strength of the United States Armed Forces remains unquestioned – just ask Iran”.

Separately, the US Undersecretary of Defense for Policy, Elbridge Colby, said in a statement the Pentagon “continues to provide the President with robust options to continue military aid to Ukraine”.

However, he added “the department is rigorously examining and adapting its approach to achieving this objective while also preserving US forces’ readiness for Administration defence priorities”.

The pause comes less than a week after President Donald Trump discussed air defences with Volodymyr Zelensky at the Nato summit in the Netherlands.

Trump said US officials “are going to see if we can make some of them available” when asked by the BBC about providing extra Patriot anti-missile systems to Ukraine.

Referring to his conversation with Zelensky, Trump said: “We had a little rough times sometimes, but he couldn’t have been nicer.”

The two had a heated confrontation in the Oval Office in February. Afterwards, Trump said he was pausing military aid to Ukraine that had been earmarked by the previous Biden administration. Intelligence sharing with Ukraine was also suspended.

But both pauses were subsequently lifted.

In late April, the US and Ukraine signed a deal that would give the US access to Ukraine’s mineral reserves in exchange for military assistance.

Meanwhile, French President Emmanuel Macron spoke with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin on Tuesday – the first time in over two-and-a-half years.

They spoke on the phone for more than two hours, Macron’s office said, adding the French president had urged a ceasefire in Ukraine and for talks to start on a “solid and lasting settlement of the conflict”.

The Kremlin said Putin had “reminded Macron” that the West’s policy was to blame for the war, because it had “for many years ignored Russia’s security interests”.

Last month, Russia’s long-time leader told a forum in St Petersburg that he saw Russians and Ukrainians as one people and “in that sense the whole of Ukraine is ours”.

Moscow currently controls about 20% of Ukrainian territory, including the Crimea peninsula annexed in 2014.

Source : https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cgk33k204ddo

US President Trump said Hamas should accept truce terms and that the situation would “only get worse.” The call came after dozens of charities have called for an Israeli and US-backed Gaza aid group to be disbanded.

A SPLIT verdict has been reached in the federal racketeering and sex trafficking trial of Sean “Diddy” Combs.

The courtroom received a letter from the jury at around 4:05 pm on Tuesday, informing the judge that jurors had reached a verdict on four of the five counts.

The note said the jury reached a verdict on counts 2-5, which are the sex trafficking and transportation for engaging in prostitution charges.

However, it also indicated that jurors were unable to agree unanimously on count 1 – the racketeering conspiracy charge.

Combs faces a maximum 10-year prison sentence if convicted of either prostitution charge, and a minimum of 15 years if convicted of either sex trafficking count.

He faces a life sentence if convicted on the racketeering conspiracy charge.

Judge Arun Subramanian ruled to give the jury more time to deliberate over the deadlocked charge after receiving proposals from the prosecution and the defense on how to move forward with the split verdict.

Moments later, the judge dismissed the jury for the day and instructed them to continue their deliberation on count 1 on Wednesday morning.

BLISTERING CLOSING ARGUMENTS

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

“He thought that his fame, wealth and power put him above the law,” Assistant US Attorney Christy Slavik said.

“It was his kingdom. Everyone was there to serve him.”

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

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

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

Ventura testified that the choreographed encounters, which she said were directed by Combs, could last days, with the longest she ever participated in being four days.

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

“They go into the man’s bedroom. They go into the man’s most private life. Where is the crime scene? The crime scene is your private sex life. That’s the crime scene,” Marc Agnifilo, Combs’ lead defense attorney, said during closing arguments.

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

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

“You want to call it swingers, you want to call it threesomes, whatever you want to call it, that is what it is – that’s what the evidence shows,” Agnifilo told the jury.

Source : https://www.the-sun.com/entertainment/14592626/sean-diddy-combs-sex-trafficking-trial-verdict/

A SECRETIVE Russian “killer satellite” deployed in space was detected launching another mysterious flying object near a US spacecraft.

Kosmos-2558 is a Russian military satellite that is currently on an orbital path which is suspiciously close to USA-326 – an American spy satellite.

The 14F150 Nivelir-type satellite was deployed into a Sun-Synchronous Orbit (SSO) – and has presumably been stalking the US space asset since 2022.

It is believed to have the capacity to constantly monitor enemy spy satellites and potentially shoot them down if needed.

Space program researchers have now detected a new object that appeared to have separated from the Russian inspector satellite on June 26.

The new flying object, named 2025-089C or simply Object C, appeared to be a subsatellite that was launched by Kosmos-2558.

It was filmed on 28 June 2025 from Leiden, the Netherlands, using a powerful astronomy camera.

The clip shows Kosmos 2558 passing through the frame.

Just 16 seconds later, Object C can be seen moving in the same direction but on a different orbit.

It is believed that Object C is a highly manoeuvrable sub-satellite with onboard high-speed kinetic anti-satellite weapons.

Two earlier Russian satellites of the same type, Kosmos-2519 and 2542, also released subsatellites, which were designated Cosmos-2521 and 2543.

Bart Hendrickx, a long-time space researcher and Russian space program expert, wrote in his blog: “Both of those [Russian] satellites showed significant manoeuvring capability and each fired a high-speed projectile that was interpreted by the Pentagon as an anti-satellite weapon.

“This happened when they were flying in the vicinity of other Russian satellites.”

Last year, Putin launched a terrifying weapon system into space capable of killing other satellites.

The Pentagon said that the Russian counter-space weapon was put into the “same orbit” as a US government satellite – and is likely tracking the space device already.

The Russian space object believed to be Cosmos-2576 was launched on May 16 on a Soyuz-2.1b carrier rocket from Russia’s Plesetsk Cosmodrome, some 497 miles north of Moscow.

It is now following American spy satellite USA 314, operated by the US National Reconnaissance Office.

An unofficial Russian source claimed the launch carried a “secret military device”.

While it was previously reported as a Russian space satellite, the US has now warned it could be a counter-space weapon capable of attacking other such tech.

Pentagon spokesman Brig Gen Pat Ryder said: “Russia launched a satellite into low Earth orbit that we assess is likely a counter-space weapon.

“It was deployed into the same orbit as a US government satellite and assessments further indicate characteristics resembling previously deployed counter space payloads from 2019 and 2022.”

“We will continue to monitor the situation … we have a responsibility to be ready to protect and defend the space domain and ensure continuous and uninterrupted support to the joint and combined force.”

Russia’s Roskosmos state space agency said the launch was “in the interests of the defence ministry of the Russian Federation”.

In 2023, US intelligence chiefs warned that Russia is planning to launch nukes into space that would destroy satellites in a “grave” threat to the world’s security.

Source : https://www.the-sun.com/news/14598954/russian-killer-satellite-us-spacecraft/

SHOPPERS have been urged to check their pantries after a box of chocolates sold at a popular supermarket chain was recalled.

The candy was distributed to multiple US states before health officials uncovered a life-threatening ingredient hiding inside.

The Food and Drug Administration recalled Wegman’s Semi-Sweet Chocolate Nonpareils this week, which were sold at the brand’s 112 stores.

That’s because the chocolates don’t warn of the potential presence of milk, which could cause a life-threatening reaction to those with allergies, the administration said.

The product comes in 18.5-ounce packages and was produced by Mellace Family Brands California in Ohio.

The company admitted to the mistake and said it “was caused by a temporary breakdown in the suppliers’ manufacturing process.”

No one has experienced health issues from the chocolates yet, according to the FDA.

The candies were distributed to stores in Delaware, Maryland, Massachusetts, North Carolina, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Virginia, and Washington DC before they were recalled.

Shoppers should know that the items could be contaminated with the allergen even if the best-by date hasn’t passed.

The recalled chocolates have best-by dates from December 28 to April 12, according to the recall notice.

Anyone who has purchased any of the chocolate is urged to go back to the store and get a full refund.

The affected lot codes are 55021, 55031, 55491, 55501, 56061, and 56071.

MORE RECALLS

The chocolate candy is just the latest in a string of contaminated items that had to be yanked from shelves.

One snack sold at Trader Joe’s was found to have life-threatening bacteria lurking inside.

The item that was affected was the Face Rock Creamery Vampire Slayer Cheddar Curds.

Health experts said that the cheese could contain listeria, a potentially deadly bacterium.

Listeria can cause people to fall ill with listeriosis, which is a dangerous infection that puts younger children and older adults at risk.

Common side effects of the infection include fever, muscle aches, headache, stiff neck, confusion, loss of balance, diarrhea, and convulsions.

The bacteria can even cause pregnant women to have stillbirths or miscarriages, and newborns can be killed.

Listeria is often found in soft cheeses, milk, deli foods, and prepared meats.

Source : https://www.the-sun.com/news/14605392/wegmans-semi-sweet-chocolate-nonpareils-recalled/

TRAGIC backpacker Juliana Marins told her family “I’m not afraid” in a final text before her death on an Indonesian volcano.

The 26-year-old’s mum, Estela Marins, revealed it was written at the start of her daughter’s doomed Southeast Asia trip.

In a message shown to Brazilian programme Fantastico, Juliana said: “Mami, I love you so much. I was heartbroken when we said goodbye.

“In fact, that’s the only thing that worries me: letting you, papi or my sister be disappointed. Other than that, I’m not afraid of much, much less trouble.

“I was raised by a woman who can solve any problem and who is not afraid to take the plunge and go after her dreams. I am like that too. I have different desires and dreams.

“I love you all very much! And I will always be grateful for all the support, care and affection. That is what makes me not afraid.”

Juliana died after falling more than 1,600 feet from a cliff on a hike up Mount Rinjani, an active volcano in Indonesia, on June 21.

Her body was only recovered three days later, after a complex and delayed rescue operation.

New autopsy ordered

Her body is due to arrive in Brazil today, Globo reports.

There, a second autopsy will be carried out to determine whether she could have survived the fall with timely help.

The request for the new examination was made by the Public Defender’s Office and fast-tracked by President Lula da Silva.

Authorities say the autopsy must be done within six hours of her return to preserve evidence.

The first autopsy, conducted in Bali, found that she died from trauma within 20 minutes – but drone footage and witness accounts have cast doubt on that timeline.

‘Left behind’ on the trail

Juliana, from Niteroi, Rio de Janeiro, had been hiking with six tourists and two local guides when she became exhausted and stopped to rest.

The publicist and dancer’s family has since blasted the “botched” rescue mission and claimed her tour guide abandoned her.

“Juliana was in this group, but she got very tired and asked to stop for a while. They kept going, and the guide didn’t stay with her,” said her sister, Mariana Marins.

Guide Ali Musthofa claimed he was only “three minutes” ahead and returned when Juliana didn’t show up — only to find she had fallen.

“I saw the light of a flashlight on a ravine about 150 meters deep and heard Juliana’s voice calling for help,” he said.

Rescue drones later spotted the Brazilian alive on the cliff, but poor weather and lack of equipment delayed efforts to reach her.

She was officially confirmed dead on June 24, and her family has accused Indonesian authorities of failing to provide assistance.

Initial reports claimed rescuers had reached Juliana and provided food and water. The Brazilian embassy repeated this — but it turned out to be false.

Source : https://www.the-sun.com/news/14601800/backpacker-indonesia-volcano-final-text-juliana-marins/

A wild weather system pummelled Sydney for a second day on Wednesday (Jul 2), with the storm forcing the cancellation of dozens of flights, bringing down trees and taking out power to thousands of homes in Australia’s southeast.

Qantas Airways and Virgin Australia, Australia’s biggest airlines, have together cancelled at least 55 domestic flights in and out of Sydney on Wednesday, the airport’s website showed. Some international flights have been delayed.

Sydney’s train services have also been disrupted, with authorities urging people to avoid non-essential travel.

“Be really careful. It’s really wild out there, if you can delay travel, please do so,” New South Wales state Emergency Services Chief Superintendent Dallas Burnes told ABC News.

“As people wake today and see the damage from last night, we’re expecting a very busy day.”

A coastal low-pressure system, described by meteorologists as a “bomb cyclone”, smashed Australia’s southeast coast overnight with wind gusts of more than 100 kph, uprooting trees and damaging power lines. Roughly one month’s worth of rain fell over six hours in some regions.

The weather phenomenon forms quickly and causes air pressure to drop significantly within a short period of time.

More than 35,000 properties are without power in New South Wales, Australia’s most populous state, after the storm overnight, outage data showed.

Several roads in the state’s Illawara region south of Sydney have been closed due to flooding and fallen trees. Evacuation orders were issued due to coastal erosion in the Central Coast region, while dozens of warnings remain for wind damage and flash flooding.

Conditions are expected to worsen through Wednesday before the system eases and move into the Tasman Sea, and then track toward New Zealand on Thursday.

Source : https://www.channelnewsasia.com/world/australia-sydney-airport-wild-storms-disrupts-flights-power-5215126

In President Donald Trump’s second term, the United States has called on allies and partners in Europe and Asia to hike defence expenditures to 5 per cent of their gross domestic product (GDP).

Vigorous debate on the merits of such a target has ensued, among top-ranking government officials and faceless social media commenters alike.

Those in favour point to countries embroiled in long-running tensions in their neighbourhood, such as South Korea; and cite Western countries spending close to the 5 per cent figure during the Cold War.

In the opposing camp, some note the US itself spending 3.4 per cent of GDP on defence last year, even if it was the top spender globally in absolute terms.

One particularly well-received online remark stated: “Why should someone tell you how and how much to spend for (your) defence?”

Asia was drawn into the conversation at this year’s Shangri-La Dialogue, when US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said Indo-Pacific allies in particular should spend more on their defence needs to deter the likes of China and North Korea.

The Pentagon chief said China was a real and imminent threat seeking to “fundamentally alter the region’s status quo”.

He said it did not make sense for key Asian allies to spend less than European and American countries in the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), whom he claimed were pledging to spend 5 per cent of their GDP on defence – a figure first floated by Mr Trump in January.

In the president’s first term, he said NATO members should raise their defence spending to 4 per cent of GDP.

The need to match Europe’s pace and level of defence spending was brought up again by the US Defense Department in June.

Last week, NATO agreed to more than double its defence spending benchmark from 2 per cent to 5 per cent of GDP by 2035 – with the exception of some countries like Spain.

The historic decision by the 32-member alliance comes amid a war in their backyard – the deadliest since World War II – prompted by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022.

But it is a different picture in Asia despite Korean tensions, the China-Taiwan issue, friction between India and Pakistan as well as Thai-Cambodian clashes along a shared border.

And in Southeast Asia, the posture of most countries towards China is markedly different from the US’ assessment of Beijing as a threat, experts say.

BALANCING OR LEANING?

To be sure, Southeast Asian ties with China are not entirely without strain. Most prominently, Vietnam, the Philippines, Brunei and Malaysia have overlapping claims with Beijing in the South China Sea.

Issues over the vital waterway for global trade topped a list of geopolitical concerns in the region according to a study by Singapore’s ISEAS-Yusof Ishak Institute (ISEAS) think-tank.

The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and China have long been in the process of negotiating a code of conduct to keep peace and security in the South China Sea.

The ISEAS survey, published in April, polled over 2,000 thought leaders across the region. Asked who they would side with if forced to, 52.3 per cent picked the US while 47.7 per cent chose China.

The narrow margin reflects the “delicate balancing act” ASEAN must maintain between the two superpowers, with economic dependence on China and security interests with the US, ISEAS noted in its report.

The think-tank concluded that China remains perceived as the most influential economic and political-strategic power in Southeast Asia, outpacing the US by “significant margins”.

In a Jun 24 piece for American magazine Foreign Affairs, veteran Singapore scholars Khong Yuen Foong and Joseph Chinyong Liow observed that Southeast Asia was “clearly leaning towards” Beijing.

This was based on their assessment of interactions between ASEAN countries and China and the US, though they also added that “alignment patterns are not set in stone”.

Hundreds of followers of the Dalai Lama have gathered in northern India for the exiled Tibetan spiritual leader’s 90th birthday, amid growing anticipation that he could give a clue about his eventual successor.

The Dalai Lama is due to release a video message and a statement on Wednesday, his office has told the BBC, although there’s no clarity on what he will say.

The Dalai Lama fled across the border to India in 1959 after a failed uprising against Chinese rule in Tibet.

He set up a government-in-exile in the northern Indian hill town of Dharamsala and has been seen as an alternative source of power for those who resent Beijing’s tight control of Tibet.

The milestone birthday on Sunday will be preceded by the three-day 15th Tibetan Religious Conference, starting on Wednesday morning. Celebrations began on Monday – the Dalai Lama’s birthday according to the Tibetan lunar calendar.

Celebrations will be attended by more than 7,000 guests, including a number of Indian ministers. On Monday, photos showed the Dalai Lama blessing Hollywood actor Richard Gere, a long-time follower.

The Dalai Lama, who had earlier said he would release details about his succession around his 90th birthday, told a gathering on Monday that “there will be some kind of a framework within which we can talk about the continuation of the institution of the Dalai Lamas”. He did not elaborate.

In the past, the Nobel Peace Prize-winning spiritual head of Tibetan Buddhism has been torn between whether to continue with the 600-year-old institution or not. A few years ago, he said his successor might be a girl, or that there might be no successor at all.

But in recent years, he has also said that if there’s widespread support among Tibetans-in-exile for the post – which there is – then it would continue and his office would choose a successor.

He has always insisted that his successor would be born outside China, something that has angered Beijing.

Even though the Dalai Lama has always advocated a “middle way” to resolve the status of Tibet – genuine self-rule within China – Beijing regards him as a separatist. It says the standard of living of people in Tibet has greatly improved under its rule.

Youdon Aukatsang, an MP in the Tibetan parliament-in-exile, said she did not expect “a clear-cut procedure would be laid down” this week.

“I think everyone is kind of anticipating some kind of revelation from His Holiness about his reincarnation. But I do not expect a very specific kind of revelation,” she told the BBC.

The present Dalai Lama, she said, “is a binding and unifying force for the Tibetan movement” and some Tibetans feel somebody should be recognised soon as his successor because they worry that there may be an impact on the community and the movement going forward.

“The Dalai Lama institution is very important for the Tibetan struggle. It’s also a symbol of Tibetan identity and a beacon of our spiritual refuge. That will continue. I think there will be a vacuum, but we have to continue, we don’t have a choice,” she said.

“We have very, very big shoes to fill but we have to fill them, right? I think many people will have to get into that role, one person will not be enough.”

Experts, however, say if he does announce a successor, then China is also expected to name its own Dalai Lama.

“China will argue that only the Communist Party of China based in Beijing has the authority to find the reincarnation of the Dalai Lama,” Dibyesh Anand, professor of International Relations at the University of Westminster, told the BBC.

“After a period of a few months or a few years, they will have their own proteges identify a small boy as the next Dalai Lama and impose that. Of course, a majority of Tibetans are going to reject it and the majority of people in the world are going to make fun of it. But remember China has immense authority in terms of resources so they will try to impose that.”

Ms Aukatsang says that “despite all these years of trying to control the hearts and minds of Tibetan people inside Tibet”, Beijing has “completely failed”.

A Dalai Lama chosen by China, she says, “will not be recognised, not only by the Tibetans but the world will not recognise it because China doesn’t have the legitimacy to find the future Dalai Lama”.

“We are concerned but we know that irrespective of our concern, China will come up with their own Dalai Lama, we will call it the Chinese-recognised Dalai Lama. I am not worried that Dalai Lama will have any credibility in the Tibetan world or the Buddhist world.”

Tibetan Buddhists believe that their senior monks are reincarnated and a Dalai Lama is chosen by Buddhist officials if they are convinced that the one they are choosing harbours the soul of his predecessor.

The present – 14th – Dalai Lama was born on 6 July 1935 in a small Tibetan village in a farmer family and was named Lhamo Dhondub. When he was two years old, a search party of Buddhist officials recognised him as the reincarnation of the 13 previous Dalai Lamas.

According to his official biography, the clinching evidence came when the officials showed him a number of possessions that had belonged to his predecessor. The toddler correctly identified items belonging to the 13th Dalai Lama saying, “It’s mine. It’s mine”.

Enthroned before he turned four, he was educated at a Tibetan monastery and has a doctorate of Buddhist philosophy.

But in 1950, when he was 15, the troops of Mao Zedong’s newly-installed Communist government marched into Tibet. A year later, China drew up a 17-point agreement legitimising Tibet’s incorporation into China.

A Tibetan revolt in 1959, seeking an end to Chinese rule, was crushed and thousands of protesters were killed.

Source : https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cpvjjd7xw8go

U.S. Senate Republicans passed President Donald Trump’s massive tax-cut and spending bill on Tuesday by the narrowest of margins, advancing a package that would slash taxes, reduce social safety net programs and boost military and immigration enforcement spending while adding $3.3 trillion to the national debt.
The legislation now heads to the House of Representatives for possible final approval, though a handful of Republicans there have already voiced opposition to some of the Senate provisions.

Trump wants to sign it into law by the July 4 Independence Day holiday, and House Speaker Mike Johnson said he aimed to meet that deadline.
The measure would extend Trump’s 2017 tax cuts, give new tax breaks for income from tips and overtime pay and increase spending on the military and immigration enforcement. It also would cut about $930 billion of spending on the Medicaid health program and food aid for low-income Americans and repeal many of Democratic former President Joe Biden’s green-energy incentives.
The legislation, which has exposed Republican divides over the nation’s fast-growing $36.2 trillion debt, would raise the federal government’s self-imposed debt ceiling by $5 trillion. Congress must raise the cap in the coming months or risk a devastating default.

The Senate passed the measure in a 51-50 vote with Vice President JD Vance breaking a tie after three Republicans – Thom Tillis of North Carolina, Susan Collins of Maine and Rand Paul of Kentucky – joined all 47 Democrats in voting against the bill.
The vote followed an all-night debate in which Republicans grappled with the bill’s price tag and its impact on the U.S. healthcare system.
Much of the late horse-trading was aimed at winning over Republican Senator Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, who had signaled she would vote against the bill without significant alterations.
The final Senate bill included two provisions that helped secure her vote: one that sends more food-aid funding to Alaska and several other states, and another providing $50 billion to help rural hospitals cope with the sweeping cuts to Medicaid.

‘NOT FISCAL RESPONSIBILITY’

The vote in the House, where Republicans hold a 220-212 majority, is likely to be close.
Johnson, the House speaker, said during an interview with Fox News’ Sean Hannity that Republican leadership would seek to move the legislation through the Rules Committee on Wednesday morning and get it before the entire House before Friday’s holiday, unless travel plans were upset by thunderstorms that have menaced the Washington area.
“Hopefully we’re voting on this by tomorrow or Thursday at latest, depending on the weather delays and travel and all the rest – that’s the wild card that we can’t control,” Johnson said.
A White House official told reporters that Trump would be “deeply involved” in pushing House Republicans to approve the bill.
“It’s a great bill. There is something for everyone,” Trump said at an event in Florida on Tuesday. “And I think it’s going to go very nicely in the House.”

An initial version passed with only two votes to spare in May, and several House Republicans have said they do not support the Senate version, which the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office estimates will add $800 billion more to the national debt than the House version.
Republicans have struggled to balance conservatives’ demands for deeper spending cuts to reduce the impact on the deficit with moderate lawmakers’ concerns that the Medicaid cuts could hurt their constituents, including service cutbacks in rural areas.
The House Freedom Caucus, a group of hardline conservatives who repeatedly threatened to withhold their support for the tax bill, has criticized the Senate version’s price tag.
“There’s a significant number who are concerned,” Republican Representative Chip Roy, a member of the Freedom Caucus, said of the Senate bill.
A group of more moderate House Republicans, especially those who represent lower-income areas, have objected to the steeper Medicaid cuts in the Senate’s plan.
Meanwhile, Republicans have faced separate concerns from a handful of House Republicans from high-tax states, including New York, New Jersey and California, who have demanded a larger tax break for state and local tax payments.
The legislation has also drawn criticism from billionaire Elon Musk, the former Trump ally who has railed against the bill’s enormous cost and vowed to back challengers to Republican lawmakers in next year’s midterm elections.
House Democrats are expected to remain unanimously opposed to the bill.
“This is the largest assault on American healthcare in history,” House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries told reporters. “It’s the largest assault on nutrition in American history.”

TAX BREAKS, IMMIGRATION CRACKDOWN, TIGHTER BENEFITS

The Senate bill would deliver some of its biggest benefits to the top 1% of U.S. households, earning $663,000 or more in 2025, according to the Tax Foundation. These high earners would gain the most from the bill’s tax cuts, the CBO has said.
Independent analysts have said the bill’s tightening of eligibility for food and health safety net programs would effectively reduce poor Americans’ incomes and increase their costs for food and healthcare. The nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office forecast that nearly 12 million more people would become uninsured under the Senate plan.
The bill’s increase in the national debt effectively serves as a wealth transfer from younger to older Americans, nonpartisan analysts have said.

Source : https://www.reuters.com/world/us/senate-vote-a-rama-pass-trumps-33-trillion-bill-extends-into-second-day-2025-07-01/

U.S. President Donald Trump on Tuesday toured a remote migrant detention center in the Florida Everglades dubbed “Alligator Alcatraz” as his Republican allies advanced a sweeping spending bill that could ramp up deportations.
The facility sits some 37 miles (60 km) from Miami in a vast subtropical wetland teeming with alligators, crocodiles and pythons, fearsome imagery the White House has leveraged to show its determination to purge migrants it says were wrongly allowed to stay in the country under former President Joe Biden’s administration.

Trump raved about the facility’s quick construction as he scanned rows of dozens of empty bunk beds enclosed in cages and warned about the threatening conditions surrounding the facility.
“I looked outside and that’s not a place I want to go hiking anytime soon,” Trump said at a roundtable event after his tour. “We’re surrounded by miles of treacherous swampland and the only way out is really deportation.”
The complex in southern Florida at the Miami-Dade Collier Training and Transition Airport is estimated to cost $450 million annually and could house some 5,000 people, officials estimate.
Florida Governor Ron DeSantis has said he will send 100 National Guard troops there and that people could start arriving at the facility as soon as Wednesday.

In promoting the opening of the facility, U.S. officials posted on social media images of alligators wearing Immigration and Customs Enforcement hats. The Florida Republican Party is selling gator-themed clothing and beer koozies.
Two environmental groups filed a legal motion last week seeking to block further construction of the detention site, saying it violated federal, state and local environmental laws.
The lawsuit, filed in U.S. district court, said construction will lead to traffic, artificial light and the use of large power generators, all of which would “significantly impact” the environment.
The groups, Friends of the Everglades and Center for Biological Diversity, said the site is located at or near the Big Cypress National Preserve, a protected area that is a habitat for endangered Florida panthers and other animals.

“Putting aside whether intractable political gridlock over immigration reform constitutes an ’emergency,’ it does not give license to the state and federal governments to simply disregard the laws that govern federal projects affecting environmentally sensitive lands, essential waterways, national parks and preserves, and endangered species,” the groups wrote.
Some local leaders, including from the nearby Miccosukee and Seminole tribes, have objected to the facility’s construction and the construction has drawn crowds of demonstrators.

Trump dismissed environmental concerns on Tuesday, saying in wide-ranging remarks that the wetlands’ wildlife would outlast the human species. He said the detention facility was a template for what he’d like to do nationwide.
“We’d like to see them in many states,” Trump said.

HARDLINE POLICIES

The Republican-controlled U.S. Senate voted on Tuesday to pass a bill that adds tens of billions of dollars for immigration enforcement alongside several of the president’s other tax-and-spending plans.
Trump has lobbied fiercely to have the bill passed before the July 4 Independence Day holiday, and the measure still needs a final sign-off from the House of Representatives.
The Republican president, who maintains a home in Florida, has for a decade made hardline border policies central to his political agenda. One in eight 2024 U.S. election voters said immigration was the most important issue.
But Trump’s campaign pledges to deport as many as 1 million people per year have run up against protests by the affected communities, legal challenges, employer demands for cheap labor and a funding crunch for a government running chronic deficits.
Lawyers for some of the detained migrants have challenged the legality of the deportations and criticized the conditions in temporary detention facilities.
The numbers in federal immigration detention have risen sharply to 56,000 by June 15, from 39,000 when Trump took office, government data show, and his administration has pushed to find more space.
The White House has said the detentions are a necessary public safety measure, and some of the detained migrants have criminal records, though U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement detention statistics also show an eight-fold increase in arrests of people charged only with immigration violations.
Trump has spoken admiringly of vast, isolated prisons, built by El Salvador and his administration has held some migrants at the Guantanamo Bay naval base, in Cuba, best known for housing foreign terrorism suspects following the September 11, 2001, attacks on the United States.

Source : https://www.reuters.com/world/us/trump-play-up-alligator-alcatraz-deportations-florida-ahead-bill-deadline-2025-07-01/

For years, Rahim Suleman had reached out repeatedly to automakers and other potential clients to market the rare earth magnets from the plant his company was building in Estonia, one of just a handful outside dominant producer China.
But after April 4, when Beijing imposed new restrictions on the super-strong magnets used in electric vehicles and wind turbines, Suleman retired his sales pitch. He didn’t need it any more.

Ever since China’s export controls tightened some rare earth exports to a trickle in the midst of a trade war with the U.S., causing chaos in supply chains and some auto plant shutdowns, “the phone is ringing off the hook”, said Suleman.
Companies starting new plants in Europe, the U.S. and Asia had previously reported difficult talks on deals that embedded the higher costs to make magnets outside China, which benefits from cheaper labour costs and economies of scale as well as government support via tax refunds.
But the crisis has led many customers to soften or drop objections about paying those premiums as they scramble to hammer out deals, according to a dozen industry participants including automakers, magnet makers, rare earth producers, consultants and government officials interviewed by Reuters.

While rare earths magnets from China are beginning to flow again, customers remain on edge about the threat of future shortages.
Suleman’s company, Neo Performance Materials (NEO.TO), launched output of permanent magnets at its Estonia plant in May. Now, he said, “everybody wants to talk about how (they can) satisfy their demand out of our facility”.
He said he has no worries about lining up enough customers who will pay a premium – $10 to $30 per kg, with EVs typically holding 2-4 kg of magnets per vehicle – over the price they usually pay for Chinese magnets.
Output at Neo’s factory in Estonia is starting small, providing samples to its first customer, which Suleman declined to identify. German auto parts supplier Schaeffler (SHAn.DE), told Reuters it is a customer of the plant, but declined to comment on how much it is paying.

In Korea, customers of NovaTech (285490.KQ), which produces magnets in China, are prepared to pay 15% to 20% more for magnets made in Vietnam, a company source told Reuters, adding there was “a growing sense of crisis among customers”.
The company, which sells China-made magnets used in Samsung’s phones and tablets, is investing at least 10 billion won ($7.39 million) in a plant in Vietnam launching early next year to make magnets using locally processed rare earths from a partner, the person and another company official told Reuters.
Britain’s Less Common Metals, one of the few firms outside China involved in a key step of rare earths processing – making rare earth metals and alloys – says it is battling to cope with new enquiries.
“Now, post-April 4, it’s like someone stuck a cattle prod into the whole industry,” said Grant Smith, its majority owner and chairman.

A FINE BALANCE

Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce took their “love story” to Ohio.

The couple was spotted on a low-key lunch date at JoJo’s Bar in Chagrin Falls on Tuesday, per local outlet WKYC.

Photos circulating on social media from the outing in the Cleveland area showed the “Fortnight” hitmaker sitting at a table with two other people.

An eyewitness told the outlet that one of the men pictured was her athlete beau.

The singer, 35, was spotted wearing a loose-fitting long-sleeved white shirt with her hair pulled back in a ponytail.

The Kansas City Chiefs star made an appearance in Chardon, Ohio, on Monday for the Alex’s Way charity golf tournament at the Sand Ridge Golf Club, per a fan account.

The casual sighting of the lovebirds came after the Cleveland Heights native made a confession about his high-profile relationship with the pop star.

During his appearance on Tuesday’s episode of the “Bussin’ With the Boys” podcast, Kelce, 35, was asked whether he “miscalculate[d]” anything about dating the Grammy winner.

The NFL player admitted he was forced to adjust to the level of paparazzi scrutiny in his life.

“That’s probably the only thing I didn’t really grasp until you’re in it. That’s probably the craziest thing,” the tight end said.

“Like, I’m just playing golf and all of the sudden in the trees there’s just a f–king guy with a camera,” he continued. “Like, ah s–t. I gotta go to the restroom now. I can’t just go over here and take a piss.”

Kelce clarified with the hosts that he has “never been ashamed of slamming beers” before he name-dropped us on the episode.

Source : https://pagesix.com/2025/07/01/celebrity-news/taylor-swift-and-travis-kelce-spotted-on-low-key-lunch-in-ohio/

Prosecutors amassed a mountain of damning evidence and key legal victories against Bryan Kohberger in the weeks before they offered him a plea deal for the 2022 murders of four University of Idaho students.

Kohberger’s defense pushed for delays, tried to block most of the evidence against him, and even suggested a list of “alternate perpetrators” who they claimed could have committed the killings.

But the judge denied most of their motions, allowing a tidal wave of evidence to be presented against the 30-year-old criminology Ph.D. student at his trial, which was scheduled for next month.

The families of victims Kaylee Gonclaves, 21, and Xana Kernodle, 20, slammed the decision to spare Kohberger a trial — and the chance of death by firing squad.

The mother of Ethan Chapin, 20, has said they support the plea deal, while Madison Mogen’s family has not publicly weighed in.

Here are the few of the biggest pieces of evidence prosecutors would have used at Kohberger’s trial.

A man with “bushy eyebrows”

One of the two survivors of the Moscow, Idaho attack reported spotting a masked man with “bushy eyebrows” prowling around the house around 4 a.m., when the stabbings occurred.

The description was bad news for Kohberger, whose own brows are replete with wool.

His defense asked Judge Steven Hippler to bar testimony and evidence related to “bushy eyebrows,” calling the witness’s description irrelevant and unreliable.

Hippler denied that motion, as well as a motion to block the survivors’ initial 911 call in which one mentions seeing a strange man in the house.

A white Hyundai

Security camera footage showed a white Hyundai Elantra circling the area around the victims’ house in the early morning hours on the day of the murders and finally speeding away just after 4 a.m.

Police began looking into local Hyundai Elantra drivers and landed on Kohberger, a PhD criminology student at the nearby Washington State University.

Hockey Hall of Famer and Red Wings great Alex Delvecchio died Tuesday, the team announced.

He was 93 years old.

Delvecchio was a three-time Stanley Cup champion and spent 24 years in the NHL as one of the game’s best centers while playing alongside another NHL legend, Gordie Howe.

“Alex was more than a Hockey icon, he was a devoted husband, loving father, grandfather, great grandfather, cherished friend, and respected teammate to so many,” the Delvecchio family said in a statement. “While the world knew him as an incredible hockey player with numerous accomplishments on the ice, we knew him as someone whose humility, strength, competitiveness, kindness and heart were even greater than his professional achievements.

“For decades, your love and support meant everything to Alex and to all of us. We are deeply grateful and thankful to everyone.”

Outside of Howe, no player in Red Wings history may encompass playing for Detroit more than Delvecchio.

Delvecchio played the second-most seasons with the franchise, spending 12 as team captain — an honor only Steve Yzerman had held for longer.

Over the course of his NHL career, Delvecchio recorded 456 goals and 825 assists for 1,281 points in 1,550 games.

“When you think of the Red Wings, you think of Howe,” Bruins legend Phil Esposito told Sport magazine in 1971. “But Alex is the most underrated player in the game today — underrated by everyone but the players.”

Delvecchio became a mainstay on the Red Wings roster by the 1951-52 season, recording 37 points (15 goals, 22 assists) during his rookie campaign as the Red Wings went on to win the Stanley Cup.

He would go on to become a key piece of the “Production Line” between Howe and Ted Lindsay, winning another two cups in 1954 and ’55.

After retiring 11 games into the 1973-74 season, Delvecchio would go on to coach and serve as general manager of the franchise at various points through the 1976-77 season.

“Alex was a cherished part of the Red Wings family, and I’m grateful for the years my husband Mike and I shared with him, as well as the remarkable legacy he leaves behind—both in the rafters of the arena and in the hearts of Red Wings fans everywhere. My heartfelt condolences go out to the Delvecchio family during this time of loss,” Red Wings co-owner Marian Ilitch said in a statement.

Source : https://nypost.com/2025/07/01/sports/alex-delvecchio-red-wings-icon-and-hockey-hall-of-famer-dead-at-93/

For the fifth straight year, the folks who run the city’s Pride parade banned cops from marching in uniform: Gay officers have to closet their NYPD affiliation to participate.

The pretext that NYC Pride’s Heritage arm offers is that it doesn’t want anyone marching armed, and cops must carry their weapons when in uniform.

Yet the issue never proved a problem before Heritage imposed the ban in 2021, at the height of anti-police obsessions after George Floyd’s death.

Nor did anyone complain when NYPD officers responded rapidly Sunday night after two teens got shot near the Stonewall Inn.

Plus, of course, armed police guarded the parade itself.

“It is the height of hypocrisy that uniformed officers are fit to line the parade route and keep everyone safe, but they are unable to march in their own uniform and under their own banner,” thundered Commissioner Jessica Tisch, who joined protesting police on the parade sidelines.

“The ones being asked to stay out of sight are us, the gay, the trans, the queer, and our allied officers who have risked everything to serve both this city and this community. It is not about safety, it is about exclusion” decried Det. Brian Downey, president of Gay Officers Action League.

Blame the way the extremists seem to grab control of almost every left-of-center institution, including supposedly single-issue outfits like the ACLU, or figure it’s just part of how the “unicause” mysteriously demands a single party line on everything from surgically trans-ing kids to denouncing Israel to despising the police.

It’s still bizarre to see the now-triumphant gay-rights movement refusing to recognize the full identity of LGBTQ cops.

Source : https://nypost.com/2025/07/01/opinion/end-the-pride-parades-hypocritical-ban-on-gay-nypd-officers/

While we typically think of cutting calories as an attempt to squeeze into our favorite pair of skinny jeans, it’s worth remembering that scientists think of it in terms of longevity more so than looks.

It’s been known for quite some time that severely reducing calorie intake can extend lifespan, which is why intermittent fasting has become all the rage.

However, even the most disciplined among us would admit that it’s “not sustainable” — a fancy way of saying that it sucks.

Now, a new study out of the UK suggests you can have your cake and eat it, too, so to speak.

A massive analysis recently published in the journal Aging Cell revealed that rapamycin — the immunosuppressant drug turned longevity darling — delivers almost the same life‑extension benefits as slashing calories.

“Dietary restriction — for example, through intermittent fasting or reduced calorie intake — has been the gold standard for living longer. But it’s difficult for most of us to maintain long-term,” Zahida Sultanova, a researcher at the University of East Anglia, said in a statement.

“We wanted to know if popular anti-aging drugs like rapamycin or metformin could offer similar effects without the need to cut calories,” she added.

Researchers analyzed 167 studies across eight vertebrate species, including primates, rodents and fish, to find that rapamycin’s results were surprisingly similar to rigorous dietary restriction.

The same findings did not hold for the popular Type 2 diabetes drug metformin.

Rapamycin, isolated from soil on Easter Island in the 1970s, was originally used to suppress immune response in organ transplant patients and treat rare diseases.

It works by inhibiting the mTOR pathway, which governs cell growth and repair, and it appears to mimic the cellular cleanup triggered by fasting, known as autophagy.

Although rapamycin is already approved by the Food and Drug Administration for the prevention of organ rejection, it’s not cleared for anti‑aging purposes in humans.

While low doses of the drug seem to have no serious side effects, some studies suggest that because it suppresses the immune system, it can raise the risk of infection.

Other common side effects include headache, chills, joint pain, diarrhea, nausea and mouth sores.

Anti-aging acolyte Bryan Johnson, 47, said last year that he dropped the drug from his routine after years of experimentation because “the benefits of lifelong dosing of rapamycin do not justify the hefty side-effects.”

He reported occasional skin and soft tissue infections, abnormal amounts of fats in his blood, heightened blood sugar and a higher resting heart rate.

Source : https://nypost.com/2025/06/30/health/popular-drug-found-to-extend-lifespan-just-as-well-as-calorie-cutting/

Flights at several major airports along the East Coast were delayed after ground stops at all three of the New York metro area airports Monday afternoon sparked a travel disaster that stranded thousands from New York to Washington, DC.

The Federal Aviation Administration first announced that flights at JFK International Airport would be grounded due to a severe thunderstorm on the horizon.

Newark Liberty Airport was also added to the mix, with outgoing flights shut down until 6:30 p.m., according to the FAA.

LaGuardia Airport was eventually thrown in too and grounded all planes through 8 p.m., according to the FAA’s airport status.

The thunderstorm stops had a domino effect, beginning with delays at Philadelphia International Airport to Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport before spreading to others, trailing up and down the East Coast.

Wait times have kept ticking up even though the ground stops were only supposed to last through the early evening as airlines seek to make up for lost time.

Departure delays at JFK were estimated to be around 2 hours and 35 minutes, according to the FAA.

The single thunderstorm in the Empire State wound up sparking a staggering 1,500 flight delays.

On top of that, more than 6,000 flights in and out of the country were also delayed, and nearly 600 others were cancelled, according to FlightAware.

Flights in Washington were grounded until 5 p.m. Flights in Philadelphia, meanwhile, were stuck on the tarmac until 6:30 p.m., but their delays at least dropped down to just 1 hour and 15 minutes, according to the FAA.

Source : https://nypost.com/2025/06/30/us-news/ground-stops-at-jfk-lga-and-newark-cause-thousands-of-flight-delays-at-airports-up-and-down-the-east-coast/

Chinese Foreign Minister Mao Ning said that the border dispute is complicated and takes time to resolve. She said that Beijing is ready to hold discussions on delimitation.

China on Monday said that the longstanding boundary dispute with India is “complicated” and will take time to resolve. However, it expressed readiness to hold discussions on delimiting the border and maintaining peace in the border areas.

The statement came in response to remarks made by Defence Minister Rajnath Singh during his meeting with Chinese Defence Minister Dong Jun on June 26 in Qingdao, on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Defence Ministers’ conclave.

During the bilateral talks, Singh proposed that India and China work towards resolving the “complex issues” under a structured roadmap. He called for steps to de-escalate tensions along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) and a rejuvenation of existing mechanisms to demarcate the border.

When asked to comment on Rajnath Singh’s remarks, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning on Monday said that the two countries have already established the Special Representatives (SRs) mechanism and agreed on the “Political Parameters and Guiding Principles” for a boundary settlement.

“The boundary question is complicated, and it takes time to settle it,” Mao told reporters in Beijing regarding the apparent delay in resolving the issue despite 23 rounds of SR-level talks.

However, Mao noted that “the positive side is that the two countries have already established mechanisms at various levels for thorough communication.”

“China stands ready to maintain communication with India on issues including delimitation negotiation and border management, jointly keep the border areas peaceful and tranquil, and promote cross-border exchange and cooperation,” Mao said reiterating China’s readiness to continued dialogue.

The 23rd round of the SR-level talks between India’s National Security Advisor Ajit Doval and Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi was held in December last year, marking the first such engagement since the 2020 border frictions in eastern Ladakh.

At that meeting, both sides positively affirmed the implementation of the October 2024 disengagement agreement, which enabled patrolling and grazing activities in the relevant areas.

In Qingdao, Singh emphasised the need to create “good neighbourly conditions” and called for “action on the ground” to bridge the trust deficit stemming from the 2020 standoff. He also briefed Dong on the recent Pahalgam terror attack and India’s Operation Sindoor targeting terror networks in Pakistan.

When asked whether a resolution timeline could be expected, Mao responded, “We hope that India will work with China in the same direction, continue to stay in communication on relevant issues and jointly keep the border areas peaceful and tranquil.”

Source : https://www.indiatoday.in/world/story/china-says-sino-india-border-dispute-complicated-ready-to-discuss-delimitation-2748574-2025-06-30

Republicans are inching closer to getting their tax and spending cut bill through Congress with a final Senate vote likely late Monday or early Tuesday.

At some 940 pages, the legislation is a sprawling collection of tax breaks, spending cuts and other Republican priorities, including new money for national defense and deportations. President Donald Trump has admonished Republicans, who hold majority power in the House and Senate, to skip their holiday vacations and deliver the bill by the Fourth of July.

Democrats are united against the legislation and were offering scores of amendments to alter it Monday as the Senate slogged through what is known as a vote-a-rama. Senators can offer an unlimited number of amendments, with each receiving a vote. Once the bill clears the Senate, it would have to pass the House before Trump can sign it into law.

Here’s the latest on what’s in the bill. There could be changes as GOP lawmakers continue to negotiate.

Tax cuts are the priority

Republicans say the bill is crucial because there would be a massive tax increase after December when tax breaks from Trump’s first term expire. The legislation contains about $4.5 trillion in tax cuts.

The existing tax rates and brackets would become permanent under the bill. It temporarily would add new tax breaks that Trump campaigned on: no taxes on tips, overtime pay, the ability to deduct interest payments for some automotive loans, along with a $6,000 deduction for older adults who earn no more than $75,000 a year.

It would boost the $2,000 child tax credit to $2,200. Millions of families at lower income levels would not get the full credit.

A cap on state and local deductions, called SALT, would quadruple to $40,000 for five years. It’s a provision important to New York and other high tax states, though the House wanted it to last for 10 years.

There are scores of business-related tax cuts, including allowing businesses to immediately write off 100% of the cost of equipment and research.

The wealthiest households would see a $12,000 increase from the legislation, which would cost the poorest people $1,600 a year, according to the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office analysis of the House’s version.

Middle-income taxpayers would see a tax break of $500 to $1,500, the CBO said.

Money for deportations, a border wall and the Golden Dome

The bill would provide some $350 billion for Trump’s border and national security agenda, including $46 billion for the U.S.-Mexico border wall and $45 billion for 100,000 migrant detention facility beds, as he aims to fulfill his promise of the largest mass deportation operation in U.S. history.

Money would go for hiring 10,000 new Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers, with $10,000 signing bonuses and a surge of Border Patrol officers, as well. The goal is to deport some 1 million people per year.

The homeland security secretary would have a new $10 billion fund for grants for states that help with federal immigration enforcement and deportation actions.

To help pay for it, immigrants would face various new fees, including when seeking asylum protections.

For the Pentagon, the bill would provide billions for ship building, munitions systems, and quality of life measures for servicemen and women, as well as $25 billion for the development of the Golden Dome missile defense system. The Defense Department would have $1 billion for border security.

How to pay for it? Cuts to Medicaid and other programs

To help partly offset the lost tax revenue and new spending, Republicans aim to cut back on Medicaid and food assistance for the poor.

Republicans argue they are trying to rightsize the safety net programs for the population they were initially designed to serve, mainly pregnant women, the disabled and children, and root out what they describe as waste, fraud and abuse.

The package includes new 80-hour-a-month work requirements for many adults receiving Medicaid and food stamps, including older people up to age 65. Parents of children 14 and older would have to meet the program’s work requirements.

There’s also a proposed new $35 co-payment that can be charged to patients using Medicaid services.

More than 71 million people rely on Medicaid, which expanded under Obama’s Affordable Care Act, and 40 million use the Supplemental Nutritional Assistance Program. Most already work, according to analysts.

The Congressional Budget Office estimates that 11.8 million more Americans would become uninsured by 2034 if the bill became law and 3 million more would not qualify for food stamps.

The Senate proposes a $25 billion Rural Hospital Transformation Program to help offset reduced Medicaid dollars. It’s a new addition, intended to win over holdout GOP senators and a coalition of House Republicans warning that the proposed Medicaid provider tax cuts would hurt rural hospitals.

A ‘death sentence’ for clean energy?

Republicans are proposing to dramatically roll back tax breaks designed to boost clean energy projects fueled by renewable sources such as energy and wind. The tax breaks were a central component of President Joe Biden’s 2022 landmark bill focused on addressing climate change and lowering healthcare costs.

Democratic Oregon Sen. Ron Wyden went so far as to call the GOP provisions a “death sentence for America’s wind and solar industries and an inevitable hike in utility bills.”

Under the bill, a tax credit that subsidizes the production of electricity would be eliminated for any wind and solar plant not plugged into the grid by the end of 2027. But Republicans aren’t just looking to roll back the tax breaks Biden put into place: they’re also looking to add a tax for new wind and solar projects that use a certain percentage of components from China.

A tax break for people who buy new or used electric vehicles would expire on Sept. 30 of this year, instead of at the end of 2032 under current law.

Meanwhile, a tax credit for the production of critical materials will be expanded to include metallurgical coal used in steelmaking.

Trump savings accounts and so, so much more

A number of extra provisions reflect other GOP priorities.

The House and Senate both have a new children’s savings program, called Trump Accounts, with a potential $1,000 deposit from the Treasury.

The Senate provided $40 million to establish Trump’s long-sought “National Garden of American Heroes.”

There’s a new excise tax on university endowments. A $200 tax on gun silencers and short-barreled rifles and shotguns was eliminated. One provision bars money to family planning providers, namely Planned Parenthood, while $88 million is earmarked for a pandemic response accountability committee.

Another section expands the Radiation Exposure Compensation Act, a hard-fought provision from GOP Sen. Josh Hawley of Missouri, for those impacted by nuclear development and testing.

Billions would go for the Artemis moon mission and for exploration to Mars.

The bill would deter states from regulating artificial intelligence by linking certain federal AI infrastructure money to maintaining a freeze. Seventeen Republican governors have asked GOP leaders to drop the provision.

Additionally, a provision would increase the nation’s debt limit, by $5 trillion, to allow continued borrowing to pay already accrued bills.

Source : https://apnews.com/article/trump-tax-cuts-bill-republicans-medicaid-snap-4ff35843e6a5247f37d048bde9b1f5ee

A former aide to two New York governors already facing charges of acting as an illicit agent of China pleaded not guilty on Monday to additional charges that she improperly profited from the state’s purchase of face masks and other key medical supplies during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Linda Sun, 41, and her husband, Chris Hu, 40, — who is also charged — entered not guilty pleas to charges of wire fraud, bribery and conspiracy to defraud the United States. Hu also faces tax evasion charges.

The two remain free on bond and are due back in court Aug. 25 ahead of an expected November trial.

Sun’s lawyer Jarrod Schaeffer declined to comment following Monday’s proceedings but has previously dismissed the new charges as “feverish accusations unmoored from the facts.” Hu’s lawyers didn’t immediately respond Monday but have also similarly denied the charges.

Prosecutors say the couple collected millions of dollars in kickbacks by exploiting Sun’s role in helping New York procure personal protective equipment, or PPE, during the pandemic in 2020.

They say Sun, a naturalized U.S. citizen, used connections in her native China to secure PPE for the state, though she didn’t disclose her family’s ties to two vendors that received more than $44 million, prosecutors say.

Source : https://apnews.com/article/new-york-governor-aide-china-ppe-ba6211f16200091469ae76611ddca6a3

The young man’s heart was sliced from his chest and placed on his body. His name was No. 56 on a handwritten list of 60 dead that included his cousins, neighbors and at least six children from their coastal Syrian village.
The men who killed 25-year-old Suleiman Rashid Saad called his father from the young victim’s phone and dared him to fetch the body. It was next to the barbershop.
“His chest was wide open. They cut out his heart. They put it on top of his chest,” said his father, Rashid Saad. It was late afternoon on March 8 in the village of Al-Rusafa. The killings of Alawites were nowhere near over.
The slaughter of Suleiman Rashid Saad was part of a wave of killings by Sunni fighters in Alawite communities along Syria’s Mediterranean coast from March 7 to 9. The violence came in response to a day-old rebellion organized by former officers loyal to ousted President Bashar al-Assad that left 200 security forces dead, according to the government.

A Reuters investigation has pieced together how the massacres unfolded, identifying a chain of command leading from the attackers directly to men who serve alongside Syria’s new leaders in Damascus. Reuters found nearly 1,500 Syrian Alawites were killed and dozens were missing. The investigation revealed 40 distinct sites of revenge killings, rampages and looting against the religious minority, long associated with the fallen Assad government.

Syria’s coastal killings

Nearly 1,500 Syrian Alawites died in the March 7-9 massacres and dozens are missing. Reuters discovered 40 distinct sites of revenge killings, rampages and looting.

The days of killing exposed the deep polarization in Syria that its new government has yet to overcome, between people who supported Assad, whether tacitly or actively, and those who hoped the rebellion against him would ultimately succeed. Many in Syria resent Alawites, who enjoyed disproportionate influence inside the military and government during Assad’s two-decade rule.
The Reuters findings come as the Trump administration is gradually lifting sanctions on Syria that date back to Assad’s rule. The rapprochement is an awkward one for Washington: Syria’s new government is led by a now-dissolved Islamist faction, formerly known as Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, or HTS, which was previously al-Qaeda’s Syria branch, known as the Nusra Front.
The group, formerly led by new Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa, has been under U.N. sanctions since 2014. Al-Sharaa, a Sunni Muslim like the majority of Syrians, became president in January after leading a surprise offensive that culminated in the collapse of Assad’s government and the capture of Damascus.

At least a dozen factions now under the new government’s command, including foreigners, took part in the March killings, Reuters found. Nearly half of them have been under international sanctions for years for human rights abuses, including killings, kidnapping, and sexual assaults.
Syria’s government, including the Defense Ministry and president’s office, did not respond to a detailed summary of the findings of this report or related questions from Reuters about the role of government forces in the massacres.

“The bullets were raining down on us, sister. We didn’t know where to go and how to escape.”

In an interview with Reuters just days after the killings, al-Sharaa denounced the violence as a threat to his mission to unite the country. He promised to punish those responsible, including those affiliated with the government if necessary.
“We fought to defend the oppressed, and we won’t accept that any blood be shed unjustly, or goes without punishment or accountability, even among those closest to us,” he said.
Among the units Reuters found to be involved were the government’s General Security Service, its main law-enforcement body back in the days when HTS ran Idlib and now part of the Interior Ministry; and ex-HTS units like the elite Unit 400 fighting force and the Othman Brigade. Also involved were Sunni militias that had just joined the government’s ranks, including the Sultan Suleiman Shah Brigade and Hamza division, which were both sanctioned by the European Union for their role in the deaths. The EU has not sanctioned the ex-HTS units. The United States hasn’t issued any sanctions over the killings.

President al-Sharaa has ordered a committee to investigate the violence and set up “civil peace” mediations.
Yasser Farhan, the spokesperson of the committee, said the president will receive its findings in two weeks as the committee is currently analyzing information then writing its final report based on testimonies and information gathered from over 1,000 people, in addition to briefings from officials and interrogations of detainees. He advised Reuters against publishing its findings before the report’s release.
“We are unable to provide any responses before completing this process in respect for the integrity of the truth,” he said, adding, “I expect that you will find the results useful, and that they uncover the truth.”
Killings continue to this day, Reuters has found.
Syria’s new government has said it feared losing control of the coast to the uprising of Assad supporters. It issued unequivocal orders on March 6 to crush an attempted coup of “Fuloul ,” or “remnants” of the regime, according to six fighters and commanders and three government officials.
Many men who received the commands had been wearing government uniforms for just a few months and shared an interpretation of Sunni Islam notorious for its brutality.

Some that day eagerly interpreted the word “fuloul” to mean any and all Alawites, a minority of 2 million people whom many in Syria blame for the crimes of the Assad family, who are Alawite.
One official of the new government, Ahmed al-Shami, the governor of Tartous province, told Reuters that Alawites are not being targeted. He acknowledged “violations” against Alawite civilians, and estimated around 350 people died in Tartous, in line with what Reuters also found. That figure has never been published by the government.
“The Alawite sect is not on any list, black, red or green. It’s not criminalized and it’s not targeted for retaliation. The Alawites faced injustice just like the rest of the Syrian people in general” under Assad, the governor said. “The sect needs safety. It’s our duty as a government which we will work on.”
In response to a request for comment on Reuters’ findings, Anouar El Anouni, a spokesperson for the European Union, noted that the EU had condemned “horrific crimes committed against civilians, by all sides,” but did not say why former HTS units were not also sanctioned. Spokespeople for the U.S. State and Treasury Departments did not respond to requests for comment.

Hundreds of thousands of Syrians are estimated to have been killed since 2011, when Assad’s crackdown on protests descended into civil war. He went after any suspected dissidents. But Sunnis, who fielded the most visible of the armed groups arrayed against Assad, were disproportionately targeted.
Reuters spoke with over 200 families of victims during visits to massacre sites and by phone, 40 security officials, fighters and commanders, and government-appointed investigators and mediators. Reuters also reviewed messages from a Telegram chat established by a Defense Ministry official to coordinate the government response to the pro-Assad uprising. The news agency’s journalists examined dozens of videos, obtained CCTV footage and reviewed handwritten lists of victims’ names.
Some of the attackers responding to the March uprising carried lists of names of men to target, including former members of Assad militias who had been temporarily amnestied by the new government. Entire families with those surnames would later appear on lists of the dead handwritten by village elders. Multiple survivors described how the bodies of their loved ones were mutilated.
The fighters, many of them masked, mustered in the new government’s heartland of Idlib, Homs, Aleppo and Damascus. And when armored convoys rolled out to western Syria, the militias’ cries of “Sunnis, Sunnis” rose in the night along with rhyming slogans calling for people to “slaughter the Alawites,” according to videos verified by Reuters.
Many of the videos showed fighters humiliating Alawite men, forcing them to crawl and howl like dogs. Others, some filmed by the fighters themselves, showed piles of bloodied bodies.

Among the dead were entire families, including women, children, the elderly and disabled people in dozens of predominantly Alawite villages and neighborhoods. In one neighborhood, 45 women were among the 253 dead. In another village, 10 of 30 killed were children. In at least one case, an entire Alawite town was emptied almost overnight, its hundreds of residents replaced by Sunnis.
The first question arriving fighters asked residents was telling, according to more than 200 witnesses and survivors: “Are you Sunni or Alawite?”

THE UPRISING

Ubaida Shli and his twin brother were the youngest of a Sunni family of nine boys and girls from Idlib, a city in northwest Syria, according to their older sister, Yasmine.
The twins traveled to Libya as mercenaries. Two years ago they joined the HTS law enforcement body known as General Security Service in Idlib, where HTS was essentially running its own parallel administration.
That was how Shli found himself, at age 23, wearing the black GSS uniform and guarding a checkpoint near the town of Baniyas, according to Yasmine and the WhatsApp voice notes he sent her, which Reuters reviewed.
Around sundown on March 6, the checkpoint and other GSS posts across Latakia and Tartous provinces came under attack and dozens of security forces died.
According to the new government and residents of the regions, the attackers were led by officers still loyal to Assad.
The officers were joined by young men who lost their livelihoods when the new government fired thousands of Alawite employees and dismantled Assad’s security apparatus, according to interviews with residents. One community leader described the uprising as a spontaneous decision of desperate people.
Shli sent his sister a voice message around 8:30 p.m. to tell her half the men around him were dead. He sounded calm and resigned to his fate.
“He said he was helping find ways to get the bodies of the men out,” she said. She asked why he didn’t run away. His response: There is no escape.
Yasmine learned her brother was dead two hours later.
Pro-Assad forces also staged attacks in Baniyas, the biggest city in Tartous. They seized the main road and hospital and attacked the new government’s security headquarters, according to Aboul Bahr, a security official stationed in Baniyas who was spending that night in Idlib. Reuters could not independently verify his account.

Al-Sharaa said 200 security forces were killed in the uprising but the government has not released names or an updated tally. The Defense Ministry did not respond to questions from Reuters about an updated number of forces killed or the role of government-affiliated forces in the massacres of Alawites.
The EU on June 23 imposed sanctions on three pro-Assad officers, saying they were responsible for leading militias that “fueled sectarian tensions and incited violence.”
Supporters of the fallen leader “wanted to stage a coup and declare an autonomous region along the coast,” said Hamza al-Ali, the GSS officer in charge of the town of Al-Qadamous, nearly 30 kilometers to the east.
The Defense Ministry called for reinforcements from all the factions that had recently joined President al-Sharaa’s forces. Mosque megaphones across the country sounded calls for jihad.
Mohammed al-Jassim, commander of the Sultan Suleiman Shah Brigade told Reuters he was hospitalized in Turkey for health reasons when the fighting erupted. Reuters could not confirm al-Jassim’s location during the massacres. He denied his men had any role in the violence.
He said he was soon added to a chat group led by a top Defense Ministry official, whom he said he knew only as Abu Ahd. Abu Ahd al-Hamawi is the pseudonym of Hassan Abdel-Ghani, the Defense Ministry spokesman.
Al-Jassim’s brigade, which is also known as Amshat, was ordered to reopen the coastal M1 highway linking Latakia and Jableh. He said his militia took up positions outside the city of Jableh.

As the massacres of Alawites unfolded, the Defense Ministry spokesman Abdel-Ghani said publicly the operation on the coast was proceeding as planned with the goal of keeping control of the region and “tightening the noose on the remaining elements of officers and remnants of the fallen regime,” according to the state-run news agency SANA.
Behind the scenes, Abdel-Ghani was running the Telegram chat of militia leaders and military commanders that coordinated the government response to the pro-Assad uprising, according to a dozen text and audio messages in an exchange between him and a senior commander from another faction.
Two people confirmed the Telegram handle was Abdel-Ghani’s and that Abu Ahd is his nom de guerre. Reuters contacted him directly on Telegram at the handle. He told Reuters he has been questioned by the committee investigating the killings but declined to comment further.
The messages referred to force locations and movements, including one from Abdel-Ghani at the bridge leading to the village of Al-Mukhtareyah, where massacres were taking place.
Nanar Hawach, a senior analyst at the International Crisis Group, said the killings eroded the new government’s legitimacy among Syrians, especially minorities.
“Deploying units known for hostility toward communities they view as adversaries, and with a track record of abuse, led to predictable outcomes,” Hawach said. “They failed to uphold their basic duty to protect.”
In a sign of the government’s tenuous control over its own fighters, newly integrated factions faced off in village streets at times, according to witnesses in three different locations who all described seeing one side trying to protect bewildered civilians from uniformed men trying to kill them.

578 DEAD, 26 LOCATIONS

The M4 highway leads inland from the Mediterranean Sea. The M1 leads south, paralleling the coastline before veering east near Lebanon.
The massacres that began before dawn on March 7 would mostly follow those two arteries. Many of the towns were farm communities, with citrus orchards hanging heavy with lemons and oranges in March and fields of vegetables that grow abundantly year-round in the Mediterranean climate.
Al-Mukhtareyah, the first village off the M4 highway connecting Idlib and Latakia, came under attack around 6 a.m.
Swarms of men, including many in GSS uniforms, broke down doors to pull men outside, forcing some to crawl and dragging others away, eight witnesses told Reuters. The shooting lasted about an hour. When it was over, 157 people were dead – nearly a quarter of Al-Mukhtareyah’s population, according to a list from a community leader that Reuters verified with multiple surviving residents.
They included 28 members of the Abdullah family; 14 from the Darwish family; and 11 from the al-Juhni family, according to the lists compiled by survivors and community leaders.
“The bullets were raining down on us, sister. We didn’t know where to go and how to escape,” said a woman who lost her father and brothers.
Another woman who lost 17 relatives shared a screenshot from a video verified by Reuters. She pointed to a pile of bodies in the screenshot and said: “This is my family.”
She traced an arrow onscreen toward a dead man in a pale jacket and sent it to Reuters. “This is my husband.”

The village was all but empty days after the massacre, residents said. With no one to harvest, oranges rotted on the trees.
The villages with the most bloodshed were those whose residents belonged to a subset of Alawites called al-Klazyia, according to Ali Mulhem, founder of the Syrian Civil Peace Group, an organization that documents abuses and mediates disputes. The Assad family were al-Klazyia Alawites, as were many of the dictator’s ranking security officials, said Mulhem and a senior Alawite community leader.
Among the places linked to the al-Klazyia sub-sect was Sonobar, a farming community of around 15,000 whose homes are interspersed with fields of vegetables.
The elite HTS force called Unit 400 moved into Sonobar in December, promising that the town would be left in peace under the new leadership, three villagers told Reuters. They described life as tense, but bearable.
Early on March 7, the Unit 400 men and hundreds of reinforcements converged and started killing. In all, according to 17 witnesses, nine separate factions attacked.
One young man said he saw Unit 400 fighters opening fire as they entered his house. Eleven relatives died. He survived by hiding in an upstairs pantry.
Another faction that attacked was the Sultan Suleiman Shah Brigade, according to survivors who recognized the brigade’s badges. The brigade came to prominence as a Turkish-backed militia during the civil war and has been under American sanctions since 2023, accused by the U.S. Treasury Department of “harassment, abduction, and other abuses.” Al-Jassim told Reuters those allegations were “fabrications” and described his men as highly disciplined.

Spokespeople for the GSS and the Defense Ministry, which oversees Unit 400, didn’t respond to questions about the attacks. Turkey, asked to comment on the role of Sultan Suleiman Shah and other Turkish-backed militias in the killings, did not respond. Turkey’s government hasn’t issued a public response to the EU sanctions imposed on the militias in May.
In a selfie video from Sonobar, a uniformed fighter shows bodies and proclaims: “Suleiman Shah defeated the remnants of the former regime. God is great and thanks to God.”
The camera later pans to 11 unarmed men in civilian clothes, lying dead on some of Syria’s most fertile soil, now tinged with blood. Among the dead pictured were a motorbike repairman, two students, two farmers and an amnestied policeman, according to relatives of the dead, who identified them by name.

Al-Jassim, the commander of Sultan Suleiman Shah, denied that his men were responsible for killings in any of the villages they entered.
“As a commander of a military unit, I know that any order must be obeyed in its entirety,” he told Reuters. “Commands are carried out verbatim, no more, no less.”
In April, the militia – by then rebadged as the 62nd Division of Syria’s army – said the man who filmed the video had no connection with Sultan Suleiman Shah and accused him of impersonating a fighter “to tarnish the reputation of the Division and distort its record.” Reuters could not independently confirm the man’s identity or affiliation.
Another group identified themselves as fighters for the Jayish al-Islam militia.
Jayish al-Islam’s media officer posted pictures on Facebook of fighters heading to the coast on March 7. He also posted a copy of an amnesty document he claimed was found on the body of the Assad-era policeman indicating that the dead man had broken the pledge he signed not to take up arms against the new government.
“There is no safety, no stability in our country except by purging them,” wrote Hamza Berqidar, the media officer. The post received 160 likes.

One woman from Sonobar told Reuters the fighters commandeered her living room.
“Do you know who we are?” one asked her. She said she replied: “You’re the army!”
No, she said they told her. “We are jihadists from Jayish al-Islam. We came to teach you Islam.”
Media officer Berqidar and Jayish al-Islam didn’t respond to requests for comment on the violence.
In all, 236 residents of Sonobor were killed, according to lists reviewed by Reuters and verified with multiple residents. They were mostly young men, ranging in age from 16 to 40. The injured included a pregnant woman, who miscarried but survived her gunshot wounds.
One young mother said her husband was at a neighbor’s when her door was smashed down. The gunmen went upstairs and started breaking things, looking for him.
The group left and was replaced by another faction, she said. Then a third, whose leader embraced her children and promised they would be unharmed. A fourth faction opened fire on the building. A fifth group of fighters, wearing green headbands, arrived with a translator. They didn’t speak Arabic. She didn’t recognize their language.
“Three militants came and pointed rifles at my head,” she said. They told her: “You are Alawite pigs. You deserve what is happening to you. If you cry you will be shot dead, and your body will be on top of the other dead bodies.”
All the time, she said, she was trying in vain to reach her husband.
After sunset, the woman ventured out. She found him on the ground, shot in the eyes and heart.
Witnesses said the fighters stole food to break the Ramadan fast, celebrating outside as terrified women peeked through the windows.
A photo from Sonobar, confirmed by two surviving Alawites from the town, showed a message scrawled on the wall of one home: “You were a minority, and now you are a rarity.”

828 DEAD, 10 LOCATIONS

The first group of armed men to arrive Saturday in the town of Al-Rusafa numbered around a dozen. It was a little after 10 a.m. Some wore black fatigues and sneakers.
Residents had been trapped inside since the day before, when a government convoy of around 50 vehicles, including a tank, had set up positions around the village, cut the electricity and started shooting, sometimes at people and sometimes at random.
Now, on Saturday, this new group of fighters seemed unsatisfied when they peered inside the Saad family home.
“They ordered the boys to lie on the floor, which they did. They dragged them outside,” said Ghada Ali. She watched helplessly as they stepped on the prone body of 17-year-old Saleh, her youngest.
“They told them to howl like dogs while filming them,” she said. After a time, they sent Saleh to his mother, and then one of the fighters asked why she still wept. “I want my children,” she responded.
“We sent you one back,” she said they told her. As for her elder son, 25-year-old Suleiman Rashid, they said perhaps he’d return soon.
Instead, his father Rashid Saad received a phone call. “We killed him and cut out his heart,” they told him. “Come get your son before the dogs eat him.”
Saad and his brother, who lost four sons that day, grabbed blankets and called on Saleh to help. They carried all five bodies home, and the women buried them in the garden, Saad said.
The community leader said the attackers identified themselves as from the Hamza, Sultan Suleiman Shah and Jaysh al-Ezza factions. Representatives of Hamza and Jaysh al-Ezza declined to comment on the violence in the town. Al-Jassim denied his men were ever in Al-Rusafa.
In all, 60 Alawites died in Al-Rusafa, according to lists seen by Reuters. The youngest was a 4-year-old.

Just as in Sonobar, survivors said the attackers left a message on the walls: “Sunni men passed through here. We came to shed your blood.”
Nearer the coast, the residents of Qurfays despaired. The town and the white-domed shrine at its center are named for Ahmed Qurfays, a revered Alawite religious figure.
Forces from the Othman Brigade, along with Unit 400, had taken up positions in the village after Assad’s fall, according to two survivors and one person with relatives there.
On Friday, with news of the killings spreading around the region, villagers chose four respected residents to mediate with the Othman Brigade fighters.
They sat in a semicircle on a farmhouse balcony outside Qurfays, and the villagers tried to persuade the fighters that the town harbored no Assad supporters and there was no need for them to stay and fight. “They insisted on staying, because they said there was a plan already in place,” said a person familiar with the talks. The sound of automatic weapons and anti-aircraft guns rattled in the distance.
The fighters and mediators left the farmhouse and headed back to the village. While they had been talking, a half-dozen men were shot to death there, and their bodies were strewn across the shrine’s yard and steps, according to two witnesses.
The Defense Ministry, which directly oversees the Othman Brigade and Unit 400, did not respond to requests for comment about the killings in Al-Rusafa and Qurfays.
“None of these men were carrying weapons, and no one was part of the former army. One of the men was mentally ill,” one of the witnesses said.
Around 50 worshippers were beaten inside the shrine, said the other witness, who was among the injured.
Still, it felt like perhaps they’d escaped the mass death they’d heard about elsewhere. On Saturday morning, the witnesses said, they realized they were wrong.
A new convoy of 80 vehicles arrived. Someone fired once in the air, and then, as though awaiting a signal, the militia members opened fire. In all, 23 people died over two days, according to photos of the dead shared with Reuters.
Looting continued as Qurfays mourned, said the witness who was beaten inside the shrine. The man said his brother was killed.
He said one of the Unit 400 men told him crying was banned and that the village should be thankful just for being allowed to bury their dead.
“I couldn’t cry,” the man said. “I didn’t have the courage to cry.”

74 DEAD, 4 LOCATIONS

By Sunday, the frenzied killings were subsiding.
It was time to bury the dead, fearfully and often in secret.
For 48 hours or more, grieving Alawite women had stood guard over the bodies of fathers, brothers, husbands and children. Many families only discovered the scale of the violence when they emerged to streets reeking of death, or tried to beat away dogs ripping apart corpses.
In Baniyas, near where the pro-Assad attack on the checkpoint touched off the revenge killings, there were 253 bodies to bury, according to the lists of the dead shared with Reuters.
In the town of Jableh, the toll stood at 77 Alawites, according to 30 family members. The town was targeted by Unit 400 and the Othman Brigade, along with Sultan Suleiman Shah, Hamza and the Turkistan Islamic Party, made up of Uyghurs and other foreign fighters, according to six witnesses and one security official in Jableh.

Suleiman Shah commander Al-Jassim said his men entered Jableh and left because they saw “many violations” and did not want to take the blame for killings that weren’t their fault. Representatives of the other forces didn’t reply to questions.
The Telegram chat showed the Defense Ministry’s spokesman, Abdel-Ghani, was notified about “breaches” in Jableh. His response, in the chat: “May God reward you.”
Many survivors, especially in Baniyas, said they had Sunni neighbors who smuggled them to safety or who tried to protect them.
In Jableh, a Sunni neighbor intervened to help evacuate the mortally wounded husband of Rasha Ghoson, over the objections of two General Security Service men. With her neighbor’s help, an ambulance agreed to take Ghoson’s husband to Latakia, but doctors there couldn’t revive him.
Standing alongside the body in the overflowing morgue, Ghoson said a GSS officer in charge of death records refused to issue a document to an Alawite.
“He said: ‘infidel!’” and walked away, she recalled. Her legs and hands trembled as she recounted the ordeal.
As with most of the massacre victims, there is still no death certificate for Ghoson’s husband.

Source : https://www.reuters.com/investigations/syrian-forces-massacred-1500-alawites-chain-command-led-damascus-2025-06-30/

President Donald Trump’s administration will not deport children deemed ineligible for U.S. citizenship until his executive order curtailing birthright citizenship takes effect on July 27, a government lawyer said on Monday after being pressed by two federal judges.
During separate hearings in lawsuits challenging Trump’s order, U.S. District Judges Deborah Boardman in Greenbelt, Maryland, and Joseph LaPlante in Concord, New Hampshire, set expedited schedules to decide whether the order can be blocked again on grounds that the U.S. Supreme Court’s ruling on Friday, curbing the ability of judges to impede his policies nationwide does not preclude injunctions in class action lawsuits.

Both judges asked U.S. Department of Justice lawyer Brad Rosenberg, who represented the government in both cases, for assurances that the Trump administration would not move to deport children who do not have at least one parent who is a U.S. citizen or legal permanent resident at least until the executive order takes effect.
Rosenberg said it would not, which Boardman and LaPlante respectively asked him to confirm in writing by Tuesday and Wednesday.
In the Maryland case, immigrant rights advocates revised their lawsuit just a few hours after the 6-3 conservative majority U.S. Supreme Court on Friday ruled in their case and two others challenging Trump’s executive order. The New Hampshire lawsuit, a proposed class action, was filed on Friday.

The Supreme Court ruling did not address the merits or legality of Trump’s birthright citizenship order, but instead curbed the ability of judges to issue “universal” injunctions to block the Republican president’s policies nationwide.
But while the Supreme Court restricted the ability of judges to issue injunctions that cover anyone other than the parties appearing before them, Justice Amy Coney Barrett’s opinion held out the possibility that opponents of a federal policy could still obtain the same type of relief if they instead pursued cases as class actions.
William Powell, a lawyer for immigration rights groups and pregnant non-citizen mothers pursuing the case, told Boardman at a hearing on Monday that an immediate ruling was necessary to address the fears and concerns migrants now face as a result of the Supreme Court’s decision.

“They want to see how fast we can get class relief because they are afraid about their children and their babies and what their status might be,” Powell said.
Trump’s executive order, which he issued on his first day back in office on January 20, directs agencies to refuse to recognize the citizenship of U.S.-born children who do not have at least one parent who is an American citizen or lawful permanent resident, also known as a “green card” holder.
In Friday’s ruling, the high court narrowed the scope of the three injunctions issued by federal judges in three states, including Boardman, that prevented enforcement of his directive nationwide while litigation challenging the policy played out.
Those judges had blocked the policy after siding with Democratic-led states and immigrant rights advocates who argued it violated the citizenship clause of the U.S. Constitution’s 14th Amendment, which has long been understood to recognize that virtually anyone born in the United States is a citizen.

Immigrant rights advocates in the hours after the Supreme Court ruled swiftly launched two separate bids in Maryland and New Hampshire to have judges grant class-wide relief on behalf of any children nationally who would be deemed ineligible for birthright citizenship under Trump’s order.
The Supreme Court specified the core part of Trump’s executive order cannot take effect until 30 days after Friday’s ruling. Boardman on Monday pressed Rosenberg on what it could do before then.
“Just to get to the heart of it, I want to know if the government thinks that it can start removing children from the United States who are subject to the terms of the executive order,” Boardman said at the end of the hearing.
Boardman scheduled further briefing in the case to continue through July 9, with a ruling to follow. LaPlante scheduled a hearing for July 10.

Source : https://www.reuters.com/legal/government/trump-lawyer-says-no-immediate-deportations-under-birthright-citizenship-order-2025-06-30/

Melissa Parizot’s work is a cut above the rest.

The celebrity hairstylist and co-owner of IGK Salon, who goes by MelissaWillCutYou on Instagram, has chopped the locks of style stars like Sofia Richie Grainge, Paige DeSorbo, Brooks Nader and even Sir Paul McCartney. Her bespoke cuts, which currently have a five-month waitlist, will set you back between $400 and $600.

But when Parizot moved to NYC in her early 20s, she was making just $8.75 an hour as a salon assistant.

“Surviving in New York on $280 a week is really difficult, but it’s also the thing that pushed me. It forced me to love what I do,” the beauty pro tells Page Six Style.

Parizot also quickly learned that even at a top salon, competition for clients can be fierce — so she harnessed the power of social media to reach out to influencers, offering them free trims in exchange for posts on their platforms. It worked.

“I got a few girls in, and then their friends wanted to come in too. And I still do hair for those girls today,” she says.

Parizot’s big break came in late 2018, when she lopped Hailey Bieber’s long, blond locks into a chin-length bob. The model’s new ‘do went viral, and requests from beauty editors and new clients started pouring in.

She says Bieber, who has fine hair, was excited by the prospect of a beauty reset; most celebrities and models subject their strands to daily damage through the use of hot tools and extensions, and a big chop can make a major difference in the health of their hair.

“You can hold onto hair that’s not working and have the length that you want, but what if we work with what you have and try to make your hair look its best where it’s at right now?” Parizot says.

Another early high point came when the hairstylist found herself in the home of a music legend.

“I got the opportunity to go to Paul McCartney’s house to do his wife’s hair, and that was pretty epic,” she recalls, adding that she wound up giving the 19-time Grammy winner a trim too — but was able to maintain her composure because she “didn’t grow up listening to the Beatles.”

“When you don’t really know how cool it is, you don’t fangirl,” she says. “Celebrities are real people! Discretion is always really important.”

While a short cut might’ve catapulted her career, these days Parizot is best known for her long, bouncy, layered looks. She also prefer cutting clients’ hair while it’s dry rather than wet, which gives her a full picture of the hair’s natural shape and texture as she works.

“I’m definitely known for very big, voluminous blowouts,” she says, but adds that she always tailors her cuts to her clients’ individual face shapes and lifestyles: “These voluminous looks are gorgeous, but at the end of the day, how many people are roller-setting their hair at home?”

And given the considerable cost and waiting time attached to her appointments, Parizot also considers the grow-out period before she starts snipping away; after all, some of her clients fly in from other continents for her services.

Source : https://pagesix.com/2025/06/30/style/meet-melissa-parizot-the-celebrity-hairstylist-whose-600-cuts-have-a-5-month-waitlist/

A$AP Rocky appears to have slipped up and revealed the sex of his third baby with Rihanna.

Fans are convinced the rapper, 36, accidentally broke the news on the red carpet of the Smurfs world premiere in Brussels.

Rocky came out to the event on Saturday to support his singer girlfriend, who stars as Smurfette in the new movie.

The A-list couple already has two sons, RZA, 3, and Riot, 1, together.

Now, it seems like they may be expecting a baby girl next.

Rocky appeared to reveal the baby’s gender in an interview with Entertainment Tonight.

“Is that the girl you’ve been waiting for?” the interviewer asked.

“It is, man, it is,” Rocky said and nodded before quickly holding up a Smurfette plush toy.

He redirected his answer to the toy as he laughed, adding, “Right here, right here.”

The interviewer responded, “You know what I’m asking!”

Fans in the comments of the video were quick to jump to conclusions.

“That was a slick way to ask if she is having a girl,” one Instagram user wrote.

Another added, “He definitely gave it away!”

Earlier in the clip, Rocky laughed when the interviewer asked him how many kids the couple planned on having together.

“We’re going to be like the Wayans family, you know?” he said, referencing the iconic family that had 10 children before answering more seriously.

“I mean love is beautiful and we’re just spreading it.”

Ahead of the Smurfs world premiere, Rihanna and Rocky were also seen attending Paris Men’s Fashion Week with their son Riot.

Rihanna arrived at the show while carrying the toddler in one arm before sitting in the front row with him on her lap.

The singer debuted her baby bump at the 2025 Met Gala in May, hours after her partner confirmed the exciting addition to their family.

Source : https://www.the-sun.com/entertainment/14593636/rihanna-asap-rocky-baby-gender-pregnant-smurfs-sons/

While speaking on the India-US trade deal, the White House said Trump shares a “very good relationship” with Modi and the agreement is nearing completion.

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt described India as a “strategic ally” in the Indo-Pacific region during a press briefing on Monday (US local time) while addressing a question on the India-US trade agreement, she added that President Donald Trump shares a “very good relationship” with Prime Minister Narendra Modi and noted that the trade deal is close to completion.

US President Donald Trump (R) and PM Narendra Modi during a news conference in the East Room of the White House in Washington DC. (File)(Bloomberg)
US President Donald Trump (R) and PM Narendra Modi during a news conference in the East Room of the White House in Washington DC. (File)(Bloomberg)
“Yes, the President said that last week (that the US and India are very close to a trade deal), and it remains true. I just spoke to our Secretary of Commerce about it. He was in the Oval Office with the President. They are finalising these agreements, and you’ll hear from the President and his trade team very soon when it comes to India,” ANI news agency quoted her as saying.

Responding to a question regarding China’s role in the Indo-Pacific, Leavitt reiterated, “India remains a very strategic ally in the Asia Pacific and the President has a very good relationship with Prime Minister Modi, and he will continue to have that.”

Responding to a question regarding China’s role in the Indo-Pacific, Leavitt reiterated, “India remains a very strategic ally in the Asia Pacific and the President has a very good relationship with Prime Minister Modi, and he will continue to have that.”

India-US trade talks

On June 26, India and the US began another round of bilateral trade talks aimed at finalising an early harvest deal before the US imposes country-specific reciprocal tariffs on imports from 57 countries, including India, starting July 9, according to people familiar with the discussions.

Led by chief negotiator and special secretary for commerce Rajesh Agrawal, the Indian delegation arrived in Washington for a two-day round of talks beginning last week. The main goal of this round is to address existing trade disputes and reach an interim agreement that could form the basis for the first phase of a Bilateral Trade Agreement (BTA) by September or October 2025.

After this initial phase, both sides are expected to begin negotiations for a full-fledged free trade agreement (FTA) with the aim of doubling bilateral trade to $500 billion by 2030.

India is pushing for the US to roll back all current and planned retaliatory tariffs, including a 26% reciprocal tariff – comprising a 10% duty that took effect on April 5 and an additional 16% set to begin from July 9.

Sources involved in the talks said most of the elements of a preliminary agreement have been ironed out by negotiators, but final decisions now rest with the political leadership to resolve a few remaining differences. Two major sticking points continue to hold up the deal, they added.

Source : https://www.hindustantimes.com/india-news/president-trump-pm-modi-ties-strong-us-india-trade-deal-announcement-soon-white-house-101751327473548.html

APPLE Siri users have just hours to claim a one time check from a $95 million payout.

The clock is ticking with payments only offered to eligible Americans if they file on or before July 2, 2025.

The settlement alleges that the company recorded confidential or private communications from current or former owners or purchasers of Siri Devices.

It’s also alleged that while Apple obtained the users’ information, it was then shared with third parties due to an “unintended Siri activation.”

The reported claims are a violation of consumer protection laws and privacy laws.

Apple, however, denies any unlawful practices.

But to get hold of the cash, eligible users must file a claim by July, 2 2025.

GET YOUR MONEY

The $95 million settlement provides a cap of $20 per Siri Device.

The amount of cash available will increase or decrease depending on how many claims have been submitted.

And the final amount can’t be known until all claims have been evaluated.

Those eligible may submit claims for up to five Siri Devices.

While the settlement cost has been revealed, it still must go to court.

On August 1, 2025, at 9am the court will have the final approval hearing, to decide whether to approve the Settlement.

The final amount and payment date will not be decided until the court hearing.

ARE YOU ELIGIBLE?

The settlement benefits all U.S. current, former, owners or purchasers of a Siri Device whose confidential or private communications were obtained by Apple.

Additionally, the data must have been shared with third parties without consent or knowledge.

The dates to qualify are September 17, 2014 to December 31, 2024.

Just note that the settlement class excludes:

• Apple
• Any entity in which Apple has a controlling interest
• Apple’s directors
• Officers and employees
• Apple’s legal representatives, successors, and assigns
• Judicial officers assigned to this case and their staff and immediate families

KIM Jong-un wept as he watched himself draping flags over the coffins of North Korean troops who he sent to die on Putin’s front-line in Ukraine.

Around 12,000 North Koreans were shipped over to fight for Russia – but they were ill-prepared for the battlefield and many were decimated.

Kim hosted a ceremony which remembered the soldiers taken out by Zelensky’s brave army – and things got emotional for the tyrant.

Thousands of North Koreans stood to attention in the vast auditorium, with Kim in the front row.

Images of Kim draping the North Korean flag over soldiers’ coffins were broadcast on a giant screen at the front while a huge orchestra played emotional music.

Women in long dresses sang passionately and there was even a harp player stationed on the stage.

Kim draped flags over at least six coffins, and could be seen resting his hands on them in reflection.

Watching the scenes back, the dictator’s eyes shone with emotion.

Other members of the audience – which reportedly included North Korean and Russian soldiers – were also visibly moved.

The state-run Korea Central News Agency hailed the gala for reaffirming the “ties of friendship and the genuine internationalist obligation between the peoples and armies of the two countries that were forged at the cost of blood”.

The event was attended by Russia’s culture minster Olga Lyubimov, who was visiting the Hermit Kingdom to mark the first anniversary of the strategic partnership treaty between their countries.

Signed last June by Putin and Kim, the treaty included a mutual defence pact – guaranteeing they will protect one another.

The treaty is believed to have accelerated co-operation between the nations.

Moscow is understood to be providing Pyongyang with vital military technology – including blueprints for missile guidance systems and air defence weapons.

And after months of speculation, the leaders finally admitted that North Korean troops have been fighting for Russia in its invasion of Ukraine.

Kim’s men were first reported to be in Russia back in October, and the following month there was strong evidence of them on the battlefield.

They fought alongside Putin’s men mainly in the Kursk region – an area of Russia which Ukraine took in a surprise incursion.

Thousands of the North Koreans died, with analysts suggesting they were not prepared for the modern style of drone warfare.

However, it was admitted that the Korean soldiers were ultimately instrumental in Russia winning back the land in March this year.

As the tyrants’ ties strengthen, North Korea is expected to send another 6,000 troops over to Russia later this summer.

Source : https://www.the-sun.com/news/14595198/kim-jong-un-weeps-coffins-troops-dead-russia/

A JET burst into flames just minutes after takeoff, killing all six people on board in a fiery crash caught in chilling 911 calls.

The plane went down behind a home in a wooded area shortly after 7 am on Sunday.

The deadly crash happened in Howland Township, near the Youngstown-Warren Regional Airport in Ohio.

Authorities said the twin-engine Cessna 441 was headed for Bozeman, Montana, a popular Rocky Mountain destination known for its outdoor tourism and proximity to Yellowstone National Park.

“There was a big bang. I don’t know what it was,” one 911 caller told dispatchers after witnessing the horrific scene.

Another resident said he was outside having coffee when he heard an “odd” – sounding plane overhead, followed by a “huge amount of smoke.”

“I heard a loud crash, a horrible crash. I could hear trees cracking, heavy impact,” said neighbor Joe Nuskievicz told CBS local affiliate WKBN.

“I knew that it crashed, but I couldn’t see it. I told my wife we need to go drive down the road real quick.

“I pulled up to the driveway of a house and ran to the back of the yard at the very edge of the yard. It was probably 75 yards from where I was standing.”

The aircraft crashed just two miles from the end of the airport’s runway and was fully engulfed in flames when emergency crews arrived.

“There were no survivors,” Western Reserve Port Authority executive director Anthony Trevena confirmed at a news conference.

Trumbull County Coroner identified the victims as 68-year-old Veronica Weller; her husband, James Weller, 67; their son, John Weller, 36; and his wife, Maria Weller, 34.

The pilot was 63-year-old Joseph Maxin.

His co-pilot was identified as 55-year-old Timothy Blake.

“This is a very tight-knit community,” Trevena said.

“We are all heartbroken and are deeply saddened and offer our deepest, most sincere condolences to those affected.”

Michael Hillman, president of JETS FBO Network, said the two crew members were highly experienced.

“These were the best of the best… I can’t say enough about them, give anything to rewind the day, take them to breakfast instead,” Hillman told Associated Press.

The Youngstown Air Reserve Station assisted in putting out the flames, along with multiple other agencies, including the EPA, Highway Patrol, and HAZMAT teams.

“Our crews were met with difficult access to the plane. It landed in a heavily wooded area,” Howland Fire Chief Ray Pace told WKBN.

“The plane was on fire back in the woods,” Pace said, adding that the local drone team also assisted.

The Federal Aviation Administration and National Transportation Safety Board are leading the investigation into what caused the crash.

Officials said it’s still unclear why the plane went down just seven minutes after takeoff.

Source : https://www.the-sun.com/news/14595441/six-dead-plane-crash-flames-ohio-howland-montana/

A TOP Iranian cleric has issued a fatwa against President Donald Trump and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu – calling for their deaths.

In the Islamic religious decree, Grand Ayatollah Naser Makarem Shirazi branded both leaders as “enemies of God”.

The Shiite cleric issued the fatwa after the 12-Day war between Israel and Iran, which was also briefly joined by the US following American military strikes against Tehran.

It effectively states that Trump and Netanyahu “waged war against [Allah] and must be made to regret their words and actions.

“Those who threaten the leadership and integrity of the Islamic Ummah are to be considered [mohareb],” it added.

Under the Iranian under Iranian penal code, mohareb – someone who wages war against god – must be punished by “execution or crucifixion” or face “amputation of the right hand and left foot or exile”.

The fatwa also forbids any Muslim to cooperate with or support the two leaders – and says that any jihadist who is killed while attacking them will receive a reward from Allah, the New York Sun reports.

It reads: “It is necessary for all Muslims around the world to make these enemies regret their words and mistakes.

“[A] Muslim who abides by his Muslim duty and suffers hardship or loss in their campaign, they will be rewarded as a fighter in the way of God, God willing.”

Critics of the Mullahs’ regime have condemned the fatwa, calling it a state-endorsed incitement to global terrorism.

Popular British-Iranian commentator Niyak Ghorbani said: “The West must realise: the Islamic Republic is not only targeting its own people — it is preparing for global violence in the name of religion.”

The fatwa comes just days after Trump said he saved Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei from an “ugly death”.

During the 12-Day War, the Israelis, on multiple occasions, suggested that targeting Ayatollah Khamenei was “not off the table”.

But Trump, who said he knew exactly where the supreme leader had been hiding, did not let the US forces or the IDF” assassinate Khamenei.

In a Truth Social post, Trump raged: “I SAVED HIM FROM A VERY UGLY AND IGNOMINIOUS DEATH.

“And he does not have to say, ‘THANK YOU, PRESIDENT TRUMP!’

“I knew EXACTLY where he was sheltered, and would not let Israel, or the U.S. Armed Forces, by far the Greatest and Most Powerful in the World, terminate his life.”

Trump also blasted the Ayatollah’s claims that Iran won the war.

He said: “Why would the so-called ‘Supreme Leader,’ Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, of the war-torn Country of Iran, say so blatantly and foolishly that he won the War with Israel, when he knows his statement is a lie, it is not so.

“As a man of great faith, he is not supposed to lie.”

Iran’s top mullah Khamenei, 86, claimed victory over Israel and America despite his country being hammered for almost two weeks.

He ludicrously claimed Iran had almost crushed Israel, and the government in Tel Aviv was on the verge of collapse.

That’s despite the IDF controlling the skies over Tehran, assassinating dozens of top generals and nuclear scientists, and destroying dozens of valuable missile batteries in just 12 days of fighting.

Khamenei also said that Iran had given the US a “severe slap” to its face and that it had “gained nothing” from the attack on Iran’s nuke plants.

The Ayatollah said: “The American regime entered a direct war because it felt that if it did not, the Zionist regime would be completely destroyed.

“However, it gained no achievements from this war.

“Here, too, the Islamic Republic emerged victorious, and in return, the Islamic Republic delivered a severe slap to America’s face.”

Trump also floated the idea of a regime change in Tehran to “Make Iran Great Again” after bombing the Islamic Republic.

Less than a day after the US military blitzed three key facilities central to the Iranian regime’s nuclear ambitions, Trump hinted that the Mullahs’ regime could well be toppled.

The president wrote in a post on Truth Social: “It’s not politically correct to use the term, ‘Regime Change’ but if the current Iranian Regime is unable to MAKE IRAN GREAT AGAIN, why wouldn’t there be a Regime change??? MIGA!!”

Trump’s post came despite his MAGA administration repeatedly saying the US is not looking for a regime change in Iran.

The 12-Day War began On June 13 when Israel launched Operation Rising Lion – a sophisticated campaign of bombing which targeted Iran’s military nuclear sites.

The Israelis also brilliantly orchestrated Operation Red Wedding – 30 top Iranian military chiefs killed in near-simultaneous blitz as Israel sought to root out the country’s military strength entirely.

Iran retaliated by launching daily salvos of ballistic missiles across Israel, but failed to hit any strategic targets.

Less than a fortnight later, Trump joined the Israeli bombing campaign against Iran.

The US military’s flagship B-2 Spirit stealth bombers dropped more than a dozen 30,000lb GBU-57 Massive Ordnance Penetrator (MOP).

The bunker-buster bombs were used to hit Iran’s Fordow Nuclear Enrichment Plant.

Iran, which vowed to hit US military bases across the Middle East, sought its revenge by launching missiles at Al-Udeid Air Base – America’s biggest military station in the region.

But Tehran seemingly cooked up a fake attack after passing warnings to its Qatari allies, which allowed all US service personnel and aircraft to be moved out of harm’s way.

Source : https://www.the-sun.com/news/14588680/iran-israel-fatwa-kill-trump-netanyahu/

Police in Baku raided the offices of Russia’s state-funded news agency Sputnik on Monday, local media reported.

The swoop came as tensions between Azerbaijan and Russia escalated after the deaths of two ethnic Azerbaijanis in a police raid last week in Yekaterinburg.

What do we know about the raids on Sputnik?

Azerbaijan’s Ministry of Internal Affairs said Sputnik continued to operate in the country through “illegal financing” despite its accreditation being revoked in February 2025.

Authorities said arrests were made during the search, but did not provide further details. Images published by local outlets showed two men being led away by masked officers.

According to Russia’s state-owned RIA Novosti, the detainees included Sputnik Azerbaijan’s editor-in-chief, Yevgeny Belousov, and its director, Igor Kartavykh.

Russian authorities denounced the move as “unfriendly acts by Baku and the illegal arrest of Russian journalists.”

Sputnik, a multilingual radio and news portal, is widely viewed as a tool for spreading Kremlin propaganda abroad.

Why are Russia and Azerbaijan at odds?

Tensions between Moscow and Baku have been simmering for months. Relations worsened after the downing of an Azerbaijani passenger plane over Grozny in late 2024, an incident that forced Russian President Vladimir Putin to apologise to Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev.

The latest flare-up follows a wave of arrests of ethnic Azerbaijanis in the Russian city of Yekaterinburg over the weekend. Russian authorities detained about 50 people suspected of involvement in contract killings between 2001 and 2011.

At least two people died during the arrests — one reportedly from heart failure. Baku condemned the actions as “unacceptable” and summoned the Russian ambassador in response.

Source : https://www.dw.com/en/azerbaijan-police-raid-russias-sputnik-media-offices/a-73097961

A Ukrainian F-16 fighter pilot died in a crash while repelling a Russian air attack that involved hundreds of drones, cruise and ballistic missiles, authorities said on Sunday, as Moscow intensifies night-time air barrages in the fourth year of war.
President Volodymyr Zelenskiy praised the pilot, Maksym Ustymenko, and bestowed upon him posthumously the title of Hero of Ukraine, the country’s highest decoration.

He also called for more support from Washington and Western allies to bolster Ukraine’s air defences after the attack, which damaged homes and infrastructure across the country and injured at least 12 people, according to local authorities.
In Kyiv, families huddled in metro stations for shelter after air raid sirens rung out. Machine-gun fire and explosions were heard across the capital and in the western city of Lviv, where such attacks are less common.
The governor of the Lviv region, bordering Poland, said the raid targeted critical infrastructure.
Ukraine has now lost three F-16s since it began operating the U.S.-made jets last year. Kyiv has not revealed the size of its F-16 fleet, but they have become a central and heavily used part of Ukraine’s defences.

The pilot flew the damaged jet away from a settlement but had no time to eject before it crashed, the Ukrainian Air Force said.
“The pilot used all of his onboard weapons and shot down seven air targets. While shooting down the last one, his aircraft was damaged and began to lose altitude,” the Air Force said on Telegram.
Ukrainian military expert Roman Svitan, speaking earlier this month, said the F-16 was not ideally suited to all tasks in the war, particularly repelling drones which swarm Ukrainian cities, as it is better used against higher-speed targets.
Zelenskiy, speaking in his nightly video address, said Ustymenko had been flying missions since the time of a campaign that began in 2014 against Russian-financed separatists who had seized parts of eastern Ukraine.
“He mastered four types of aircraft and had important results to his name in defending Ukraine,” he said. “It is painful to lose such people.”

The Ukrainian military said in total Russia launched 477 drones and 60 missiles of various types to Ukraine overnight. Ukrainian forces destroyed 211 of the drones and 38 missiles, it said, while 225 more drones were either lost due to electronic warfare or were decoys that carried no explosives.

Writing earlier on X, Zelenskiy said: “Moscow will not stop as long as it has the capability to launch massive strikes.” He said Russia had launched around 114 missiles, 1,270 drones, and 1,100 glide bombs just in the past week.
Russia’s state-run RIA Novosti news agency said one person was killed by a Ukrainian drone in the Russian-controlled part of Ukraine’s Luhansk region. Both Ukraine and Russia say they do not attack civilian targets.
POLITICAL WILL
Ukraine says recent attacks highlight the need for further support from Washington, which under President Donald Trump has not committed to new military aid for Ukraine.
Trump said he was considering a Ukrainian request for more Patriot missile, opens new tab batteries after he met Zelenskiy at a NATO summit last Wednesday.
“This war must be brought to an end – pressure on the aggressor is needed, and so is protection,” Zelenskiy said in his X post. “Ukraine needs to strengthen its air defence – the thing that best protects lives.”
He said Ukraine was ready to buy the American air defence systems and it counts on “leadership, political will, and the support of the United States, Europe, and all our partners.”
Russia has launched large-scale strikes on Ukrainian cities every few days in recent weeks, causing widespread damage, killing dozens of civilians and injuring hundreds more.
During the latest barrage, explosions were heard in Kyiv, Lviv, Poltava, Mykolaiv, Dnipropetrovsk, Cherkasy and the Ivano-Frankivsk regions, witnesses and regional governors said. The Ukrainian military said air strikes were recorded in six locations.

Source: https://www.reuters.com/business/aerospace-defense/least-six-wounded-large-scale-russian-air-attack-ukraine-ukrainian-authorities-2025-06-29/

Somebody’s getting fired.

Beyoncé was left dangling midair in a car while performing during the first Houston “Cowboy Carter” tour stop.

On Saturday, the “Cuff It” singer was catapulted into the air in a red car for the performance of her country hit “16 Carriages.”

While the vehicle was supposed to make its way around the venue so fans who don’t have floor seats could get a closer look at Beyoncé, the car began leaning to one side and came to a complete stop.

After finishing the first verse of the song, the mom of three yelled, “Stop, stop, stop, stop” as she sat at a standstill above screaming fans below.

After crew members rushed over, the red car was lowered to the ground and Beyoncé was safely removed.

In true Beyoncé fashion, the pop star walked back over to the stage to finish belting out the song.

After videos of the incident went viral, her entertainment company, Parkwood, took to Instagram to explain what happened.

“Tonight in Houston, at NRG Stadium, a technical mishap caused the flying car, a prop Beyoncé uses to circle the stadium, and see her fans up close, to tilt,” the statemen read.

“She was quickly lowered and no one was injured. The show continued without incident.”

Earlier this month, the Grammy winner effortlessly bounced a wardrobe malfunction while kicking off the London leg of her tour.

While performing her 2022 hit “I’m That Girl,” Beyoncé’s metallic fringed chaps fell to the floor mid-dance move.

Source: https://pagesix.com/2025/06/29/celebrity-news/beyonce-gets-stuck-midair-during-houston-cowboy-carter-tour-performance/