Category: World

There were no immediate reports of any damage or injuries.

An earthquake with a magnitude of 4.0 on the Richter Scale hit Pakistan at 1:44am on Saturday, the National Center for Seismology (NCS) said.

There were no immediate reports of any damage or injuries.

According to NCS, the earthquake hit at a depth of 10 kilometres with a latitude of 29.67 N and a longitude of 66.10 E.

Source : https://www.hindustantimes.com/world-news/earthquake-of-4-0-magnitude-hits-pakistan-101746823073197.html

China’s leader is in Russia for celebrations marking the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II. Both Xi Jinping and Vladimir Putin want to challenge US dominance in global affairs and reshape the world order.

Russia’s President Vladimir Putin rolled out the red carpet for his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping on Thursday as the latter arrived at the Kremlin.

In a cavernous reception hall, the whole world watched as the two leaders approached each other from what felt like a distance of 100 meters.

Numerous cameras captured the moment: Waving, smiling and shaking hands — just about everything that goes with the courtesy of state visits.

The images are highly symbolic.

Russia is internationally isolated as a result of its full-scale invasion of Ukraine. The International Criminal Court has even issued an arrest warrant against Putin.

The Russian president needs allies, and only a few can match the power and influence of Xi.

The Chinese president is in Moscow to attend Russia’s Victory Day parade marking the 80th anniversary of the Soviet Union’s victory over Nazi Germany in World War II.

More than 20 other foreign dignitaries, including leaders from Cuba, Venezuela and Mongolia, among others, were in Red Square for the event.

From Europe, only Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic and Slovakian Prime Minister Robert Fico took part.

Xi’s visit to Moscow and meeting with Putin is expected to send a signal to people in Russia and around the world that the Russian president is not alone and is respected by allies, at least by the Chinese president.

Shared interests

In economic terms, however, Russia’s entire gross domestic product is only a notch higher than that of China’s economically strongest province, Guangdong.

China is also investing heavily in future technologies such as artificial intelligence and smart manufacturing, while Russia’s growth is still being fueled by the defense industry and raw materials. Western sanctions against Russia have also dampened its attractiveness as a trade partner for countries worldwide.

Despite the widening disparity in their economic might, China and Russia — both permanent members of the UN Security Council — share geopolitical interests. The two countries want a new world order that’s no longer dominated by the US.

Vision uniting Xi and Putin

“Beijing for now continues to view Moscow as an indispensable strategic partner,” said Claus Soong, analyst at the Berlin-based China think tank MERICS. “In China’s broader geopolitical calculus, the deepening partnership with Russia extends beyond the Ukraine conflict. Russia is a useful partner to gather the Global South in support of building an alternative global order to counter Western dominance.”

China and Russia need to “firmly defend the international system with the UN at its core and the international order based on international law,” Xi said after arriving in Moscow, according to a statement released by China’s Foreign Ministry.

“The two countries need to enhance solidarity, safeguard true multilateralism and steer global governance towards the right direction,” he added.

At the meeting with Putin on Thursday, Xi’s stance became clearer, saying that China and Russia “will shoulder the responsibility” to defend international fairness and justice.

China eyes the top spot

Chinese officials blame US President Donald Trump’s trade policies, which they view as erratic and shortsighted, for causing global economic turmoil and increasing geopolitical tensions.

They believe the time is right to challenge the US’ dominant position in the world, or at least to lay the foundations for China to take the top spot.

US-China rivalry has intensified in recent months, with both countries slapping tit-for-tat tariffs on each other’s products.

Both Trump and Xi find themselves boxed in by their own rhetoric and nationalist pride. Neither seems willing to yield an inch and risk appearing weak, making it tough to find compromise.

It has certainly not escaped China’s attention that Putin and Trump have already spoken directly to each other by phone twice this year.

During the meeting with Xi, Putin announced that he would visit Beijing at the end of August and the beginning of September to celebrate the victory over Japanese aggressors in Asia 80 years ago.

China is planning to hold a grand military parade to mark the event.

“We are developing our strategic relations for the benefit of the people in both countries,” Putin said on Thursday, “but not against third parties.”

‘Same bed with different dreams’

“The China-Russia alignment is aptly described by the Chinese saying, ‘sharing the same bed with similar, yet different dreams,'” MERICS expert Soong said.

“Their ‘no-limits’ partnership clearly has limits that are shaped by shifting geopolitical realities, shaped by their respective relations with the West, united or not,” he added. “Beijing likes to reaffirm this ‘no-limits’ partnership with Moscow in order to prevent Moscow from moving closer to the Trump administration.”

Furthermore, Xi wants to secure Russia’s unconditional support, including military support, in the event of an armed conflict with Taiwan, a self-ruled democratic island over which Beijing claims sovereignty and vows to take over, with force if necessary.

Source : https://www.dw.com/en/xi-meets-putin-as-china-russia-strive-for-new-world-order/a-72491824

THE US has staged its biggest military attack formation ever – showcasing supersonic stealth jets, attack helicopters and military drones.

The show of power, dubbed “Elephant Walk”, was formed using 53 US military aircraft and was put up in a display at the US military base in Kadena Air Base in Okinawa, Japan.

Pictures of the formation, which was conducted just 400miles off the coast of China, captured multiple US fighter jets in a tight formation.

They were put behind advanced military choppers and were flanked by air defence systems on both sides.

Attack drones and naval aircraft were a part of the formation, while larger aircraft were staged behind the fighter jets’ formation.

The military spectacle featured a wide array of advanced military aircraft, including 24 US Air Force F-35As, eight U.S. Air Force F-15Es, six HH-60 Jolly Green IIs choppers.

Two MQ-9 Reapers, two MC-130J Commando IIS and six KC-135 Stratotankers were also present.

The formation was guarded by two US Army MIM-104 Patriot air defence systems.

US military’s 18th Wing Command Chief Master Sergeant Brandon Wolfgang said: “An elephant walk like this sends a message you can’t ignore—it shows our Airmen, allies, and adversaries that we’re united, capable, and ready.”

Meanwhile, 18th Wing Commander Brigadier General Nicholas Evans said the Air Force’s ability to “project airpower” alongside its allies “demonstrates our commitment to the alliance with Japan and to maintaining stability across the Indo-Pacific.”

The military formation is understood to be one of the largest in recent history.

In 2020, a 52-aircraft formation was put up for display at Hill Air Force Base in Utah.

It comes after a top US admiral has warned that China will soon be able to defeat the US in a war over Taiwan.

The chilling warning comes amid fears that China is preparing for a full-scale invasion of the island as it masses warships and submarines.

Commander of the US Indo-Pacific Command, Admiral Samuel Paparo, raised the alarm at the McCain Institute’s annual Sedona Forum in Arizona on Friday.

The admiral said that while the US would defeat China in a war over Taiwan now, it may soon lose its advantage, as reported by the Financial Times.

Paparo said: “The United States will prevail in the conflict as it stands now, with the force that we have right now.”

But he added: “Our trajectory on . . . really every force element that is salient is a bad trajectory.”

China has ramped up its production of weapons including warships and submarines – and the US doesn’t seem to be able to keep up.

According to Paparo, for every 1.8 warships made in the US each year China builds an impressive six.

And for every 1.4 submarines made in the US, it builds two.

The warning comes as China continues to expand its military exercises around Taiwan, as fears of an invasion mount.

Paparo fuelled fears of an attack, saying that Beijing is rehearsing “the full spectrum of military operations” – from a direct invasion of the island to a naval blockade.

This comes as Taiwan reported at least 19 Chinese warships as well as the large Shandong aircraft carrier patrolling nearby last month.

When asked whether the US would support military intervention in Taiwan, he responded: “A lesson in history is that people are always saying America will never get in a fight, but it’s not the track record.”

But if China continues to ramp up its weapons production the US may not be able to protect the island.

PRAISE be! This gives a whole new meaning to the term dog collar – pet pooches dressed up as the Pope.

When Pope Leo XIV was announced as the new head of the Catholic Church on Thursday, he wore the traditional red and gold outfit that had been shunned by his predecessor Pope Francis.

That may have answered the prayers of these holy hounds’ owners, who decided the cardinal rule of looking like the supreme pontiff was the bling wardrobe.

In 2015, when Francis visited the US, there was a trend for dressing up dogs to look like the Vatican chief.

Now that Cardinal Robert Prevost, 69, from Chicago, has become the first American pope, that congregation is sure to grow.

Meryl Espiniero from New York even dressed her dog Romeo Valentino as the Pope in St Peter’s Square in Rome as she waited for the conclave to vote this week.

Here, Grant Rollings presents our top of the papal pups.

Source : https://www.the-sun.com/news/14205047/pope-leo-catholic-dogs-pets/

Initial forensic evidence of the drone debris suggests that these were ‘Asis Guard Songar’ drones of Turkey, the government noted.

Pakistan’s massive military escalation along the Line of Control (LoC) in Jammu and Kashmir and the International Border in other states had a Turkish link. 300-400 drones provided by Turkey were used by Pakistan to target both military and civilian areas in India.

The drones were used to carry out multiple intrusions and violations of Indian airspace along the entire western border – from Leh in Ladakh to Sir Creek in Gujarat – at 36 locations, the government said at a special press briefing on Operation Sindoor.

Of the nearly 400 drones sent by Pakistan, “the Indian armed forces brought down a number of these drones using kinetic and non-kinetic means,” the government said, adding that the drone debris is being investigated by forensic experts.

Initial forensic evidence of the drone debris suggests that these were ‘Asis Guard Songar’ drones of Turkey, the government noted.

Turkey, which has neither condemned the terror attack on civilians in Jammu and Kashmir, nor sent its condolences to the families of Indian tourists killed by Pakistan-linked terrorists, has instead completely backed Pakistan.

Turkey’s messaging and actions raises suspicion over Ankara backing terrorists and terror motives in Pakistan. Here are a list of Turkish actions that cast a shadow over its intentions:

1. 1. Turkey has, for long, supported Pakistan morally, economically, and militarily. It has been a strong supporter of Pakistan’s communal narrative of the Two-Nation Theory, as well as Islamabad and Rawalpindi’s narrative of Kashmir. Hours after the Pahalgam terror attack, which was carried out by The Resistance Front, a shadow arm of the UN-banned terror outfit Lashkar-e-Taiba, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan met Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif – the only global leader to meet the Pakistani prime minister. After the meeting, Shehbaz Sharif expressed gratitude for Turkey’s “unwavering support” over Kashmir.
   2. Immediately after the Pahalgam terror attack, while the world stood in solidarity with India, Turkey reportedly sent a vast amount of military assets to Pakistan to help a worried Islamabad stock up against any action that India planned to take against the “terrorists and their backers”.
   3. Six Turkish military aircraft reportedly arrived in Pakistan allegedly with Turkey-made weapons and military equipment – reports of which have been denied by Ankara. Turkey could not deny the presence of its C-130 aircraft military aircraft as it was picked up by global air surveillance systems, but denied that there were any weapons sent. “A cargo plane from Turkiye landed in Pakistan for refuelling,” Ankara said in a statement.
   4. Days later, Turkey also sent one of its naval warship – the TCG Bykada (F-512), a corvette – to “brother-nation” Pakistan’s Karachi Port in an aggressive military posturing favouring Islamabad over New Delhi. Turkey called it a “routine port call”, while Pakistan called it a “goodwill visit”.
   5. After India carried out its ‘Operation Sindoor’, where precision missile strikes targeted terrorist infrastructure and terror camps in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK), Turkey was the only country to side-up with the Pakistani narrative and even express its solidarity with Pakistan. According to a statement from the Turkish presidency, President Erdogan spoke with Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, conveying Turkey’s solidarity with Pakistan and Ankara’s support to Islamabad in handling of the situation after India’s Operation Sindoor. Describing India’s precision strikes against Pakistani terror camps as “martyrdom of numerous civilians”, President Erdogan said, “I pray for Allah’s mercy for our brothers who lost their lives in the attacks, and I extend my condolences to the brotherly people and state of Pakistan.”
   6. On the intervening night of May 8 and 9, 300-400 Turkish-made drones launched by Pakistan violated the Indian airspace in order to “possibly test India’s air defence systems, and to gather intelligence,” the government said at the press conference today. “These provocative and escalatory actions taken by Pakistan last night were targeted at Indian cities, civilian infrastructure, as well as some military targets,” Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri said.

Source : https://www.ndtv.com/world-news/operation-sindoor-turkeys-role-in-focus-after-pakistans-military-escalation-against-india-8373687

Even before his name was announced from the balcony of St Peter’s Basilica, the crowds below were chanting “Viva il Papa” – Long live the Pope.

Robert Francis Prevost, 69, will be the 267th occupant of the throne of St Peter and he will be known as Leo XIV.

He is the first American to fill the role of pope, although he is considered as much a cardinal from Latin America because of the many years he spent as a missionary in Peru.

Born in Chicago in 1955 to parents of Spanish and Franco-Italian descent, Prevost served as an altar boy and was ordained in 1982.

Although he moved to Peru three years later, he returned regularly to the US to serve as a pastor and a prior in his home city.

He has Peruvian nationality and is fondly remembered as a figure who worked with marginalised communities and helped build bridges.

He spent 10 years as a local parish pastor and as a teacher at a seminary in Trujillo in north-western Peru.

In his first words as pope, Leo XIV spoke fondly of his predecessor Francis.

“We still hear in our ears the weak but always courageous voice of Pope Francis who blessed us,” he said.

“United and hand in hand with God, let us advance together,” he told cheering crowds.

The Pope also spoke of his role in the Augustinian Order.

In 2014, Francis made him Bishop of Chiclayo in Peru.

He is well known to cardinals because of his high-profile role as prefect of the Dicastery for Bishops in Latin America which has the important task of selecting and supervising bishops.

He became archbishop in January 2023 and within a few months Francis made him a cardinal.

U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has issued internal instructions to the Pentagon to start kicking out transgender troops who do not elect to leave on their own by June 6, according to a memo obtained by Reuters.
The Pentagon did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

The decision was immediately condemned by transgender rights activists contacted by Reuters.
“It is just shameful,” said Jennifer Levi, a senior director at the pro-LGBTQ legal group GLAD Law.

“It is senseless to fast track people out of the military who are meeting standards and putting lives on the line to defend the country.”
Hegseth’s memo illustrates how President Donald Trump’s administration intends to swiftly act to remove thousands of transgender servicemembers after the Supreme Court’s ruling on Tuesday cleared the way for a ban to take effect.
In the memo, Hegseth said active duty transgender troops could identify themselves for “voluntary separation” from the U.S. armed forces until June 6. Troops who are in the reserve forces had until July 7.
“On conclusion of the self-identification eligibility window, the Military Departments will initiate involuntary separation processes,” the memo said.

The Pentagon’s ban is just one of a series of steps the Trump administration has taken to curb transgender rights.
Trump issued an executive order on his first day in office on January 20 stating that the U.S. government will recognize only two sexes, male and female, and that they are not changeable.
But his efforts to end transgender rights in the military were a special focus on his election campaign, and he quickly moved to reverse a policy implemented under his Democratic predecessor Joe Biden that had allowed transgender troops to serve openly in the American armed forces.
Biden, who also reversed Trump’s 2017 ban on transgender recruitment, said in 2021 that “America is safer when everyone qualified to serve can do so openly and with pride.”
Former Democratic President Barack Obama in 2016 first allowed trans people to serve openly and as of late last year, there were 4,240 U.S. active-duty and National Guard transgender troops, officials have said. Transgender rights advocates have given higher estimates.

In Thursday’s memo, Hegseth wrote that the U.S. military would immediately start removing transgender troops who had already self-identified for voluntary separation prior to a court ruling in March that halted the Trump administration’s last attempt to implement the ban.
A poll from Gallup published this in February said 58% of Americans favored allowing openly transgender individuals serving in the military, but the support had declined from 71% in 2019.

Source : https://www.reuters.com/world/us/us-military-start-kicking-out-transgender-troops-next-month-memo-says-2025-05-08/

Police arrested dozens of Columbia University students who seized part of the school’s main library on Wednesday in one of the biggest pro-Palestinian demonstrations on campus since last year’s wave of protests against Israel’s war in Gaza.
At least 40 to 50 students, their hands cuffed with plastic zip-ties, were seen being loaded into New York Police Department vans and buses outside Butler Library as NYPD officers swept through the six-story building to round up other protesters who refused to leave.

Police arrived on campus in force at the request of Columbia officials who said the student demonstrators occupying the library’s second-floor main reading room were engaged in trespassing.
Videos and photographs on social media showed protesters, most wearing masks, standing on tables, beating drums and unfurling banners saying “Strike For Gaza” and “Liberated Zone” beneath the chandeliers of the Lawrence A. Wein Reading Room.
U.S. President Donald Trump had lashed out at Columbia over pro-Palestinian protests on campus last year, saying they were antisemitic and showed a failure to protect Jewish students.

Student protesters, including some Jewish organizers, counter that Trump and fellow conservative politicians who are strongly pro-Israel are unfairly conflating pro-Palestinian protests and antisemitism.
Columbia’s board of trustees has been negotiating with the Trump administration, which announced in March that it had canceled hundreds of millions of dollars of grants to the university for scientific research.
The university has said it has worked to combat antisemitism and other prejudice on its campus while seeking to fend off accusations from civil rights groups that it was giving in to government intrusions on academic freedom.
Columbia University said late on Wednesday that it had requested NYPD assistance “in securing the building,” and that two of its public safety officials were hurt in the standoff.

SCUFFLE AT FRONT DOOR

An NYPD spokesperson confirmed “multiple arrests” of protesters who occupied the library but did not provide an exact number.

“Everyone has the right to peacefully protest. But violence, vandalism or destruction of property are completely unacceptable,” New York Governor Kathy Hochul said on social media.
Before police arrived on the scene, university public safety personnel were seen locking the front doors to the library, preventing any more students from entering the building and sparking a brief episode of pushing and shoving outside.
One student appeared to have been injured in the fracas. Another individual was seen being carried out of the building on a stretcher.
With further entry to the library barred, a growing crowd of demonstrators outside the building moved to the streets just beyond the campus gates.
One student organization representing the protesters said on social media that school security had assaulted demonstrators and acknowledged that some activists had refused to show their IDs to officials.
Columbia University Apartheid Divest, a collection of student groups, recirculated long-standing demands on social media on Wednesday for the university to no longer invest its $14.8 billion endowment in weapons makers and other companies that support Israel’s military occupation of Palestinian territories.
On Monday, pro-Palestinian protesters occupied a University of Washington building, demanding the school cut ties with Boeing over its contracts with the Israeli military. The university said 34 protesters were arrested, and charges of trespassing, property destruction and disorderly conduct would be referred to prosecutors.
On Wednesday, it said the 21 students who were among those arrested have been suspended and banned from all of the school’s campuses.
Columbia was at the forefront of a pro-Palestinian and anti-Israel student protest movement that swept across U.S. campuses last year over Israel’s war in Gaza, which began in 2023.

Source : https://www.reuters.com/world/us/dozens-pro-palestinian-protesters-occupy-columbia-university-library-2025-05-07/

Ukraine’s foreign minister said on Thursday Russia had repeatedly violated its own 3-day ceasefire hours after it began and called the initiative a “farce”, while Moscow said Kyiv had continued fighting.
There was, though, a drop-off in combat activity after the ceasefire announced by Russian President Vladimir Putin came into force in the early hours of Thursday, with a respite in the drone and missile attacks that had rattled Ukrainian cities earlier this week.

“Predictably, Putin’s ‘Parade ceasefire’ proves to be a farce,” Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha said on X, referring to the truce which coincides with a May 9 parade on Moscow’s Red Square to commemorate the end of World War Two.
“Russian forces continue to attack across the entire frontline,” Sybiha wrote. “From midnight to midday, Russia committed 734 ceasefire violations and 63 assault operations, 23 of which are still ongoing.”
He said Kyiv was notifying the United States and European states about Russia’s actions.
The Russian defence ministry, cited by Interfax news agency, said that Ukraine, in turn, had carried out 488 attacks on Russian targets and twice tried to break through the border in the Kursk region.

The two sides did not immediately comment on each other’s battlefield reports, which Reuters could not independently confirm.
A late night report issued by the General Staff of Ukraine’s military nearly 24 hours in the proclaimed ceasefire said 154 clashes had been recorded. Russian forces, it said, had launched one missile attack and 15 air strikes.
The governor of southeastern Zaporizhzhia region said a Russian drone had struck a car in the south of the region, killing a passenger.
In central Poltava region, the head of the regional military administration said air defence units had downed a missile deployed by Russian forces. The missile damaged private homes, but caused no casualties.

UKRAINE DERIDES KREMLIN CEASEFIRE

Ukraine has not committed to abide by the ceasefire, calling it a ruse by Putin to create the impression he wants to end the war, which began when Russia launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. Putin says he is committed to achieving peace.

Reuters journalists with a Ukrainian drone unit near the front in eastern Ukraine said a small Russian infantry raiding party had tried to advance on Thursday, but had been stopped by drones piloted by members of the unit.
Ukrainian soldiers observed the clash on a live feed streamed onto monitors in their bunker.
“The infantry are still coming,” said one of the soldiers in the unit, a 33-year-old who identified himself by his callsign, “Mikha.”
A second person in the same unit, who identified himself as Nazar, said in the six hours since the Russian ceasefire started, there had been three Russian strikes on his section of the front. Asked if the ceasefire was holding, he said: “The facts speak for themselves.”
A Ukrainian military spokesman earlier said Russia had continued assaults in areas on the eastern front and prosecutors said two people had been wounded along with the 55-year-old woman killed by bombs fired at the northern Sumy region.

The Russian ceasefire falls on the 80th anniversary of the World War Two defeat of Nazi Germany, for which Putin is hosting Chinese President Xi Jinping and other leaders ahead of a military parade on Red Square on May 9.
Ukraine, like the West, marks the anniversary on May 8.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy marked the day by taking a rare walk in central Kyiv to pay his respects to fallen Ukrainian soldiers at a vast mound of Ukrainian flags planted on a grassy verge on the central square.
There was no sign of his security detail in the selfie video he filmed as he passed pedestrians on the city’s main drag, at one point pausing to say “hi” as cars tooted their horns and deriding Friday’s planned pomp-filled ceremony in Moscow.
“There will be a parade of cynicism. You simply cannot call it anything else. A parade of bile and lies. As if not dozens of allied states, but Putin personally defeated Nazism,” he said.
Ukraine launched successive drone attacks on Moscow this week, which had forced the closure of airports in the Russian capital and the grounding of airliners.
Russia’s aviation authority Rosaviatsiya said on Thursday evening that airline schedules, heavily disrupted earlier in the week, were now operating normally.
Zelenskiy said on Thursday that he had told U.S. President Donald Trump in a telephone call that a 30-day ceasefire was a “real indicator” of moving towards peace with Russia and Kyiv was ready to implement it immediately.

Source : https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/zelenskiy-says-ukraine-stands-by-offer-30-day-ceasefire-2025-05-07/

Harvey Weinstein allegedly name-dropped Oscar winners Gwyneth Paltrow and Penélope Cruz during an alleged sexual assault on a 16-year-old aspiring actress, according to testimony from the accuser.

Poland native Kaja Sokola claimed she screamed after the alleged attack during her testimony in Manhattan Supreme Court Thursday, per The Post.

“I raised my voice to scream,” she claimed. “He got upset and he said that I have to work on my stubbornness.”

Sokola, now 39, further testified that Weinstein then dropped Paltrow and Cruz’s names as examples of the A-list stars whose careers he’d launched, allegedly telling her, “I have to listen to him if I want to proceed with that career.”

“I’d never been in a situation like this,” Sokola said of the alleged encounter, per NBC News. “I felt stupid and ashamed and like it’s my fault for putting myself in this position.”

She also claimed the disgraced Weinstein Company founder warned her that “this has to stay between us.”

Per The Post, Sokola became emotional while testifying about the alleged assault, which she claimed took place when Weinstein and his driver picked her up for what she believed was a business lunch.

He instead allegedly transported her to his loft in Soho in New York City and instructed her to remove her clothing.

Weinstein allegedly touched her vagina and made her touch his penis in the bathroom, Sokola testified, calling the alleged incident “the most horrifying thing I’ve ever experienced until that time.”

He allegedly used Sokola’s hand to stimulate him after which he “ejaculated on the floor,” she testified.

Weinstein, 73, sat in his wheelchair during her tear-filled testimony without showing emotion, according to The Post.

During the alleged assault, she recalled looking into the mirror to see Weinstein’s eyes and described them as “black and scary.”

“I will never forget this,” she added.

Sokola testified she was frightened of the Miramax founder and continued to hold out hope that he’d help her with her career as an actress, so she met with him again in 2004.

She testified that Weinstein groped her breasts as they rode in a car together to a gym in the West Village of New York, with a driver present.

During the 15-minute drive, Sokola claimed she rejected the powerful producer’s sexual advances.

Sokola is also expected to testify about an alleged 2006 incident during which Weinstein forcibly performed oral sex on her.

She claimed she was 19 at the time. Weinstein pleaded not guilty and has denied Sokola’s accusations.

“Mr. Weinstein categorically, and emphatically, has denied, and continues to deny, the allegations made against him by Ms. Sokola,” Weinstein attorney Imran H. Ansari told the Hollywood Reporter in part in 2023.

“Importantly, Mr. Weinstein strongly contends that the timeline of events, corroborated by other evidence, will refute Ms. Sokola’s allegations of sexual abuse as a minor.”

Source : https://pagesix.com/2025/05/08/celebrity-news/harvey-weinstein-name-dropped-a-list-stars-during-alleged-sexual-assault-accuser/

Robert Francis Prevost became Pope Leo XIV on Thursday (May 8) after cardinals from around the globe chose him to be the first leader of the world’s 1.4 billion Catholics to hail from the United States.

Tens of thousands of well-wishers cheered as Pope Leo, successor to the late Pope Francis, appeared on the balcony of St Peter’s Basilica to deliver the first address of his ministry.

“To all people, wherever they are, to all peoples, to the whole Earth, peace be with you,” a smiling Pope Leo told the crowd.

“Help us, and each other, to build bridges through dialogue, through encounter, to come together as one people, always in peace.”

Pope Leo’s speech drew warm applause, especially a section where the prelate, who spent many years in Peru, broke into Spanish, and also when he paid tribute to his popular predecessor, who died last month.

“We still keep in our ears that weak, but always courageous, voice of Pope Francis blessing Rome,” he said, referring to the ailing Argentine’s Easter Sunday address, a day before his death.

“We must seek together how to be a missionary Church, a Church that builds bridges, which holds dialogues, which is always open,” he said.

“GREAT HONOUR”

The 69-year-old Prevost had been talked about as among the “papabili” – cardinals thought qualified for the papacy – and as someone who could defend and further Francis’ legacy.

But he was not a globally recognised figure among the Catholic rank and file.

World leaders raced to welcome his election as the 267th pope and promise to work with the Church on global issues at a time of great geopolitical uncertainty.

Pope Leo, who spent years as a missionary in Peru, now faces a momentous task. As well as asserting his moral voice on a conflict-torn world stage, he must try to unite a divided Church and tackle burning issues such as the continued fallout from the sexual abuse scandal.

As Cardinal Prevost, the new pope had defended the poor and underprivileged and had reposted articles online critical of US President Donald Trump’s anti-migrant policies, but the White House chief nevertheless welcomed the election.

“Congratulations to Cardinal Robert Francis Prevost, who was just named pope,” Trump said in a post on his social media platform.

“It is such an honour to realise that he is the first American Pope. What excitement, and what a great honour for our country.”

It was not known how many ballots it took to elect Pope Leo XIV, but the conclave followed recent history in wrapping up in less than two days.

While the details of the election will forever remain secret, the new pope had to secure at least two-thirds of the votes to be elected.

“AMAZING”

The crowds had swelled with emotion when white smoke billowed into the sky from the Sistine Chapel chimney Thursday, signalling an election on the cardinals’ second day of voting.

The bells of St Peter’s Basilica and churches across Rome rang out and crowds rushed towards the square to watch the balcony of the basilica, fitted out with red curtains for the first address from the new pope, who was introduced in Latin.

“It’s an amazing feeling,” said an elated Joseph Brian, a 39-year-old chef from Belfast in Northern Ireland, who came with his mother to Rome for the spectacle.

“I’m not an overly religious person but being here with all these people just blew me away,” he told AFP as people around him jumped up and down in excitement.

There were euphoric scenes as one priest sat on someone’s shoulders waving a Brazilian flag and another lifted a heavy crucifix into the air in jubilation.

“HABEMUS PAPAM”

“Habemus Papam, woooo!” shouted Bruna Hodara, 41, from Brazil, echoing the words to be spoken on the balcony as the new pope is introduced.

She, like others, recorded the historic moment on her phone, as others waved flags and cried out “long live the pope!” in Italian.

The papal inauguration usually takes place less than a week after the election with a mass celebrated before political and religious leaders from around the world.

Ahead of that, Pope Leo will lead a mass Friday for cardinals in the Sistine Chapel and recite the Regina Caeli prayer in St Peter’s Square on Sunday.

He will also hold an audience for the world’s media on Monday.

Vatican spokesman Matteo Bruni told journalists that Prevost’s choice of papal name was “a clear reference to the social doctrine of the church”.

The previous Pope Leo – Leo XIII, who was pope at the end of the 19th century – was a determined defender of the rights of workers.

Pope Francis died aged 88 after a 12-year papacy during which he sought to forge a more compassionate Church.

Source : https://www.channelnewsasia.com/world/first-us-pope-robert-francis-prevost-leo-xiv-5117991

More than 25 million Soviets died during World War II. Many Russian families still commemorate the Soviet victory over Nazi Germany on May 9. But today’s state also uses the anniversary to consolidate its ideology.

Babies in military uniforms, toddlers in cardboard tanks, primary school children marching in lockstep. Ahead of the big military parade on Moscow’s Red Square on May 9, young Russians in other cities have already started commemorating the 80th anniversary of the Soviet Union’s victory over Nazi Germany.

In the city of Kemerovo in southwestern Siberia, newborns in a maternity home were dressed up as soldiers, with little field caps on their heads, and wrapped in olive green sleeping bags. On its website, the establishment calls on citizens to join up, reminding users that even the smallest citizen of Russia is part of history and suggesting that the clothing symbolizes the “connection between generations.”

Meanwhile, hundreds of kindergarten children took part in a “military parade” that included homemade military vehicles and airplanes, in a residential district of the central Russian city of Voronezh.

In Vladivostok, in Russia’s far east, more than 1,500 “great-grandchildren of victory” marched through the city center, in what the governor of the Primorye region Oleg Kozhemyako described as the “first children’s parade in the region.” He announced that some of those heading the columns had participated in the war in Ukraine: “Today, there are children whose fathers are fighting on the front marching in the columns. We are rightly proud of the courage and bravery of our fighters, and are certain that the enemy will be defeated, just as it was in the distant year of 1945.”

Victory Day has become ‘an instrument of mobilization’

For 80 years, many Russian families primarily associated “Victory Day” with commemorating the loss and devastation of World War II. But that is now shifting. Alexey Yusupov, a Russian political scientist at the Friedrich Ebert Foundation, told DW that increasingly, the state was instrumentalizing the May 9 Victory Day to shape a new identity and ideology.

He explained that over the past two decades, the Kremlin had learned to “militarize this day, or rather to activate it, because it has become engraved in the collective memory of many Russians as something that united the country. It has become an instrument of mobilization for the regime.”

The Kremlin used certain particular dates, he added, such as this year’s 80th anniversary of the defeat of Nazi Germany, to draw historical parallels between the Soviet Union and today’s Russia, and to demonstrate the strength and legitimacy of the current regime.

According to Ilya Grashchenkov from the Moscow-based Regional Policy Development Center, Victory Day is not only important for Russian families, but for the Russian government. “Over the past 20 years, the state has done everything it can to be an integral part of this commemoration. For [Russian President Vladimir] Putin, the victory in World War II is a constant, on which the entire Russian state is based, and of which he as president is a part.”

But he added that for millions of ordinary people, May 9 remained an anniversary that brought “tears to their eyes.” He pointed out that for many years after 1945, May 9 had been a day of mourning without a military parade.

Military parade is ‘superfluous’ in times of war

The self-exiled Russian political scientist and former Putin speechwriter Abbas Gallyamov told DW he felt the May 9 parade in Moscow, at a time when Russia was at war with Ukraine, would be “superfluous.” He argued that such parades were “a replacement for war that are needed in times of peace when the army is not fighting but wants to show itself.” He said that given the fact that the Russian army had not yet achieved its main goals in the past three years, the parade would come across as not being “serious.”

“Before 2022, everyone thought Russia was significantly stronger than Ukraine. But it’s turned out that wasn’t the case. Nobody can call this a high-quality conduct of war,” he added.

Grashchenkov expects that on this May 9, parallels will be drawn with the war in Ukraine, as was the case at the “first children’s parade” in Vladivostok, but that they will not play a prominent role. Instead, he said that for Putin, it was important that the commemorations be as “international as possible.” He pointed out that the foreign guests attending would be there to mark the historic victory of 1945: “The message of Victory Day is that Russia paid a very high price for peace in Europe. Putin will certainly project the victory of 1945 onto today’s fighting in Ukraine. But he will not place a huge emphasis on it.”

Gallyamov said the parade was “a universal instrument” for the outside world, and for Russian society: “The propagandists will say that they are perpetuating the glorious traditions of the heroes of the victory of 1945. But Russian society will not be influenced by these narratives.” He said that the parallels being drawn were too contrived, and that it was too obvious that the comparisons were not actually in the Kremlin’s favor: “In the past three years, the Russians have not even had full control of the regions to which they lay claim, let alone managed to capture Kyiv.”

Source : https://www.dw.com/en/russia-instrumentalizing-soviets-victory-over-nazi-germany/a-72465426

Munir has been reportedly shifted to an undisclosed location. Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee (CJCSC), General Sahir Shamshad Mirza has reportedly taken over from Munir.

In an unusual turn of events, within Pakistan’s military establishment, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee (CJCSC), General Sahir Shamshad Mirza, has reportedly arrested Army Chief General Asim Munir. The move, if confirmed, signals unprecedented internal conflict at the highest levels of the Pakistan military. Munir has been reportedly shifted to an undisclosed location. Mirza has reportedly taken over from Munir.

Besides, some time ago an explosion reportedly took place 20 kilometers away from the official residence of Pakistan Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif.

Besides, Indian Armed Forces on Thursday captured two Pakistani fighter jet pilots alive. As per reports, one pilot has been captured alive in Rajasthan’s Jaisalmer and the other has been captured alive in Akhnoor, which is a town Jammu and Kasmhir’s Jammu district.

Source : https://www.freepressjournal.in/world/cjcsc-reportedly-detains-pakistan-army-chief-asim-munir-officers-demand-resignation-amid-escalating-tensions-with-india

 

CHILLING satellite pictures reveal Iran’s sprawling secret nuclear site codenamed “Rainbow”.

Sources in the country have uncovered how the base is being used to develop nuclear-capable missiles with a 2,000-mile range – able to strike US bases in the Middle East.

Tehran’s tyrannical regime is using oil and chemical facilities as a cover for nuclear bases, bombshell docs shared with The Sun by the National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI) reveal.

Haunting aerial images expose a network of clandestine sites – including “Rainbow” – used by iron-fist leaders to create terrifying nuclear weapons.

It comes after senior political sources in Israel told The Sun how Iran’s nuclear scheme should have been dealt with “a long time ago”.

Sources in Tel Aviv revealed Israel is poised to blitz Iran within weeks in a coordinated effort with the US if Tehran fails to thrash out a nuke deal.

But despite US vice president JD Vance insisting talks are on the “right pathway”, Iran has secretly been majorly expanding its nuke empire.

A powerful nuclear blast from Iran could have disastrous consequences for the Middle East – and beyond – thanks to the capability of the warheads.

Now sources inside Iran have revealed the regime’s nuclear weaponisation entity, Organization of Defensive Innovation and Research’s (SPND) secret project to accelerate nuclear ability.

Hidden under the guise of a chemical production facility, the crowning jewel of the operation is a base known internally as the “Rangin Kaman (Rainbow) Site”.

It is some distance from Iran’s already known nuke bases, and is masked as a chemical production company known as Diba Energy Siba.

Dedicated to constructing various nuclear weapon components, the site sprawls across almost 2,500 acres in the Ivanaki region, southeast of Tehran.

Development of the base began in 2009, and it became operational around 2013, insiders from the People’s Mojahedin Organization of Iran(PMOI/MEK) said.

It was named Rainbow as it sits near a mountain range of the same name to its north.

According to SPND’s disturbing plan, the site is being used to boost development of nuclear warheads that can be mounted on ballistic missiles with a range of 2,000 miles (3,000km).

Barbaric leaders are pursuing the extraction and utilisation of tritium in the weapon’s construction.

The Rainbow site’s main focus is the extraction of tritium – a radioactive isotope used to enhance nuclear weapons, according to NCRI sources.

Incorporation of tritium increases the nuclear weapons’ yield -especially in implosion-type devices – and also enables the potential production of hydrogen bombs.

The hush-hush base is made up of three independent factory-like facilities, a headquarters, and a checkpoint at the entrance.

Security is high – with the entire road leading to the site under military control with local residents barred from entering.

With some sites already exposed, the regime established several other bases amid its twisted bid to ramp up the yield of nuclear weapons and the range of ballistic missiles.

The bases are: Garmsar Radar Site, Shahroud Missile Site and the expansion of Semnan Missile Site.

According to insiders, five front companies were created to shield the bases and conceal their true uses.

The parent company is named Pishtazan-e Towsee-ye San’ati-ye
Arya Razi (Pioneers of Arya Razi Industrial Development), chaired by IRGC Brigadier General Naser Maleki.

Former deputy of the Ministry of Defense’s Aerospace Organization Maleki was included in the UN’s sanctions list for being “involved in nuclear or ballistic missile activities” in 2007.

A spokesman for the NCRI told The Sun: “The regime’s goal has never been anything but building a nuclear bomb.

“Over the past three decades all of the regime’s nuclear activities have been first exposed, much of it by the NCRI and its network inside Iran and then the regime has been forced to acknowledge them.

“Obtaining nuclear weapons is part of the regime’s survival strategy and has absolutely no foundation in the production of civilian nuclear energy.

“While two trillion dollars have been spent on this programme over the past three decades, there has been no significant investment in the oil and gas industry.

“Today, a significant portion of the gasoline and natural gas consumed within Iran is imported from abroad.”

It comes after The Sun previously revealed three sites that Iran’s leaders claimed were being used as part of a space initiative.

An ex-military intelligence agent last month warned Israel will do “whatever it takes” to stop Iran’s nuclear strength.

Dr Raz Zimmt, whose work in the Israeli Defence Forces (IDF) focussed on Iran, said it would require a “long process” to properly downgrade Tehran’s nuclear capabilities – not just one attack.

Iran would no doubt retaliate by striking Israel, as it did last April with a huge barrage of missiles and drones after several officers were killed in an assault on its Damascus consulate in Syria.

An Iron Dome operator in Israel’s north told The Sun they do not fear a bombardment from Iran as they are “200 per cent prepared”.

“We have dealt with attacks from Iran before. We know how to deal with it again,” Technical Sergeant (Tsgt) Y said.

Early in April, top political and military sources in Jerusalem and Tel Aviv told The Sun that Israel’s top brass is preparing to blitz Iran.

They said its nuclear programme should have been “dealt with a long time ago”.

And Dr Zimmt, now a senior researcher at the Institute for National Security Studies, has warned the “next two or three months are crucial”.

Furious Donald Trump gave Ayatollah Ali Khamenei a two-month deadline to reach an agreement on Tehran’s nuclear scheme or face the consequences – bombing.

Dr Zimmt said it is likely Israel and the US will consider blitzing Iran within weeks.

He told The Sun: “We are at the closest point of reaching the possibility of either Israeli or an American attack against Iran.

“If there is no understanding or certainly agreement between the two sides by late June, July, I think that the prospects for military confrontation will be very high.

Source : https://www.the-sun.com/news/14194753/satellite-pictures-iran-secret-nuclear-rainbow-missiles/

HISTORY has been made as the First American Pope will lead the Catholic church with outsider Robert Prevost taking up the name of Leo XIV after less than 24 hours of secret voting in the Sistine Chapel.

The new Pope – known to many as “Father Bob” – stepped out onto the balcony in the Vatican to cheering crowds as he greeted them by saying “peace be with you”.

The Chicago-born Pope, 69, was announced after Cardinal Mamberti declared: “Habemus papam!” – Latin for “We have a pope!”.

Leo XIV’s life saw him start out as an altar boy, before studying maths and joining the church – spending much of his years as a missionary working in South America.

The boy from the US has now climbed the highest summit in the Catholic Church – being seen as God’s messenger on Earth.

His election saw him come from being a total outsider – with odds of 66/1 before he was unveiled to crowds of the faithful in Rome.

He is seen as more traditional than Francis – but not the conservative hardliner some in the church were hoping for after his predecessor’s efforts to make the faith more progressive.

The new pontiff urged people to “build bridges through dialogue, through encounter, to come together as one people, always in peace”, before paying homage to Pope Francis.

The new Pope said: “Together we must try to find out how to be a church that builds bridges, establishes dialogue and is open to receives everybody,” he says.

Shortly afterwards, the pontiff – who is fluent in six languages, was heard speaking in Spanish, saying: “I would particularly like to say hello to my compatriots from Peru.

“It was a great pleasure for me to work in Peru.”

US President Trump was quick to congratulate the Pope Leo XIV and said it’s “a great honour” for the US.

He posted on Truth Social: “What excitement, and what a Great Honor for our Country. I look forward to meeting Pope Leo XIV.

“It will be a very meaningful moment!”

But the new Pope could be on a collision course with Trump after critical retweets about the President and his administration emerged moments after his election.

Sir Keir Starmer has branded the election of the first American Pope as a “momentous moment” and said that he looks “forward to meeting the Holy Father and continuing to work closely with the Catholic Church”.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy congratulated the new Pope.

He said: “Ukraine deeply values the Holy See’s consistent position in upholding international law, condemning the Russian Federation’s military aggression against Ukraine, and protecting the rights of innocent civilians.

“At this decisive moment for our country, we hope for the continued moral and spiritual support of the Vatican in Ukraine’s efforts to restore justice and achieve a lasting peace.

“I wish His Holiness Leo XIV wisdom, inspiration, and strength—both spiritual and physical—in carrying out his noble mission. Ad multos annos!”

His deeply religious parents often hosted priests and bishops for lunch at their home when he was a boy, and a life in the church was always his ambition.

Ordained as a priest four years ago, he joined a mission in Peru where he spent many years heading up a seminary.

Returning to the US in 1999, he then met controversy when he allowed alleged child abuser Father James Ray to reside at a friary in Chicago.

While French President Emmanuel Macron said he hoped for a pontificate of “peace and hope”.

Russian President Vladimir Putin said he hoped the American pontiff would engage in “constructive dialogue” with the Kremlin.

He said: “I am confident that the constructive dialogue and cooperation established between Russia and the Vatican will continue to develop on the basis of the Christian values that unite us.”

The new Pope, who is active on social media, has repeatedly voiced his concerns over Donald Trump’s immigration policies and shared his progressive views.

His last post on X, dated April 14, refers to the deportation of Kilmar Abrego Garcia to El Salvador.

It reads: “Do you not see the suffering? Is your conscience not disturbed? How can you stay quiet?”

Prevost was born in Chicago in 1955 to immigrant parents of French, Italian and Spanish descent.

After graduating from Villanova University in Pennsylvania with a degree in maths, the future pontiff joined the Order of St Augustine, taking his vows in 1978.

He rose through the ranks of the Church to become appointed apostolic administrator in Peru by Pope Francis in 2014.

The pair were said to be close and Prevost was considered by Vatican insiders to be a potential kingmaker for the current election.

But few considered the new Leo XIV the likely winner of the secret vote.

Separate attacks on a restaurant and school in Gaza City kill dozens of people.

Israel’s attacks on Gaza have killed at least 61 people since dawn, targeting civilians in crowded places as its more than two-month blockade of the besieged and bombarded enclave has caused acute food shortages, accelerating the starvation of the Palestinian population.

A reconnaissance drone strike targeted an area near the Thai and Palmyra restaurants on al-Wehda Street in Gaza City on Wednesday. Two missiles were fired at two locations at the same time, 100 metres (110 yards) apart, one inside a restaurant and another at an intersection, killing at least 17 people.

Reporting from Gaza City, Al Jazeera’s Hani Mahmoud said the attack hit one of the few places where Palestinians are able to get a meal.

“The tables and chairs are all thrown around, and blood stains the ground as a result of severe bleeding,” Mahmoud said, reporting from a crowd of residents and street vendors examining the destruction after the attack.

At the site of the attack on the nearby intersection, Mahmoud said people were on the ground “soaked in blood and shredded into pieces”.

Another attack in Gaza City killed 13 people at al-Karama School in the Tuffah neighbourhood

Other Israeli strikes on Wednesday were scattered across Gaza. Three people were killed and several wounded in a strike on a house in Jabalia in northern Gaza.

Another eight people – including a father, his children and cousins – were killed in the southern city of Khan Younis. Five were killed in a strike on one home.

Another three people, including a child, died when a tent shelter was attacked in Deir el-Balah in the central Gaza Strip. A husband and wife were also killed when a house was hit in Bani Suheila village in eastern Gaza.

The dead also included four people whose bodies were recovered from under the rubble of an Israeli attack earlier this week on a school sheltering displaced people in the Bureij refugee camp in central Gaza. The Palestinian Civil Defence agency said on Tuesday night that more than 30 people had been killed and dozens wounded there.

‘Scrambling for cover’

Mahmoud said Palestinians were “scrambling for cover” as air strikes and explosions struck residential buildings and evacuation centres across Gaza.

“We have confirmed that a farmer was killed in the eastern part of Khan Younis, in Abasan, as he was trying to harvest what he managed to plant in the past couple of months, making up for the lack of food,” Mahmoud said.

“This is one of the elements that we have been seeing quite visibly. Not only are they suffering on a daily basis because of the enforced starvation and dehydration, they [also] try to plant their own food, but they are deprived, and their abilities to do so are [thwarted] by the ongoing attacks,” he added.

The intensified attacks have been compounded by an Israeli blockade on essential supplies since March 2, leaving the enclave deprived of fuel and food, including flour. Aid groups have said food supplies are close to total depletion.

The United States-based World Central Kitchen charity said it has halted work in the Gaza Strip after it was prevented by Israel from bringing in aid and ran out of supplies.

“After serving more than 130 million total meals and 26 million loaves of bread over the past 18 months, World Central Kitchen no longer has the supplies to cook meals or bake bread in Gaza,” it said on Wednesday in a post on X.

A mother of six sheltering at a facility run by the United Nations agency for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA) told the agency her family only had bread after they had run out of all other types of food.

“The State of Israel must lift the siege,” UNRWA wrote on X on Wednesday.

“There must be a concerted international effort to stop this humanitarian catastrophe from reaching a new unseen level,” it added.

Gaza’s health sector is also bearing the brunt of the ongoing attacks and blockade. At least 88 percent of beds in hospitals are occupied, and their staffs are trying to treat patients as they face shortages of medical supplies.

Ceasefire talks

On Wednesday, Egypt and Qatar, which both mediated this year’s ceasefire alongside the US, reaffirmed their commitment to an agreement aimed at ending the “​​unprecedented humanitarian crisis and alleviating the suffering of civilians by fostering the necessary conditions for achieving a comprehensive ceasefire”.

“The two countries emphasise that attempts to sow discord among brotherly nations – whether through the casting of doubt, distortion, or media escalation – will not succeed, nor will they deter the two nations from continuing their joint efforts to end the war and the resulting humanitarian catastrophe,” a joint statement read, adding that the countries were working with the US to reach a deal.

Source : https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2025/5/7/israeli-attacks-kill-at-least-16-as-gaza-blockade-accelerates-starvation

U.S. President Donald Trump said he still believes Canada should become the 51st state in the US as he spoke to reporters at the White House while meeting with Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney. “It takes two to tango, right?,” Trump said. “I believe it would be a massive tax cut for the Canadian citizens. You get free military, tremendous medical cares, other things. There would be a lot of advantages,” Trump added.

Source : https://www.hindustantimes.com/videos/world-news/trumps-blunt-words-stir-controversy-as-carney-s-slaps-down-with-not-for-sale-101746558322996.html

NEW plans for the world’s tallest cruise ship have been released – and it looks straight from the future.

The ship, complete with electrical sails and a mega battery, should hit the seas by the end of the decade, say Norwegian boat builders Hurtigruten.

Hurtigruten set out to make travel more sustainable – and hope that this huge boat will be able to tour the seas producing net-zero emissions.

The ultimate goal is for the boat to be powered solely by battery.

Trond Johnsen, the project manager, said: “With the reduction in energy use we’re aiming for, it’s realistic to fit a battery system with enough energy to allow the ship to sail between charging ports under normal weather conditions.”

Four battery-hybrid ships built by Hurtigruten’s area already afloat, but they all need supplementing with fuel.

The new project, dubbed Sea Zero, kicked off in October 2022, and the first set of plans were seen in summer 2023.

One of the coolest features is the boat’s sails, which can be raised and lowered as required and will be covered in solar panels.

The kind being developed are called OceanWings – already in use on the cargo ship called Canopée.

The Chief Operating Officer Gerry Larsson-Fedde said: “We have also changed the sail type to a more mature design already in use on cargo ships.

“As with all development projects, there will be adjustments to both the design and specifications along the way.”#

The most recent plans extend the length of the ship by eight metres, to a total 143.5m.

Another very intriguing feature is the “lubricated” hull.

Air bubbles will be pumped beneath the bottom of the boat to make it glide through the water more easily on a layer of air and reduce drag.

This means less energy will be require to propel the ship along.

The hull will also be cleaned regularly and fitted with “advanced anti-fouling coatings” to make it slip through the waves even more smoothly.

Guests onboard will have a highly-customisable experience.

Living in “smart cabins”, passengers will be able to control their own heating and ventilation through an app and a screen in the cabin.

Larsson-Fedde said: “We are already testing advanced sensors in these cabins, and in the near future, we will conduct full-scale tests with guests onboard.”

Another ocean whopper has already been launched by China – which recently revealed its new monster-sized cargo ship.

The 1,310-ft-long vessel is said to be capable of holding a whopping 220,000 tonnes of goods and stacking 24,000 containers.

Footage shows the monstrous vessel – built in just 17 months – ripping through the ocean.

And another cruise option will soon hit the market, but designed specifically for OAPs.

Source : https://www.the-sun.com/news/14188884/worlds-tallest-cruise-ship-solar-sails/

AN AXE-wielding attacker has killed a woman after launching a “brutal” rampage at a university in Poland.

Another victim was rushed to hospital in a critical condition after the horror at Warsaw University on Wednesday.

Police said they arrested a 22-year-old Polish man following the incident.

He reportedly walked onto the campus brandishing the axe at around 5.40pm Polish time.

Private broadcaster Polsat News reported that a severed head had been recovered alongside the axe and a body.

A spokesperson said that the person who died was a female administrator who worked at the university.

They refused to comment on the reports of a severed head.

He added that a security guard was injured and rushed to hospital in a critical condition.

The attacker entered through the university’s lecture theatre, he said.

Warsaw Police said: “Police have detained a man who entered the University of Warsaw campus.

“One person died, another was taken to hospital with injuries,” in a post on X.

In a statement, the University of Warsaw said: “Ladies and Gentlemen, today in the afternoon the University of Warsaw Community was struck by a huge tragedy.

“Our colleague, a UW employee, was brutally murdered.

“The perpetrator was arrested. We express our great sorrow and sympathy to the family and loved ones.

“A university guard was also seriously injured. Due to the current situation, I am declaring tomorrow, May 8, 2025, a day of mourning at the University of Warsaw.

Source : https://www.the-sun.com/news/14187538/axe-wielding-man-horror-warsaw-university-death/

 

SHOCKING new photos show the horrifying moment a helicopter carrying six people broke apart in midair before crashing into the Hudson River in April.

The disturbing images of the crash that killed all aboard during a helicopter tour of New York City have been released in a preliminary report by the National Transportation Safety Board.

The horrific crash happened on April 10 at 3:17 pm, when a helicopter fell into the Hudson River by Lower Manhattan in New York City.

The crash is believed to have been caused by a mechanical failure with the rotor system, which forced the helicopter to break apart.

The harrowing images show the devastating sequence of how the helicopter broke up.

First, the helicopter’s tail broke away from the fuselage, and then the rotor blades separated from the fuselage.

The final image shows the fuselage nose-diving into the river.

According to the report, the aircraft was not equipped with any photo or audio devices, which would give investigators a better understanding of what happened.

The pilot was reportedly wearing a pair of sunglasses that had video and audio recording capability, however they have not ben recovered.

HUDSON HORROR

The helicopter was giving a tour of Manhattan to a family visiting from Barcelona, Spain, when it crashed on the New Jersey side of the Hudson River.

European automation executive Agustin Escobar, his wife, Merce Camprubi Montal, and their children, ages 4, 5, and 11 years old, were killed in the crash alongside the pilot Sean Johnson, 36, ABC News reported.

The malfunction occurred in what were meant to be the final minutes of the aerial tour before it landed in lower Manhattan.

“Our hearts go out to the family and those on board,” New York City Mayor Eric Adams said following the accident.

The Spanish Prime Minister, Pedro Sanchez, called the accident an “unimaginable tragedy.”

“Five Spaniards from the same family, three of them children, and the pilot have lost their lives,” Sanchez posted on X.

“I sympathize with the victims’ loved ones at this heartbreaking time.”

While the NTSB is still investigating the accident, NTSB Chairman Jennifer Homendy confirmed that the pilot was experienced with hundreds of hours of flying time.

“The pilot reported 450 hours of total flight experience on his most recent medical, which was issued on Sept. 20, 2024,” Homendy said.

The Nazis targeted Black people living in Germany, excluding them from society through forced sterilization and denial of citizenship. Activists and historians still strive for recognition of these injustices.

“What I think people did not realize is that the Nazi time in Germany was only 12 years. What 12 years can do to society and what can happen, it doesn’t need to be 50 years or 100 years,” said Berlin-based German historian Katharina Oguntoye.

The crimes, subjugation, racism, enslavement and genocide committed against Jewish, Roma, Sinti, LGBTQ+ and other communities have been well-documented.

But for Germany’s Black community, gaining recognition for the crimes and abuses it endured has not been easy.

Historian Robbie Aitken, based at Sheffield Hallam University in the UK, has studied Germany’s Black communities for 20 years. He noted that there was a reluctance in German society to recognize and accept that Black people have been part of Germany since the late 1800s.

“We’re talking about people who crossed borders, who moved a lot, and we’re talking about a time period where the Nazis themselves destroyed documents so finding out information was difficult,” he told DW.

“I think this is being kind of slept on by a lot of historians. And there’s a lack of general public and academic knowledge about the period.”

The German Empire in Africa in the 1880s brought Germany into contact with Africans, their labor and their territories’ resources. The colonies included Cameroon, Togo, German East Africa, and Namibia, which were later lost after Germany’s defeat in World War I.

While exact figures are not known, several thousand people of African descent arrived in Germany from various regions of Africa, the Caribbean, South America and the United States.

Nazi abuses become daily life

Germany’s Black minority was already marginalized because of the Great Depression in 1929. But the racist nature of Nazi rule that came in 1933 added to that hardship.

“When the Nazis come to power, anyone who wants to be a racist, anyone who agrees with their viewpoints can enthusiastically say these things in the streets, can physically, verbally abuse people. They have free rein to do so,” Aitken said.

This in turn made it more difficult for Black residents to be seen in public, particularly those with white wives and children.

The several thousand Black people living in Germany were seen as racially inferior. During this era from 1933 to 1945, the Nazis used racial laws and policies to restrict the economic and social opportunities of Black people in Germany.

“At a local level, a number of families will be effectively thrown out of their apartments to make way for Nazi supporters or members of the party,” Aitken explained. “Some black Germans who have businesses are targeted explicitly.”

An example of this is Mandenga Diek, a successful Cameroonian trader in Germany, who lost his business and became stateless along with his family when the Nazis came to power in 1933.

From forced sterilization to propaganda films

Black people were harassed, imprisoned, sterilized or experimented on.

Adolf Hitler, the Nazi dictator who ruled Germany from 1933 to 1945, targeted biracial children living in the Rhineland who were tracked down by the secret police, or Gestapo, and sterilized on secret order.

Aitken says these actions proved there was a “genocidal intent.”

“This doesn’t mean that all black people will be sterilized, but if you look at it in high policy level and if you look at the way in which local policing forces worked, they understood this intent,” he said.

The introduction of the Nuremberg Race Laws was one of the cornerstones of Nazi racial policy. Based on prototypes developed to separate white from Black people during Germany’s colonial era in Africa, among other racial restrictions, the laws prohibited marriages and sexual relationships between German Jews and so-called Aryans.

The term “Aryan” was used to describe a supposed superior “white” race, in opposition to Jews and other groups deemed “inferior.” Wilhelm Frick, the Minister of the Interior at the time, extended them to also cover men and women considered Black.

“German Africa Shows,” known as “Deutsche Afrika-Schau,” created by Togolese-German resident Kassi Bruce, were opportunities for Black people to survive financially. However, the Nazi regime limited who could take part in the touring exhibitions.

Colonial propaganda films where Black people were stereotypically cast to play the role of servants were used by the regime as part of Germany’s ongoing hopes of regaining its lost colonial territories.

Using literature to tell Afro-German history

Using a selection of life stories, Katharina Oguntoye, was able to trace the experiences of Black Germans during the Nazi era.

The groundbreaking anthology “Farbe bekennen,” which was later published in English as “Showing Our Colors. Afro-German Women Speak Out,” represented a key moment for the Afro-German community and intersectional feminism. The book, written by late poet May Ayim, combined historical analysis, interviews, personal testimonies and poetry to explore racism in Germany.

Through her research she came across political singer Fasia Jansen, actor Theodor Wonja Michael and journalist Hans Massaquoi. Their stories were of resistance and courage to exist during the Nazi regime.

Although Oguntoye was born 14 years after World War II to a white German mother and a Black Nigerian father, her identity created a platform to tell these stories.

“There [are] very few people who do this research. There’s two or three more scholars who do this research on black people in the Nazi times,” she told DW.

For Oguntoye, the presence and contribution of the Black community in Germany is underappreciated. For many, the trailblazing Anton Wilhelm Amo, who became the first African-born scholar to receive a doctorate from a European university, only became known when a Berlin street was named after him in 2021.

Start by changing the education syllabus

Oguntoye says Afro German history should enjoy more coverage in school curricula.

“It’s good to pass it on to people through the biographies, through the stories of people … because that’s the easiest way to remember people,” she explained.

Other ways Afro-Germans are being visibly included in Germany are through commemorative plaques in Berlin.

In 2022, the Theodor Wonja Michael library in Cologne was opened as a home for the stories of Black people, and fosters research on identity, race, and culture. The library’s creation was inspired in part by the release of Theodor’s book, “My Father was a German,” a candid account of his life as a Black man in 20th-century Germany.

Moving past victimhood

But the fight for recognition and acceptance is far from over, and a new generation must contend with a German society that is shifting politically to the right.

Sophie Osen Akhibi, a member of the Afro-Diasporic Academics Network (ADAN), emphasizes the importance of identifying where one can exert influence to drive structural change.

“It will not help to stay in the victim mode and complain rather than aim for profession and power to be included on the decision making table, or if not, build your own ones,” she told DW.

Through their organization, Akhibi and her colleagues strive to ensure that decision-makers understand the realities faced by migrants and minorities, and address them.

Hours after Israel’s retaliatory response to the attacks by the Yemeni Houthi militia, Oman brokered a ceasefire between the US and Yemen. Is the conflict in the Red Sea and with Israel coming to an end?

Late Tuesday evening, Omani Foreign Minister Badr Albusaidi said on X that “following recent discussions and contacts… with the aim of de-escalation, efforts have resulted in a ceasefire agreement between the two sides”.

The two sides are the US and the Iran-backed Houthi militia, which is designated a terror organization by the US and others.

“Neither side will target the other… ensuring freedom of navigation and the smooth flow of international commercial shipping” in the Red Sea, Albusaidi added in his statement.

Meanwhile, US President Donald Trump said that the Houthis had “capitulated” and “announced to us … that they don’t want to fight anymore,” and that the United States would “take their word.”

The Houthis are yet to comment on the agreement with the US, however, a recent statement on X indicates that their attacks on Israel, which they say are in support of Hamas and the Palestinians in Gaza, are going to continue.

The announcement came only hours after Israeli fighter jets had destroyed the country’s international airport in Sanaa, and a day after Israel had attacked dozens of targets along the Yemeni coast, in particular facilities in the port of Hodeida, according to the Israeli military’s post on X.

Last Sunday (May 4), a rocket fired from Yemen was not intercepted by Israel’s otherwise very effective air defense systems but landed near Israel’s international Ben Gurion Airport. Six people were slightly injured.

On Sunday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu responded by threatening the Houthis and Iran with retaliation. “The Houthi attacks are coming from Iran,” Netanyahu wrote on Sunday on X.

On Monday, Iran denied that it was responsible for the Houthi attacks on Israel.

A long way away

As the distance between Israel and Yemen is around 2000 kilometers, military operations are difficult for Israel, as well as for its partner, the US.
“The attacks of recent months have been successful in some respects,” Constantin Grund, head of the Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung (FES) office in the Yemeni port city of Aden, which lies outside the Houthis’ territory, told DW.

“Previous attacks on the port of Hodeida destroyed thousands of tons of oil,” he said, adding that “this is enormous damage that the Houthis have to compensate for.” This also applies to the other targets, including many military ones.

Nevertheless, the geographical distance between the countries remains a challenge. While Israeli fighter jets only need a few minutes to reach their respective targets in the conflict with the Lebanese Hezbollah militia, another Iran-backed militia, it takes Israel hours to reach Yemen.

According to security consultant Ari Heistein from the Israeli Counter Extremism Project, and Amos Yadlin, the former head of the IDF Military Intelligence, this makes planning the missions extremely challenging, they wrote in an analysis for the Israeli newspaper Times of Israel.

Strike capability hardly affected

Until now, the Israeli attacks have mainly been aimed at preventing the smuggling of weapons and fuel from Iran to the Houthis. “Despite their military superiority, the US and its allies have not seriously degraded the capability of the Houthis to launch attacks, nor their ability to resupply their arsenals,” Fabian Hinz, a military analyst from the London-based International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS) wrote in December 2024.

According to Hinz, the Houthis now have extremely powerful missiles at their disposal. They can therefore be fired from deep inside the country. The country’s mountainous terrain further helps to conceal the Houthi’s operations from enemy surveillance.

Yemen’s communications infrastructure is extremely rudimentary. According to an analysis by the Yemeni think tank Sanaa Center for Strategic Studies, the Houthi militia is taking advantage of this very fact. It largely refrains from using digital communication. This renders the monitoring of the Houthis’ internal communication difficult for their military opponents.

“In their cost-benefit analysis, [the Houthis] want to implement their anti-Israeli, anti-American ideology while taking into account that Israel’s ability to hit them is limited,” Nachum Shiloh, a research fellow at Tel Aviv University’s Moshe Dayan Center for Middle Eastern and African Studies (MDC), told Israeli media, adding that “Yemen’s impoverished population and under-developed economy make for very few valuable military targets to Israel.”

Ground offensive unlikely

It will be difficult to end the conflict through air strikes, observers agree. Above all, according to many experts, the Houthis are unlikely to be persuaded to end their attacks on Israel and international shipping in the Red Sea in this way.

The question is therefore whether Israel or the US could also launch a ground offensive in Yemen?

In view of the rather unsuccessful military fight of the international coalition, led by Saudi Arabia against the Houthis between 2015 and 2023, however, this is hardly an appealing option. At the time, the Saudi-led coalition was “unable to break through the Houthis’ defensive positions in the Yemeni mountains in any significant way,” according to Constantin Grund.

Source : https://www.dw.com/en/yemen-is-the-us-houthi-ceasefire-ending-israel-and-red-sea-attacks/a-72456389

As the US shifts its ambitions to Mars, cuts to its national space agency will also affect the work of European researchers, and their efforts to get to the moon

The US administration under Republican President Donald Trump has proposed billions in cuts to NASA’s budget, putting at risk major partnerships, and shifting the space agency’s priorities from the moon to Mars.

Reacting to these cuts, European Space Agency (ESA) Director General Josef Aschbacher emphasized “the importance of cooperation in space activities.”

Ashbacher said ESA would assess the impact of the proposed NASA budget for the coming fiscal year, released on May 2, as questions remained about the “full repercussions” of the changes.

The administration’s budget proposal for NASA includes cuts to the Artemis moon program As the US shifts its ambitions to Mars, cuts to its national space agency will also affect the work of European researchers — an international collaboration, in which Europe is a technical and scientific partner.

If confirmed in a more detailed submission in late May or early June, it would remove about $6 billion (€5.29 billion) from NASA’s budget and provide, Reuters reports, “a boost to the Mars-focused agenda pushed by billionaire SpaceX CEO Elon Musk.”

Congress is required to pass the measures for them to take effect.

The proposed cuts follow earlier reductions in March, which resulted in the closure of three offices at NASA and the elimination of its chief scientist and chief technologist roles.

They also follow a laudatory press release from NASA on April 29, which boasted “NASA soars to new heights in first 100 days of Trump administration.” It celebrated a “litany of victories,” including progress towards getting humans both to the moon and Mars, despite ongoing uncertainty surrounding the agency’s budget.

Billions at risk across entire agency

The proposed budget would cut NASA’s current budget of $24.8 billion by 24%, possibly threatening major science projects and the work of thousands of researchers around the world.

However, the cuts would avoid NASA’s human exploration portfolio, according to Reuters. In fact, the Republican administration proposed a $1 billion increase for “Mars-focused programs.”

This would signal a shift in NASA’s priorities away from the moon, which received a push during Trump’s first presidency, towards Mars, which is now being pushed by Musk.

NASA’s Space Launch System (SLS) program, which has been beset by cost overruns, and Orion spacecraft crew capsule would be dropped by 2027.

Instead, SpaceX’s Starship rocket program is likely to replace both SLS and Orion in the longer-term, having secured a launch services contract from NASA through to 2032 in March 2025.

Moon still a gateway to Mars

In its public release on May 2, the White House maintained the budget focuses “funding on beating China back to the moon and on putting the first human on Mars.”

That echoed NASA’s April 29 press release, which said it was “putting the ‘America first’ agenda into play” and “ensuring the United States wins the space race at this critical juncture.”

“By allocating over $7 billion for lunar exploration and introducing $1 billion in new investments for Mars-focused programs, it ensures that America’s human space exploration efforts remain unparalleled, innovative, and efficient,” it said.

Source : https://www.dw.com/en/nasa-cuts-esa-in-talks-about-the-full-repercussions/a-72450356

 

The Pakistan Army has long been the power and policy shaper in Pakistani politics.

Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s rhetoric, as seen in his addresses to the Pakistan parliament and the nation’s citizens on Wednesday, is less about genuine policy and more about his own survival in Pakistan’s military-dominated ecosystem, intelligence sources speaking to CNN-News18.

They said that by amplifying the Pakistani army chief General Asim Munir’s agenda, Shehbaz Sharif secured short-term stability. The intelligence sources also said that the support to Munir shows Sharif will do everything for survival.

“The Pakistan Army establishment has historically dominated national security and foreign policy. It has long been the de facto power center shaping policy on India, Afghanistan and counterterrorism,” the sources said.

Shehbaz Sharif addressed the Pakistan parliament and the citizens of the nation twice on Wednesday, hours after India carried out Operation Sindoor – a counter terrorism operation to avenge the death of innocent civilians in southern Kashmir’s Pahalgam.

The people mentioned above said that civilian leaders often align with the military to avoid confrontation and ensure political survival. “By publicly backing General Munir, Shehbaz Sharif projects a unified front during crises. Shehbaz knows this and is being compliant to be in power,” sources said.

The Pakistan Prime Minister is supporting the military’s narrative of being the guardian of national security as civilian governments in Pakistan rarely survive without military approval.

“His rhetoric signals loyalty to the military establishment in a bid to deter potential coups or destabilisation. Also by focusing on external threats, it also diverts attention from economic crises and governance failures. After India’s Operation Sindoor, Sharif’s warnings of retaliation align with the military’s hardline stance,” the sources further added.

They also said that Sharif is framing Pakistan as a victim of aggression to gain international sympathy.

They referred to Shehbaz Sharif’s elder brother Nawaz Sharif’s removal from Pakistan Prime Minister role because Nawaz attempted to challenge military dominance during 1999 Kargil conflict, which led to his removal.

Source : https://www.news18.com/india/pakistan-pm-shehbaz-sharif-backing-army-chief-munir-to-ensure-his-survival-sources-say-ws-kl-9327832.html

It was Feb 20 when the first flights carrying Chinese nationals extracted from scamming compounds in the Myanmar border city of Myawaddy took to the sky.

Joint Thai-Chinese operations had been launched to disrupt criminal enterprises reportedly holding hundreds of thousands of people and generating billions of dollars.

They seemed effective; thousands of compound workers were released from captivity and streamed across the Thai border, close to the city of Mae Sot.

In the aftermath of the raids, Erin West found herself on the border observing what was unfolding. It was not the first time the self-proclaimed “scam fighter” had been there.

But she was seeing for the first time what she had heard through message groups that included individuals identified as being inside the compounds across the river: That satellite internet provider Starlink was being used, its terminals smuggled into the borderlands by criminal actors.

In their hands, fast, reliable and unauthorised internet was now powering a spate of illicit activities.

Starlink, operated by American billionaire Elon Musk’s space technology company SpaceX, works using a series of low-Earth orbit satellites to deliver signals, while cellular networks use on-ground infrastructure across different bandwidths to deliver internet coverage.

While its services are not authorised for use in Myanmar and illicit activities are not allowed under Starlink policies, criminal groups are able to use their illegal devices to access spillover internet bandwidth that Starlink provides to legitimate users in the broader region.

The Myanmar Internet Project estimated last year that more than 3,000 Starlink devices were active in the country and were the “the only viable solution for instant internet”, one of its analysts told Voice of America (VOA), given the multiple internet shutdowns by authorities there.

The Myanmar Internet Project is a collective of researchers and practitioners tracking digital developments in Myanmar.

The satellite internet is also being used by other groups like humanitarian organisations and rebel groups in conflict with the junta, it found.

During their operation, Thai authorities had attempted to throttle the criminal groups’ activity by switching off electricity and telecom access. What West realised was that it no longer really mattered.

She was originally tipped off to Starlink’s presence in the area through messages last year from someone identified as being inside a scamming compound.

“This person, over and over, kept saying, ‘just get them to turn off the Starlink. If they turned off the Starlink, that would stop this whole problem’,” she said.

The messages prompted her to write to the General Counsel of SpaceX last July in alarm.

West is a former deputy district attorney in California and the founder of Operation Shamrock, a movement dedicated to disrupting the global “pig butchering” epidemic. Pig butchering refers to love-and-investment scams in which the scammers groom their victims over a period of time.

West said she did not receive a reply from SpaceX: “I was hopeful. I was disappointed.”

She was not the only one to reach out to Musk’s operation. Rangsiman Rome, a Thai opposition parliamentarian and chair of committee on national security and border issues also expressed concerns about the use of Starlink by criminal groups.

“We’ve been exposing scam centres in Southeast Asia and uncovered solid proof that cybercriminals in this region are exploiting Starlink for massive fraud,” he wrote on X, tagging Musk, in February.

“This is a serious issue with real-world consequences. We have been pushing for immediate actions from our government to cut electricity and internet to the compounds, but they have begun to utilise Starlink to access the internet instead. Could you look into this matter?”

Earlier this year, WIRED magazine also published findings that at least eight compounds, and hundreds of individual mobile phones, along the border were accessing Starlink.

“Starlink receivers are obvious. They’re all over these buildings. We know that the compounds are reliant on that form of communication,” West said.

Other media investigations by Bloomberg and the Wall Street Journal have also more broadly uncovered similar trends of Starlink being accessed illegally in multiple locations around the world, including in Africa, the Middle East and central Asia.

SpaceX did not respond to CNA’s specific questions about these issues, including about its awareness of unauthorised access of its internet in Myanmar and what measures it was taking to prevent such action.

“If SpaceX obtains knowledge that a Starlink terminal is being used by a sanctioned or unauthorised party, we investigate the claim and take actions to deactivate the terminal if confirmed,” the company posted on X last year.

TOP LEVEL MEETINGS

On the same day the repatriation flights were taking place from Northern Thailand, about 1,000 kilometres away, Musk’s company representatives were making a pitch to formally expand their operations elsewhere in the region.

Cambodia’s prime minister Hun Manet, alongside other national agencies, was meeting with Rebecca Hunter, the marketing director of SpaceX and Starlink, to discuss the expansion of satellite internet in the kingdom.

In Cambodia, more than 150,000 people were estimated by aid organisation USAID to be ensnared by the scamming industry. Industry observers say scamming compounds operate in plain sight and are also reliant on stable internet connections.

With purported compounds popping up in many remote parts of the country, West observed, the risk is high in her opinion that Starlink would also be used for nefarious purposes, just as it is in Myanmar.

“My concern is that existing infrastructure for cell service will likely be inadequate to support the need in these remote locations and Starlink will fit beautifully into (scammers’) ability to transact this bad business,” she said.

While Starlink could deliver better internet for many communities, especially in remote areas underserved by existing network infrastructure, it could also create dependency on a foreign entity to provide an essential service, and if left unregulated, heighten the ability for criminals to have unfettered access to internet networks, experts said.

While governments currently can regulate and control traditional internet through infrastructure, content moderation and legal frameworks, Starlink’s services present a different challenge.

Territorial jurisdictional control of satellites remains an area of contention and laws governing their use are underdeveloped.

The last major space treaty was signed in 1979, meaning SpaceX, a private actor, is operating in grey areas that governments may not have faced before when it comes to oversight.

Musk’s control of the network raises concerns about whether access could be revoked, restricted, or manipulated based on shifting political or economic interests, Surachanee Sriyai, a Visiting Fellow with the Media, Technology and Society Programme at ISEAS – Yusof Ishak Institute, wrote in a commentary for CNA.

If Cambodia was to grant a licence to allow Starlink to operate in its skies, it would become the fourth Southeast Asian nation to do so after the Philippines, Malaysia and Indonesia.

And SpaceX has plans to further expand in the region.

In March, Vietnam approved a five-year pilot implementation of SpaceX’s low orbit satellite technology, which could lead to a major future investment by Musk’s company.

Thailand has not licensed Starlink but its National Broadcasting and Telecommunications Commission approved in January a six-month collaboration between SpaceX and Prince of Songkla University focused on disaster relief, telemedicine and learning applications.

Further afield in India, two major telecom operators – Reliance Jio Infocomm Ltd and Bharti Airtel Ltd – have signed separate deals with SpaceX, but it is not yet legally allowed to operate.

THE PHILIPPINES’ EARLY MOVER EXPERIENCE

While the Myanmar situation is particularly fraught given the ongoing civil war, more broadly throughout the region, governments are facing a choice: Whether to allow Starlink to set up operations.

The Philippines was the early mover in Southeast Asia.

Its National Telecommunications Commission granted Starlink the necessary licences in May 2022 and said the main reason was to provide cost-effective internet in villages underserved by telecommunication providers.

“The telcos were not incentivised to also serve the lightly populated areas. So, the rural areas have been left behind in terms of internet,” explained Wilson Chua, chief executive of Future Gen International, a data, analytics and business process outsourcing firm.

“Starlink is a game changer. You can set up anywhere, even at sea. When Starlink started to pop up, we saw growth like mushrooms.”

Chua set up Project Bass, a citizen advocacy group where volunteers use an app to record internet speed and coverage wherever they are. It has given an insight into the spread of Starlink in the past few years.

The project most recently detected close to 1,500 active Starlink devices across the Philippines, but Chua believes this is an underestimate.

He said he has been surprised by the number of users in the Metro Manila area, where internet service should be reliable. Users may be preparing for contingencies, he said.

“Either the building that they have does not provide them with sufficient bandwidth or these are people that are preparing for a disaster,” he said, adding that a major earthquake could disrupt the country’s internet.

“As well, if you look at the undersea cables providing internet to the Philippines, you can count them in the palm of your hand. And Starlink is a way for us to be sort of prepared.”

Entrepreneurs are also finding cost efficiencies by setting up Starlink devices and distributing the bandwidth to multiple users or entire communities, he said.

The Philippine government has been monitoring the grey area that exists around such enterprises and a new Bill should soon make such competition legal. The country’s senate passed the Konektadong Pinoy Act in February allowing smaller players to more easily enter the market and promote infrastructure sharing among providers.

“The government now recognises that (established telecom companies) did not deliver on infrastructure and so when COVID-19 came, education wasn’t functioning, medical services weren’t functioning,” Chua said.

CAUTION IN INDONESIA

Indonesia faces similar issues.

About a-fifth of the population in the vast archipelago lacks adequate internet access, according to the Indonesian Internet Service Providers Association.

But while the Indonesian government welcomed Starlink to the country and granted business licences in May last year, analysts say it remains wary about allowing the company to fill the gaps.

It is currently unclear how many Starlink devices are operational in Indonesia and the company’s initial investment was modest at US$1.8 million.

Still, with Musk in attendance, Starlink launched with fanfare in Bali with a project to connect medical centres to fast internet service. In at least one centre though, the service was disabled shortly after due to an apparent unstable connection.

There is pressure from traditional telecom companies on the government to ensure the playing field is even after decades of investing in an infrastructure network that could be made redundant by Musk’s satellites, said Karl Gading Sayudha, an analyst who focuses on defence, security and international relations at Kiroyan Partners, a Jakarta-based consulting firm.

“These telecommunication providers have invested billions of rupiah. So they are questioning the government’s effort and government’s responsibility to make sure that this will be a fair game,” he said.

Ukraine is starting to consider a shift away from the US dollar, possibly linking its currency more closely to the euro amid the splintering of global trade and its growing ties to Europe, Central Bank Governor Andriy Pyshnyi told Reuters.

Potential accession to the European Union, a “strengthening of the EU’s role in ensuring our defense capabilities, greater volatility in global markets, and the probability of global-trade fragmentation”, are forcing the central bank to review whether the euro should be the reference currency for Ukraine’s hryvnia instead of the dollar, Pyshnyi said in emailed remarks published Wednesday (May 7).

“This work is complex and requires high-quality, versatile preparation,” Pyshnyi added, in the most direct comments by a Ukrainian official on a possible shift.

The dollar dominates international trade and accounts for the majority of global reserves. Major economies, including Saudi Arabia and Hong Kong, peg their currencies to the dollar.

But under President Donald Trump, the US has unleashed a trade war by introducing what could be the highest tariffs in a century, a move that has prompted some observers to question the future role of the dollar as global reserve currency.

Now, in the fourth year of fighting an invasion by Russia, Ukraine has also seen Trump temporarily cut off some military assistance to the country.

European leaders, including those from the EU, have vowed to strengthen Kyiv’s army to ensure it can be the cornerstone of future security in Ukraine, but progress has been difficult.

Meanwhile, Ukraine struck an agreement that gives the United States preferential access to new Ukrainian mineral deals and which funds investment in the nation’s reconstruction.

Since Trump’s return to the White House, the greenback is down more than 9 per cent against a basket of major currencies as investors pull back from owning US assets.

Some experts warn against associating the strength of the dollar with its reserve-currency status. Yet historically, dollar holdings have been linked to security alliances and military ties to Washington.

Transactions with the US dollar continue to dominate all segments of the FX market, said Pyshnyi, but the share of euro-denominated transactions has been rising in most segments, though “so far moderately.” He did not elaborate.

Ukraine launched the hryvnia in 1996, and over the decades, it has used the dollar as the reference currency.

Immediately after Russia’s invasion in February 2022, the central bank imposed capital controls and pegged the hryvnia at an official rate of about 29 to the US dollar. Ukraine was forced to devalue later due to a buildup of fiscal imbalances.

In October 2023, the central bank moved from a firm peg to a managed exchange-rate regime that uses the US dollar as the reference, the gauge to measure FX interventions and for smoothing fluctuations in the exchange rate.

EU MEMBERSHIP TALKS FOR UKRAINE AND MOLDOVA

The EU opened membership talks with Ukraine and Moldova nearly a year ago, although a long and tough road lies ahead before they can join the bloc. EU President Ursula von der Leyen said in February that Ukraine could be in by 2030, provided it continued to enact reforms to its political and judicial system at the current pace.

In preparation, Moldova switched its reference currency for the Moldovan lei to the euro from the dollar on Jan 2.

Kylie Jenner will do whatever it takes to make it across the Met steps.

On Monday, the reality star hit the Met Gala 2025 red carpet wearing a Ferragamo outfit that showed off her curves and midriff, it was her heels that were more than she bargained for.

While walking in stilettos is never an easy feat, Jenner had an even harder time taking the shoes off.

The Kylie Cosmetics founder, 27, shared a video to her Instagram Story late after the ball, sitting on the ground while a team of people tried to remove her black pointed-toe pumps.

“Max told me to tape my feet into the shoe,” Jenner said, referring to the creative director of Ferragamo, Maximilian Davis. “And now my feet are stuck in the shoes!”

Her glam squad used spray bottles filled with a clear liquid to try to loosen up the grip of the tape without hurting Jenner’s feet, but it still seemed quite painful.

“Ow!” Jenner yelled from behind the camera.

A few minutes later, she updated her fans with a celebratory photo of her bare feet.

“They’re okay!!!!” Jenner wrote over the image.

On the upper half of her body, Jenner strutted down the carpet in a Ferragamo dress featuring wool herringbone cups and a matching long skirt with a high slit, broken up by a sheer corset bodice.

The Khy founder styled the piece with Lorraine Schwartz earrings and coordinating long see-through gloves, while rocking a bombshell makeup look and a slicked-back bun.

Source : https://pagesix.com/2025/05/06/style/kylie-jenner-taped-her-feet-into-her-met-gala-2025-shoes-and-they-got-stuck/

“Whiny” Prince Harry is being blackballed by the royal family because none of them trust him — or Meghan Markle, according to sources in the know.

“I genuinely think nobody trusts him and that’s the bottom line. The royal family has major trust issues with him and that’s what’s at the heart of everything,” a close source said. “They don’t trust him and Meghan and that’s why they can’t have a relationship … maybe there’s room to forgive, but they won’t forget.

“Forgiveness and trust are two different things.”

This comes on the heels of Harry’s shocking BBC interview last week, in which he said he does not “know how much longer” his cancer-stricken father, King Charles, 76, has to live.

“I have total sympathy with the royal family,” said Hugo Vickers, author and friend of the royal family. “Harry is quite like this mother [the late Princess Diana]. One day, when I was at Buckingham Palace, I was shown the letter that Prince Phillip wrote to Diana in which he said, ‘Every time Charles talks to you, it’s in the Daily Mail the next day.’

“The same thing is happening now,” Vickers added. “Charles is, of course, right not to trust him. Harry is hopeless in that respect. He shouldn’t have given that interview — but none of the royal family should ever give interviews, it’s always a car crash.

In his “Spare” memoir, Harry accused William (above, with Prince George, Prince William, Kate Middleton and Princess Charlotte) of assaulting him.
MEGA
Page Six is also told that King Charles refused to see his youngest son when Harry jetted over to the UK for the Invictus Games 10th anniversary celebrations in April 2024.

“Harry messaged Charles and he never heard back. He wanted to talk to his dad about security stuff then, but his dad wouldn’t speak to him,” the close source detailed. “He really felt like his dad could overturn things.”

The Duke of Sussex, 40, lost a Court of Appeal challenge against the British government on Friday, over the decision to strip him of his publicly funded security detail.

Harry has argued that his private protection team in the US no longer has access to the UK intelligence information needed to keep Meghan Markle, 43, and their children — Prince Archie, 6, and Princess Liilibet, 3 — safe. Charles has only seen the children a few times.

“Harry has just got to accept [the security decision] and stop whingeing and whining,” Vickers said.

After the court decision, the duke sat down with BBC News and declared, “I can’t see a world in which I would bring my wife and children back to the UK at this point.”

Claiming that Charles “won’t speak to me because of this security stuff,” he revealed that “there have been so many disagreements between myself and some of my family” — and admitted that his “Spare” memoir helped fuel them.

While this was a shocking admission, Vickers said talking about his father’s mortality was a bridge too far.

“It was disgraceful to talk about Charles’s health, if he’s not talking to him, how does he know anything about it?” Vickers said.

The interview came after Harry’s bombshell 2023 book and 2021 tell-all interview with Oprah Winfrey, as well as him speaking out about the royal family on the Netflix show, “Harry & Meghan.” The choice to talk about the family over and over is why Harry’s relatives are ghosting him, according to the source.

Buckingham Palace will not comment on the Harry situation.

Vickers noted that it was particularly bad to give an interview in the same week that the king entertained cancer sufferers and survivors at Buckingham Palace and spoke out about how he felt about his illness, putting a positive spin on things.

“Harry wrote in ‘Spare’ how the king told him, ‘Don’t make my last years miserable’ — and yet he’s done exactly that,” said Vickers.

“Enough with the ‘me, me, me’ complaints. The king has got enough on his plate. He’s got the problems of the world on his shoulders and doesn’t need a whiny son.”

Source : https://pagesix.com/2025/05/07/royal-family/royal-family-doesnt-trust-prince-harry-or-meghan-markle-sources/

The Federal Reserve held interest rates steady on Wednesday but said the risks of higher inflation and unemployment had risen, further clouding the U.S. economic outlook as its policymakers grapple with the impact of President Donald Trump’s tariffs.
At this point, Fed Chair Jerome Powell said, it isn’t clear if the economy will continue its steady pace of growth, or wilt under mounting uncertainty and a possible coming spike in inflation.

With so much unsettled about what Trump will ultimately decide and what of that survives possible court and political battles, “the scope, the scale, the persistence of those effects are very, very uncertain,” Powell said in a press conference at the end of a two-day policy meeting. “So it’s not at all clear what the appropriate response for monetary policy is at this time … It’s really not at all clear what it is we should do.”
“I don’t think we can say which way this will shake out.”
It was Powell’s subtle way of saying the U.S. central bank, a key actor in shaping the economy, was effectively sidelined until Trump’s sweeping policy agenda takes full effect.

The Fed’s policy statement, which held the benchmark overnight rate steady in the 4.25%-4.50% range, noted that since the central bank’s last meeting in March “uncertainty about the economic outlook has increased further,” and that risks were increasing that both inflation and unemployment could increase.
Thomas Simons, chief U.S. economist at Jefferies, said the language downplayed just how much disruption had occurred since the Fed’s March 18-19 meeting, and how unpredictable the outlook had become.
“All of the ‘Liberation Day’ tariff news, the April 9 announcement of a 90-day delay, the back and forth on trade deals and tariff exemptions in the headlines, and the resultant negativity expressed in business and consumer surveys make it impossible to judge what the economic outlook is, let alone whether the skew of risks around it has changed,” Simons wrote, calling Powell “predictably noncommittal” given the situation.

RISKS TO DUAL MANDATE

The Fed’s statement, and much of Powell’s comments to reporters as well, vouched for the economy’s continued resilience, with job gains continuing and the economy still growing at a “solid pace.” The recently reported decline in gross domestic product in the first quarter, Powell said, was skewed by a record rush of imports as businesses and households tried to front-run expected import taxes, with measures of domestic demand still growing.
But even that data demonstrated the dilemma facing the Fed. The rush of front-loading to buy goods and stock shelves won’t likely be repeated, and it is unclear whether underneath it all demand and investment are starting to weaken – and how that will eventually express itself in “hard” data on inflation and jobs.

The Fed’s own “Beige Book” of anecdotal reports about the economy recently gave a dour picture of suspended business deals, falling demand, and rising prices.
“Businesses and households are concerned … and postponing economic decisions of various kinds,” Powell said. “If that continues and nothing happens to alleviate those concerns, you would expect that to show up in economic data.”
The Fed can’t respond, however, until it is clear which way the economy pivots, and how it assesses the risks to its two goals of holding inflation to 2% and sustaining maximum employment.
“The current stance of monetary policy leaves us well positioned to respond in a timely way to potential economic developments,” Powell said, affirming a wait-and-see approach that has become the central bank’s calling card in the first months of the Trump administration.
U.S. stock prices extended gains after the release of the Fed’s unanimous policy decision and ended higher on the day. Treasury yields fell, while the dollar (.DXY) gained against a basket of currencies.

‘HOLDING PATTERN’

The direction of Fed policy will depend on which of the job and inflation risks develop, or, in the more difficult outcome, whether inflation and unemployment increase together and force the central bank to choose which risk is more important to try to offset with monetary policy.
A weaker job market would typically strengthen the case for rate cuts; higher inflation would call for monetary policy to remain tight.
“For the time being the Fed remains in a holding pattern as it waits for uncertainty to clear,” said Ashish Shah, chief investment officer of public investing at Goldman Sachs Asset Management, adding that “recent better-than-feared jobs data has supported the Fed’s on-hold stance, and the onus is on the labor market to weaken sufficiently to bring a resumption of its easing cycle.”
The Fed’s policy rate has been unchanged since December as officials struggle to estimate the impact of Trump’s tariffs, which have raised the prospect of higher inflation and slower economic growth this year.

Source : https://www.reuters.com/business/fed-likely-leave-rates-unchanged-it-hunts-clarity-economy-2025-05-07/

A twisted neo-Nazi sextortion ring that targets kids as young as 9 and blackmails them into making sick photos and videos is spreading to every corner of the United States — and the FBI has tips for parents on how to spot if their children are being groomed.

The Bureau has hundreds of open cases against the group known as “764” – a cult-like network with ties to neo-Nazis and Satanism whose members “methodically target and exploit minors” after contacting them on gaming chatrooms, social media and phone apps.

764 is the largest network — with 250 active cases, at least one in every single FBI field office, ABC News reported.

But there are others, as well.

“These networks use threats, blackmail, and manipulation to coerce or extort victims into producing, sharing, or live-streaming acts of self-harm, animal cruelty, sexually explicit acts, and/or suicide,” the FBI said Tuesday in a public service announcement.

Members then circulate the disgusting photos and videos amongst themselves and threaten to post them publicly to keep their victims under control.

Some warnings signs could be associated with regular teenage angst — while others are more disturbing. Here’s what the FBI is warning parents to watch out for.

• Kids engaging in self-harm or expressing suicidal thoughts
• Suddenly becoming more withdrawn and moody
• Sudden changes in eating, sleeping and dressing habits
• Pets being harmed or dying under mysterious circumstances
• Kids mutilating themselves by carving words or symbols into their skin
• Writing in blood, or anything that looks like blood

The 764 cult is an outgrowth of an older, larger organization known as the Order of Nine Angles, which has ties to neo-Nazism and Satanism.

Its founder, Bradley Cadenhead, was just 15 when he formed the group in 2020, naming it after part of his own zip code.

The FBI has described them as “nihilistic violent extremists … seeking to destroy civilized society,” yet their actual ideology seems to be all over the place.

“Some threat actors may be engaging in criminal activity solely for sexual gratification, social status, or a sense of belonging, or for a mix of other reasons that may not be ideologically motivated,” the agency said.

The widespread targeting of kids have become a huge focus for cops who focus on online activity, Rebecca Weiner, NYPD Deputy Commissioner of Intelligence & Counterterrorism, told The Post.

Weiner said the number of active cases will only rise as arrests and the seizures of computers and phones provide officers with more leads on the activities of these demented predators.

Source : https://nypost.com/2025/05/07/us-news/here-are-fbi-warning-signs-your-child-is-being-targeted-by-764-cult/

Attacks by Ukrainian long-range drones caused flight disruption at Moscow’s main airports for a third straight day on Wednesday as Russia prepared to receive the Chinese president and other foreign leaders for the annual Victory Day military parade in Red Square.

Russian flag carrier Aeroflot on Wednesday morning canceled more than 100 flights to and from Moscow. More than 140 Aeroflot flights also were delayed because of what officials described as the Ukrainian drone threat and amid heightened security measures around the Victory Day events.

Russian air defenses repelled an attack by nine drones close to the Russian capital, Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin said in the early hours of Wednesday. In the evening, Sobyanin reported thwarting 15 more drones targeting Moscow, as flights were restricted in Moscow’s airports once again.

Though Ukrainian drones have targeted Moscow in the past, the sustained attacks appeared designed to disrupt preparations for the 80th anniversary celebrations marking victory over Nazi Germany in World War II — Russia’s biggest secular holiday of the year.

The repeated assaults could unnerve Russians, who have been told by President Vladimir Putin that the more than three-year war with Ukraine is going well, as well as potentially embarrass him in front of his illustrious guests.

Security is expected to be tight for Friday’s centerpiece parade. Foreign dignitaries, including China’s President Xi Jinping and Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, arrived on Wednesday.

Russia plans a unilateral 72-hour ceasefire to coincide with the celebrations in Moscow. In March, the United States proposed a 30-day truce in the war, which Ukraine accepted, but the Kremlin has held out for ceasefire terms more to its liking.

Vice President JD Vance said Wednesday that the U.S. appreciated Ukraine’s willingness for a ceasefire, but the U.S. is trying to move beyond that. “What the Russians have said is ‘a 30-day ceasefire is not in our strategic interests.’ So we’ve tried to move beyond the obsession with the 30-day ceasefire and more on the, what would a long-term settlement look like?” he said.

Vance said that the next steps are to have the Russians and Ukrainians directly negotiating.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said last weekend that his country cannot provide security assurances to foreign officials planning to visit the Moscow events. Russia could stage provocations and later attempt to blame Ukraine, he said.

“Our position is very simple: we cannot take responsibility for what happens on the territory of the Russian Federation,” he said. “They are the ones providing your security, and we will not be offering any guarantees.”

Zelenskyy said that he had instructed Ukraine’s Foreign Ministry to advise foreign delegations against visiting Russia during this period.

Russian flight restrictions

Baltic countries Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania, which border Russia and its Kaliningrad exclave, announced plans to close their airspace to the planes carrying Serbia’s and Slovakia’s leaders to Moscow this week for the celebrations out of safety concerns, officials there said.

“Who could deny that in such a quite active cyber background … that somebody will not use this as a possible provocation to create problems and risks for the flight of these people through the Republic of Lithuania,” Lithuanian President Gitanas Nausėda said Wednesday.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, in comments to Russian state TV, called the move “a disgrace.”

Flight restrictions across Russia because of Ukrainian drone threats, including temporary closures at airports in Moscow, St. Petersburg, Sochi and elsewhere, affected at least 350 flights and at least 60,000 passengers, the Russian Tour Operators Association said.

Russian public holidays in early May, including the days around Victory Day, is a popular time for many Russians to go on vacation and travel abroad.

Xi’s visit to Russia is his third since the Kremlin launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine on Feb. 24, 2022.

Xi last visited in Moscow in March 2023 on a trip that offered an important political boost to Putin just days after the International Criminal Court issued an arrest warrant for the Russian leader on charges of alleged involvement in abductions of thousands of children from Ukraine. He also traveled to the Russian city of Kazan in September 2024 for a summit of the BRICS bloc of developing economies.

The Kremlin announced Tuesday that Putin will travel to China at the end of August and beginning of September.

Since Russia’s all-out invasion of its neighbor, Moscow has drawn closer to China as Western countries have sought to isolate Putin diplomatically. Russia has become increasingly dependent economically on China because of Western sanctions.

Residential buildings hit

Meanwhile, Russia launched a ballistic missile and a barrage of drones at Ukraine’s capital before dawn on Wednesday, killing at least two people in apartment buildings, Ukrainian officials said. Eight people were also wounded in the attack, including four children, the Kyiv City Military Administration said in a post on Telegram.

Russian planes also dropped two glide bombs on a village in Ukraine’s eastern Donetsk region, killing two women, regional administration head Vadym Filashkin said.

Russia launched a total of four ballistic missiles and 142 drones at Ukraine overnight, Zelenskyy said.

At least one of the ballistic missiles and 28 drones were recorded in Kyiv’s airspace, authorities said. Air defense forces shot down the missile and 11 drones.

Source : https://apnews.com/article/russia-ukraine-war-drone-attack-d5a71d612393df5053ab6c8c82d92712

President Donald Trump announced on Tuesday the U.S. will stop bombing the Houthis in Yemen, saying that the Iran-aligned group had agreed to stop interrupting important shipping lanes in the Middle East.
After Trump made the announcement, Oman said it had mediated the ceasefire deal, marking a major shift in Houthi policy since the start of Israel’s war in Gaza in October 2023.

Under the agreement, neither the U.S. nor the Houthis would target the other, including U.S. vessels in the Red Sea and Bab al-Mandab Strait, Oman said in a statement.

The statement from Oman did not mention whether the Houthis had agreed to stop attacks on Israel. The head of Yemen’s Houthi Supreme Political Council, Mahdi al-Mashat, said the group would continue to support Gaza and that such attacks would continue.
“To all Zionists from now on, stay in shelters or leave to your countries immediately as your failed government will not be able to protect you after today,” Houthi-run Al Masirah TV cited him as saying.
Separately, the head of Yemen’s Houthi supreme revolutionary committee, Mohammed Ali al-Houthi, said the U.S. halt of “aggression” against Yemen would be evaluated, according to a post on X.

The U.S. intensified strikes on Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthis this year, to stop attacks on Red Sea shipping. Rights activists have raised concerns over civilian casualties.
“They said please don’t bomb us any more and we’re not going to attack your ships,” Trump said of the Houthis during an Oval Office meeting with Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney. “And I will accept their word, and we are going to stop the bombing of the Houthis effective immediately.”
Qatar and Kuwait welcomed the ceasefire deal in separate statements on Tuesday, expressing hopes for the step to secure freedom of navigation.

The Houthis have been firing at Israel and at shipping in the Red Sea since Israel began its military offensive against Hamas in Gaza after the Palestinian militant group’s deadly attack on Israel on October 7, 2023.

Roman Catholic cardinals will begin the task on Wednesday of electing a new pope, locking themselves away from the world until they choose the man they hope can unite a diverse but divided global Church.
In a process dating to medieval times, the cardinals will file into the Vatican’s frescoed Sistine Chapel after a public Mass in St. Peter’s Basilica and start their secret conclave for a successor to Pope Francis, who died last month.

No pope has been elected on the first day of a conclave for centuries, so voting could continue for several days before one of the red-hatted princes of the Church receives the necessary two-thirds majority to become the 267th pontiff.
There will be only one ballot on Wednesday. Thereafter, the cardinals can vote as many as four times a day. Black smoke from a chimney on the roof of the chapel will mark an inconclusive vote, while white smoke and the peeling of bells will signal that the 1.4-billion member church has a new leader.
The pope’s influence reaches well beyond the Catholic Church, providing a moral voice and a call to conscience that no other global leader can match.

Cardinals in recent days have offered different assessments of what they are looking for in the next pontiff.
While some have called for continuity with Francis’ vision of greater openness and reform, others have said they want to turn the clock back and embrace old traditions. Many have indicated they want a more predictable, measured pontificate.
A record 133 cardinals from 70 countries will enter the Sistine Chapel, up from 115 from 48 nations in the last conclave in 2013 — growth that reflects Francis’ efforts to extend the reach of the Church to far-flung regions with few Catholics.
No clear favourite has emerged, although Italian Cardinal Pietro Parolin and Filipino Cardinal Luis Antonio Tagle are considered the front-runners.

NO EAVESDROPPING

However, if it quickly becomes obvious that neither can win, votes are likely to shift to other contenders, with the electors possibly coalescing around geography, doctrinal affinity or common languages.

Among other potential candidates are France’s Jean-Marc Aveline, Hungary’s Peter Erdo, American Robert Prevost and Italy’s Pierbattista Pizzaballa.
“Wait and see. It takes some patience,” Italian Cardinal Mario Zenari told reporters on Tuesday.
As in medieval times, the cardinals will be banned from communicating with outsiders during the conclave, and the Vatican has taken high-tech measures to ensure secrecy, including jamming devices to prevent any eavesdropping.
The average length of the last 10 conclaves was just over three days and none went on for more than five days. A 2013 conclave lasted just two days.
The cardinals will be looking to wrap things up quickly again this time to avoid giving the impression that they are divided or that the Church is adrift.
Some 80% of the cardinals who enter the Sistine Chapel on Wednesday were appointed by Francis, increasing the possibility that his successor will in some way continue his progressive policies despite strong pushback from traditionalists.

Source : https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/vatican-conclave-pick-new-pope-world-waits-white-smoke-2025-05-07/

ACTOR Michael B. Jordan will not testify at Sean “Diddy” Combs’ trial despite his name being included on a list of 190 celebrities and public figures presented to possible jurors, according to reports.

Jordan’s name was brought up on the first day of jury selection as a pool of potential jurors were quizzed on their knowledge of a list of celebrities who could be referenced during the eight-week trial.

Jordan, 38, will not be called to testify against Combs, according to Rolling Stone.

The Creed actor’s name was included on the list because he had a brief relationship with Combs’ ex, Cassandra “Cassie” Ventura in 2015, the outlet reported.

In her 2023 complaint against Combs, 55, Ventura claimed that during a break in their on-and-off relationship, she “began a flirtatious relationship with an actor” while in Cape Town, South Africa, in 2015.

The actor’s name was not mentioned in the lawsuit, but media outlets reported the movie star was Jordan.

Ventura, 38, further claimed she spent New Year’s Eve with the actor, and when Combs learned of the relationship, he “called the actor and threatened him.”

The lawsuit states, “The actor proceeded to call Ms. Ventura and tell her, ‘You really need to call [Mr. Combs].'”

Jordan’s representatives did not respond to a request for comment from The U.S. Sun.

JURY SELECTION UNDERWAY

A pool of potential jurors was going through a rigorous vetting process by federal prosecutors and defense attorneys as day two of jury selection continued on Tuesday.

On day one, possible jurors were given a 17-page form with 31 questions asking if they or a family member or a friend had been victims of sexual assault, sexual harassment, or domestic violence.

Jurors were also grilled on their knowledge of Combs, his celebrity status, and details of the federal indictment he’s facing.

In addition to the questions, jurors also received a list of people and places connected to Combs in various ways and who could come up during the trial.

The list of people included high-profile names like rappers Kid Cudi and Kanye West, Destiny’s Child singer Michelle Williams, actors Mike Myers and Lauren London, and singer Dawn Richard, who was previously signed to Combs’ Bad Boy Records.

‘DIDDY’S RAGE’

It’s reported rapper Kid Cudi was previously in a romantic relationship with Ventura.

Cudi is also believed to be a victim of an alleged car bombing by Combs in 2011.

Ventura claimed that during a “rough patch” with Combs she had a brief relationship with Cudi but the Bad Boy Records executive “became enraged” after he found emails between her and the Day ‘N’ Nite rapper, 41.

Ventura went on to claim that Comb warned her that he was going “to blow up Kid Cudi’s car,” and around the same time, Cudi’s car “exploded in his driveway.”

A spokesperson for Cudi confirmed Ventura’s account to The New York Times in 2023, saying, “This is all true.”

REJECTED PLEA DEAL

Combs will be tried over five criminal counts, which include sex trafficking and racketeering conspiracy ranging from across a 20-year period.

The former music producer denies all of the allegations against him.

He has continued to plead his innocence since being arrested in September 2024.

Opening arguments are expected to begin on May 12.

Combs turned down a last-minute plea deal just days before the start of his bombshell sex trafficking trial.

The trial will not begin until all 12 members of the jury, including alternate jurors, are seated.

The trial is expected to continue for at least eight weeks.

MEGHAN Markle has shared a rare picture of Prince Archie to celebrate his sixth birthday.

Sharing the stunning picture on social media, the Duchess of Sussex celebrated her “sweet boy”, while Harry missed the celebrations.

It was confirmed last week that the Duke of Sussex would miss his son’s birthday celebrations as he would be launching a new initiative in Las Vegas.

In a sweet picture on Instagram, Archie, now aged six, can be seen leaning on a barrier and wearing striped clothes as he gazes off into the sea, with the sun setting in the background.

A halo-like effect is also made by the sun around the young prince’s head in the rare snap.

Meghan captioned the post: “Our son. Our sun.

“Happy 6th birthday to Archie!

“Thank you for all of the love, prayers, and warm wishes for our sweet boy. He’s six! Where did the time go?

“(And for all of you who came to celebrate with us at his party last weekend, thank you for making his birthday so incredibly special)”.

While Archie is set to celebrate his birthday today with mum Meghan and sister Lilibet, Harry will be busy in Nevada launching his new initiative for young people.

But this won’t be the first time Harry missed Archie’s birthday, after the royal skipped the celebrations two years ago due to his attendance at the coronation of his dad, King Charles.

While in Vegas, Harry will launch his Pledge to Invest scheme, created in collaboration with the Diana Award.

The scheme is designed as an “opportunity for forward-thinking businesses to make a strategic, measurable and high-impact investment in the future of youth leadership.”

While in the Nevada city, Harry will also met two young recipients of The Legacy Award, which was set up in memory of his late mum Diana and honours exceptional social action and humanitarian work.

This comes just days after the Duchess of Sussex shared three rare snaps of Princess Lilibet and Prince Archie.

Meghan, 43, posted the adorable pictures of her daughter, aged three, and son on Instagram.

Captioning the rare moment, Meghan wrote: “Sunday kind of love….with my little loves.”

The mum-of-two even featured in the first as she appears to hold a pink rose on a sunny day in front of her children.

Source : https://www.the-sun.com/royals/14176913/meghan-markle-prince-archie-birthday-photo-harry/

Talk about the fashion police!

There was some Met Gala mayhem away from the red carpet when a brouhaha blew up between New York cops and celebrity stylist Jessica Paster outside of the Carlyle. The fashionista claims to Page Six she was “manhandled” while trying to follow NYPD instructions.

Paster was in town for the biggest night in fashion to style famed Olympian Simone Biles, actress Quinta Brunson and model Miranda Kerr.

Just hours before the opulent fete at Metropolitan Museum of Art, a crowd gathered outside the tony Carlyle hotel — where celebs get dressed for the event — hoping to catch a glimpse of an A-lister. But there was a different kind of spectacle when Paster got into a scuffle with police on the scene.

In wild footage captured on a live feed set up by Reuters to video celebs exiting the hotel, a sweatsuit-clad Paster is seen screaming at cops and security, “I’m staying at this hotel,” as they try and hold her from entering the lobby.

In the video, it appears that NYPD officers and security are trying to keep her from one entrance of the hotel — and she then attempts to barge into another door when two cops forcibly grab her and haul her away.

An apparent employee of the hotel then intervenes, video shows, and leads Paster back towards the hotel.

But the top stylist storms back to try and find the policewoman who grabbed her.

“I’m so mad right now,” Paster can be heard yelling, as she snaps a pic of one of the cops. (She also seemingly says she’s going to sue “the New York police.”)

Paster later told Page Six of the incident that she was trying to follow instructions, and that the cops were overzealous.

“I want to say that I am just a person staying at a hotel minding my own business, having the credentials on my wrist and I got manhandled,” she told Page Six.

“I listened to people. They said go through the service door and when I did, they said go back to the lobby. And all of a suddenly they attacked me, they manhandled me.”

Paster says she was hurt in the altercation.

“I am in a lot of pain,” she told us. “She [the cop] is lucky she didn’t break my arms.”

Security at the swanky Upper East Side spot, where rooms go for thousands, was especially high during the event as celebs like Sydney Sweeny, Rihanna and J. Balvin were at the hotel getting ready.

Paster tells us she was given a wristband for hotel access, and that she showed it to police, but they ignored it.

Her assistant also chimed in, saying in Paster’s defense, “Anyone would have the reaction [she did] if they were grabbed out of nowhere after following instructions.”

Paster is a well known stylist in the industry and has been behind the dazzling looks of stars like Emily Blunt and Aubrey Plaza.

A source tells us the video — which first was posted by on Daily Mail, but only identified Paster as a “furious guest” — was the talk of the night, circulating like wildfire amongst fashion industry insiders.

Source : https://pagesix.com/2025/05/06/style/celeb-stylist-jessica-paster-had-met-gala-run-in-with-cops/

Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy vows to modernize America’s air-traffic control system — and not a moment too soon. Especially for Newark Liberty International Airport.

Last week, a burnt out copper wire triggered a 90-second radar and communications blackout that left controllers blind to arriving and departing planes.

Meanwhile, thousands of Newark flights have been canceled, delayed or diverted, thanks in part to an air-traffic-controller shortage as well as a rehab project that’s closed one of its two main runways.

United Airlines, which operates 75% of Newark’s flights, is cutting back its schedule there and even offering free rebooking to avoid Newark connections.

But New York is the largest city in the most important nation on Earth; without Newark, the metro area would have just one international airport, Kennedy. Paris has three; London, six.

The region needs a second international airport (if not a third) that runs well; too bad the Port Authority, which operates the airports, has devolved into a corrupt pork farm that serves vested interests far better than the general public and has long resisted common-sense reforms.

But the Code Red isn’t just for Newark: The whole country faces a critical lack of air-traffic controllers, with the Federal Aviation Administration looking to hire another 3,000 even as union rules further complicate management issues.

Plus, equipment is old, faulty and out of date.

The Government Accountability Office says three out of four FAA systems may have “critical operational impacts.”

Congress ordered a modernization in 2003, but key system upgrades, per the GAO, are at least six to 10 years off.

Will it take a disaster to spark quicker action?

Maybe not: Duffy plans to roll out a major plan Thursday to address infrastructure woes, and has already offered $5,000 bonuses to boost ATC recruitment.

“We are going to radically transform the way air traffic control looks,” he vows.

“We’re going to build a brand new air-traffic-control system, from new telecom to new radars to new infrastructure.”

Actually, America’s best bet might be to do what many other nations have done: privatize air-traffic control.

The fact is that politics hamstrings the FAA, slowing modernization as government rules and bureaucracy also drag out upgrades and create a work culture that leads to high turnover.

Source : https://nypost.com/2025/05/06/opinion/code-red-at-newark-modernize-air-traffic-control-before-its-too-late/

US and Chinese officials are set to start talks this week to try to deescalate a trade war between the world’s two biggest economies.

Chinese Vice Premier He Lifeng will attend the talks in Switzerland from 9 to 12 May, China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs says.

US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and US Trade Representative (USTR) Jamieson Greer will represent Washington at the meeting, their offices announced.

Since returning to the White House, President Donald Trump has imposed new import taxes on Chinese goods of up to 145%. Beijing has hit back with levies on some goods from the US of 125%.

But global trade experts have told the BBC that they expect negotiations to take several months.

It will be the first high-level interaction between the two countries since Chinese Vice-President Han Zheng attended Trump’s inauguration in January.

Mr Bessent said he looked forward to rebalancing the international economic system to better serve the interests of the US.

“My sense is that this will be about de-escalation, not about the big trade deal, but we’ve got to de-escalate before we can move forward,” he said in an interview with Fox News.

“If the United States wants to resolve the issue through negotiations, it must face up to the serious negative impact of unilateral tariff measures on itself and the world,” a Chinese commerce ministry spokesperson said on Wednesday morning.

Chinese state media reported that Beijing had decided to engage with the US after fully considering global expectations, the country’s interests and appeals from American businesses.

The report added that China’s is open to talks but reiterated that if the country decides to continue to fight this trade war – it will fight to the end.

The trade war has triggered turmoil in financial markets and sent shockwaves across global trade.

Two trade experts told the BBC that they were not particularly optimistic about the talks, at least in the initial phase.

“You have to start somewhere, so I’m not saying it isn’t worthwhile. Just unlikely to be the launch event people are hoping to see,” said Deborah Elms, Head of Trade Policy at the Hinrich Foundation.

“We should expect to see a lot of back and forth, just like what happened last time in 2018,” Henry Gao, Professor of Law at Singapore Management University and a former Chinese lawyer on the World Trade Organization secretariat said.

“I would expect the talks to drag on for several months or even more than a year”.

Financial markets in mainland China and Hong Kong rose on Wednesday as investors reacted to the news and Chinese authorities announced measures to support the economy.

US stock futures were also higher. Futures are contracts to buy or sell an underlying asset at a future date and are an indication of how markets will trade when they open.

Source : https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c8rgrejkvmjo

All signals are expected to be turned off at 3 pm local time on Wednesday.

As the Catholic Church prepares for a historic decision, the Vatican will block all mobile phone signals on Wednesday afternoon, according to CNN, which cited Italian media reports.

This step is being taken ahead of the secretive vote to select the next pope, who will succeed Pope Francis who passed away on April 21.

Special signal jammers

To ensure full privacy during the conclave, special signal jammers will also be used around the Sistine Chapel. These will stop any attempts at digital communication or spying while the 133 cardinals carry out the papal election, CNN said, citing the Italian news agency ANSA.

All signals are expected to be turned off at 3 pm (local time) on Wednesday – about 90 minutes before the cardinals head to the chapel to begin the vote, according to Italian broadcaster RAI.

Earlier this week, the Vatican confirmed that all 133 cardinals taking part in the conclave have now arrived in Rome. The pope has always been selected in a closed-door gathering called the “conclave” – Latin for “with key” – highlighting how the doors are locked until a decision is made. The tradition dates back centuries.

U.S. President Donald Trump and Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney faced off in the Oval Office on Tuesday and showed no signs of retreating from their gaping differences in an ongoing trade war that has shattered decades of trust between the two countries.

The two kept it civil, but as for Trump’s calls to make Canada the 51st state, Carney insisted his nation was “not for sale” and Trump shot back, “time will tell.”

Asked by a reporter if there was anything Carney could tell him to lift his tariffs of as much as 25% on Canada, Trump bluntly said: “No.”

The U.S. president added for emphasis, “Just the way it is.”

Carney acknowledged that no bit of rhetoric on tariffs would be enough to sway Trump, saying that “this is a bigger discussion.”

“There are much bigger forces involved,” the Canadian leader continued. “And this will take some time and some discussions. And that’s why we’re here, to have those discussions.”

The meeting between the two leaders showcased the full spectrum of Trump’s unique mix of aggression, hospitality and stubbornness.

Shortly before Carney’s arrival, Trump insulted Canada by posting on social media that the United States didn’t need “ANYTHING” from its northern neighbor, only to then turn on the charm and praise Carney’s election win in person before showing his obstinance on matters of policy substance.

Carney won the job of prime minister by promising to confront the increased aggression shown by Trump, even as he has preserved the calm demeanor of an economist who has led the central banks of both Canada and the United Kingdom.

At times, Carney struggled to interject his views and raised his hand to talk as Trump held forth at length and veered between topics, touching on California Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom, Carney’s predecessor, Justin Trudeau, and teasing a “great” upcoming announcement that’s “not necessarily on trade.”

Trump offended Canada’s sense of pride and friendship by saying he wants to make Canada the 51st U.S. state and levying steep tariffs against an essential partner in the manufacturing of autos and the supply of oil, electricity and other goods. The outrage provoked by Trump enabled Carney’s Liberal Party to score a stunning comeback victory last month as the trade war and attacks on Canadian sovereignty have outraged voters.

Trump said the two would not discuss making Canada part of the U.S., even as he insisted the idea would lead to lower taxes for Canadians.

“It’s not for sale,” Carney said. “It won’t be for sale. Ever. But the opportunity is in the partnership and what we can build together.”

Trump persisted by saying that the United States did not want to buy autos from Canada, even if the vehicles were also assembled in America. The U.S. leader insisted that the $63 billion trade deficit in goods — which he inflated to $200 billion — was a subsidy that needed to come an end.

The meeting never devolved into the outburst that the public saw in Trump’s meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, who was berated by the U.S. president and his team for not being sufficiently deferential. Nor did it have the ease of Trump’s sit down with the United Kingdom’s Prime Minister Keir Starmer, who invited Trump for a visit provided by King Charles III.

Carney later described his conversation with Trump as “wide ranging” and “constructive,” telling reporters that the prospect is there for positive negotiations but there would be “zigs and zags.” Carney said he stressed the value that Canadian companies and factories created for U.S. automakers while stressing that it was unfair to assume one meeting could resolve any differences.

“I wouldn’t have expected white smoke coming out of this meeting,” Carney said after the Tuesday meeting, referencing the signal that a new pope has been selected.

Carney said that he privately asked Trump to stop calling Canada the 51st state during their meeting. But when pressed on how Trump responded, the Canadian prime minister said: “He’s the president. He’s his own person.”

Trump was later asked if he would give Carney the same “governor” nickname that he had put on Trudeau. The nickname was a slight meant to imply that Canada’s leader would eventually be just one of many U.S. governors.

“As far as calling him Gov. Carney, no, I haven’t done that yet, and maybe I won’t,” Trump said. “I did have a lot of fun with Trudeau. But I think this is, this is a big step. It’s a good step up for Canada.”

Trump added that the meeting with Carney had been “great” and that he thought the ongoing relationship would be “strong.”

A senior Canadian government official said the president asked Carney his perspective on a variety of foreign policy issues including Iran, Russia, Ukraine and China. The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity as they were not authorized to speak publicly about the matter, said Trump was looking forward to the G-7 meeting in Alberta, Canada.

The stakes of the meeting were high and the messages beforehand mixed. Trump told reporters on Monday that he wasn’t quite sure why Carney was visiting.

“I’m not sure what he wants to see me about,” Trump said. “But I guess he wants to make a deal.”

U.S. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick further stoked doubts about their interest in repairing the relationship with Canada in a Monday interview on Fox Business Network’s “Kudlow” show.

Asked if the U.S. could make a deal with Canada, Lutnick called the country a “socialist regime” that has been “basically feeding off America.” Lutnick said Tuesday’s meeting would be “fascinating.”

Carney, at a Friday news conference ahead of his trip, said the talks would focus on immediate trade pressures and the broader economic and national security relationships. He said his “government would fight to get the best deal for Canada” and “take all the time necessary” to do so, even as Canada pursues a parallel set of talks to deepen relations with other allies and lessen its commitments with the U.S.

Trump has maintained that the U.S. doesn’t need anything from Canada. He is actively going after a Canadian auto sector built largely by U.S. companies, saying, “They’re stopping work in Mexico, and they’re stopping work in Canada, and they’re all moving here.” He also said the U.S. doesn’t need Canada’s energy — though nearly one-fourth of the oil that the U.S. consumes daily comes from the province of Alberta.

The president has also disparaged Canada’s military commitments despite a partnership that ranges from the beaches of Normandy in World War II to remote stretches of Afghanistan. He said on Tuesday with Carney that the U.S. would continue to provide national security support to Canada.

Trump has imposed 25% tariffs on steel and aluminum and tariffs on other products outside the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement, in some cases ostensibly to address relatively low volumes of fentanyl intercepted at the northern border. That has jeopardized a closely entwined trade relationship as Canada sees an increasing need to build relations with the European Union and other nations.

Source : https://apnews.com/article/canada-prime-minister-carney-trump-c279642998197ecb212f39bf38184388

An Israeli plan to seize the Gaza Strip and expand the military operation has alarmed many in the region. Palestinians are exhausted and hopeless, pummeled by 19 months of heavy bombing. Families of Israeli hostages still being held in Gaza are terrified that the possibility of a ceasefire is slipping further away.

“What’s left for you to bomb?” asked Moaz Kahlout, a displaced man from Gaza City who said many resort to GPS to locate the rubble of homes wiped out in the war.

Israeli officials said Monday that Cabinet ministers approved the plan to seize Gaza and remain in the Palestinian territory for an unspecified amount of time — news that came hours after the military chief said the army was calling up tens of thousands of reserve soldiers.

Details of the plan were not formally announced, and its exact timing and implementation were not clear. It may be another measure by Israel to try to pressure Hamas into making concessions in ceasefire negotiations.

The war began after Hamas-led militants attacked southern Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, killing some 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and abducting 251. Israel says 59 captives remain in Gaza. U.S. President Donald Trump said Tuesday that three more hostages have been confirmed dead, leaving 21 still believed alive.

Israel’s ensuing offensive has killed more than 52,000 people in Gaza, many of them women and children, according to Palestinian health officials, who don’t distinguish between combatants and civilians in their count.

“They destroyed us, displaced us and killed us,” said Enshirah Bahloul, a woman from the southern city of Khan Younis. “We want safety and peace in this world. We do not want to remain homeless, hungry, and thirsty.”

Some Israelis are also opposed to the plan. Hundreds of people protested outside the parliament Monday as the government opened for its summer session. One person was arrested.

Families of hostages held in Gaza are afraid of what an expanded military operation or seizure could mean for their relatives.

“I don’t see the expansion of the war as a solution — it led us absolutely nowhere before. It feels like déjà vu from the year ago,” said Adi Alexander, father of Israeli-American Edan Alexander, a soldier captured in the Oct. 7 attack.

The father is pinning some hopes on Trump’s visit to the Middle East, set for next week. Israeli leaders have said they don’t plan to expand the operation in Gaza until after Trump’s visit, leaving the door open for a possible deal. Trump isn’t expected to visit Israel, but he and other American officials have frequently spoken about Edan Alexander, the last American-Israeli held in Gaza who is still believed to be alive.

Moshe Lavi, the brother-in-law of Omri Miran, 48, the oldest hostage still believed to be alive, said the family was concerned about the plan.

“We hope it’s merely a signal to Hamas that Israel is serious in its goal to dismantle its governmental and military capabilities as a leverage for negotiations, but it’s unclear whether this is an end or a means,” he said.

Meanwhile, every day, dozens of Palestinians gather outside a charity kitchen that distributes hot meals to displaced families in southern Gaza. Children thrust pots or buckets forward, pushing and shoving in a desperate attempt to bring food to their families.

“What should we do?” asked Sara Younis, a woman from the southernmost city of Rafah, as she waited for a hot meal for her children. “There’s no food, no flour, nothing.”

Israel cut off Gaza from all imports in early March, leading to dire shortages of food, medicine and other supplies. Israel says the goal is to pressure Hamas to free the remaining hostages.

Aid organizations have warned that malnutrition and hunger are becoming increasingly prevalent in Gaza. The United Nations says the vast majority of the population relies on aid.

Aid groups have expressed concerns that gains to avert famine made during this year’s ceasefire have been diminishing.

Like most aid groups in Gaza, Tikeya has run out of most food and has cooked almost exclusively pasta for the past two weeks.

Source : https://apnews.com/article/israel-palestinians-gaza-war-plan-reaction-e11aa45f829100c6e9b8afdaa4b2567f

Columbia University said Tuesday that it will be laying off nearly 180 staffers in response to President Donald Trump’s decision to cancel $400 million in funding over the Manhattan college’s handling of student protests against the war in Gaza.

Those receiving non-renewal or termination notices Tuesday represent about 20% of the employees funded in some manner by the terminated federal grants, the university said in a statement Tuesday.

“We have had to make deliberate, considered decisions about the allocation of our financial resources,” the university said. “Those decisions also impact our greatest resource, our people. We understand this news will be hard.”

University spokesperson Jessica Murphy declined to say whether more layoffs were expected, but said Columbia is taking a range of steps to create financial flexibility, including maintaining current salary levels and offering voluntary retirement incentives.

Research will also be scaled back, with some departments winding down studies and others maintaining some level of research while pursuing alternate funding.

The work impacted ranges from a project to develop an antiviral nasal spray for infectious diseases to various scientific studies on maternal mortality and morbidity, treatments for chronic illnesses such as long COVID, caring for newborns with opioid withdrawal syndrome and screenings for colorectal cancer, according to the university.

The layoffs, while expected, were “dispiriting” for faculty, said Marcel Agueros, secretary of Columbia’s chapter of the American Association of University Professors, which has filed a federal lawsuit against the Trump administration arguing the cuts are unlawful.

University officials say they’re working with the Trump administration in the hopes of getting the funding restored. But Agueros, an astronomy professor, said it will take years to undo the damage already inflicted.

“When there’s an interruption in funding, people have to leave, new people can’t be hired, some initiatives have to be put on hold, others need to be stopped, so research stops moving forward,” he said.

In March, the Trump administration pulled the funding over what it described as the Ivy League school’s failure to squelch antisemitism on campus during the Israel-Hamas war that began in October 2023.

Within weeks, Columbia capitulated to a series of demands laid out by the Republican administration as a starting point for restoring the funding.

Among the requirements was overhauling the university’s student disciplinary process, banning campus protesters from wearing masks, barring demonstrations from academic buildings, adopting a new definition of antisemitism and putting the Middle Eastern studies program under the supervision of a vice provost who would have a say over curriculum and hiring.

After Columbia announced the changes, U.S. Education Secretary Linda McMahon said the university was “ on the right track,” but declined to say when or if Columbia’s funding would be restored. Spokespersons for the federal education department didn’t immediately respond to an email seeking comment Tuesday.

Source : https://apnews.com/article/columbia-layoffs-campus-protests-trump-funding-antisemitism-ec6d152048d921bd1764ec11a287bbdd

Indian forces targeted the headquarters of the banned Jaish-e-Mohammed and Lashkar-e-Taiba groups in the missile attacks against terror infrastructure in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Jammu and Kashmir in the early hours of Wednesday.

India attacked nine terrorist camps in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (POK) early on Wednesday following a deadly attack in Jammu and Kashmir’s Pahalgam last month. At least eight people were killed in the missile attack, according to Pakistan, which said it had begun retaliating in a major escalation between the nuclear-armed rivals.

The Indian army also said that three civilians had been killed overnight by artillery fired by Pakistan’s army along the de facto Line of Control border.

Reacting to the rising India-Pakistan tensions, US President Donald Trump called it a shame and hoped that it would end “very quickly.”

“It’s a shame, we just heard about it,” Trump told reporters at the White House. “I guess people knew something was going to happen based on a little bit of the past. They’ve been fighting for a long time.”

The US president added: “I just hope it ends very quickly.”

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said on X he was “monitoring the situation between India and Pakistan closely” while adding that Washington will continue to engage the nuclear-armed Asian neighbours towards a “peaceful resolution.”

The Indian Embassy in Washington said Indian National Security Adviser Ajit Doval spoke with Rubio and briefed him about India’s military actions.

United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres was very concerned about Indian military operations in Pakistan and Pakistan-administered Kashmir, his spokesperson said on Tuesday while calling for maximum military restraint from India and Pakistan.

“The Secretary-General is very concerned about the Indian military operations across the Line of Control and the international border. He calls for maximum military restraint from both countries,” the spokesperson said.

“The world cannot afford a military confrontation between India and Pakistan.”

Indian Strike On Pakistan

Indian forces targeted the headquarters of the banned Jaish-e-Mohammed and Lashkar-e-Taiba groups in the missile attacks against terror infrastructure in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Jammu and Kashmir in the early hours of Wednesday, officials said.

Among the nine sites targeted are the JeM headquarters in Bahawalpur and the LeT’s in Muridke, both in Pakistan Punjab, they said.

A Pakistani armed forces spokesperson confirmed tothe  BBC in an interview that the IAF had targeted Bahawalpur and Muridke.

Source : https://www.ndtv.com/world-news/how-world-leaders-reacted-to-indian-strikes-on-terror-camps-in-pakistan-8349407

Catholic cardinals entering a conclave on Wednesday to pick a new pope do not yet have a clear idea of who will emerge as Pope Francis’ successor, several said, and speeches by individual clerics in meetings this week may be decisive.
The 133 cardinals are holding near daily meetings to discuss issues facing the 1.4-billion-member Catholic Church before the conclave, when they will be sequestered in a hotel and barred from contact with the outside world.

While there are a few cardinals seen as front-runners to succeed Pope Francis — two often mentioned are Italian Cardinal Pietro Parolin and Filipino Cardinal Luis Antonio Tagle — many of the clerics who will vote have not made up their minds.
“My list is changing, and I think it will continue to change over the next few days,” British Cardinal Vincent Nichols, participating in his first conclave, told Reuters. “It’s a process which for me is far from concluded, far from concluded.”
As the cardinals are meeting this week in what are called “general congregations,” individual clerics can offer speeches to give their vision for the future of the global faith.

During the 2013 conclave, it was in this period that Argentine Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio gave a speech that, by many accounts, deeply impressed his peers. Days later, he was elected as Francis.
Nichols, the highest-ranking Church official in England and Wales, said the speeches this time have again been pivotal in helping form opinions about who could be the next pope.
“There’ll be these moments when like a stone is dropped into a pond and the ripples will go out and I’ll sit there thinking, ‘Ah, yeah, that’s important,'” said the cardinal.
Asked about whether there are cardinal front-runners who are more likely to become pope, Nichols replied: “I came with a few ideas … (and) they have changed.”
Cardinal William Goh Seng Chye, the archbishop of Singapore, told Il Messaggero newspaper that he also did not know who the next pope might be. “It may seem strange, but we really do not know,” he said. “We have not yet begun to vote, so we don’t know. The game is still going on.”

COMPARING NOTES AT DINNER

The cardinals are meeting for two pre-conclave sessions on Monday and are expected to have at least one more on Tuesday.
The conclave itself begins Wednesday morning with the celebration of a special Mass in St. Peter’s Basilica.
In the afternoon, the cardinals will formally process into the Sistine Chapel, the storied 15th century worship space adorned with frescoes by Michelangelo, where they will begin voting for the next pope.
They are expected to take one vote on Wednesday afternoon. Subsequent days will have two votes each morning and afternoon. It takes a two-thirds majority for someone to be elected.
According to conclave regulations, if no-one has been chosen after the first three days, the cardinals should take a day-long “pause of prayer” before continuing.
The only signal given to the outside world about the deliberations will come from a chimney installed above the chapel. The cardinals will burn their ballots, adding a chemical product to create one of two colours of smoke: black for a inconclusive vote; white when there is a new pope.

Source : https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/who-will-be-next-pope-even-cardinals-dont-know-2025-05-05/

The Trump administration says it is going to pay immigrants in the United States illegally $1,000 plus travel costs if they leave voluntarily as it accelerates its mass deportation agenda.

The Department of Homeland Security said Monday that people who use the CBP Home app to announce their “self-deportations” would get the money and be “deprioritized” for detention and removal.

Trump administration asks judge to toss lawsuit restricting abortion medication

A PARACHUTIST who died after jumping from 10,000ft is believed to have left a suicide note.

Jade Damarell, 32, who had successfully completed more than 400 jumps, died instantly when she hit the ground without her chute opening.

As friends and colleagues paid tribute to the “beautiful” marketing manager, her skydiving club said it appeared to be “a deliberate act”.

Nearby farm worker Nigel Wreford, 56, added: “I’ve been told by quite a few people that she knew what she was doing — she had apparently left a suicide note.”

A traumatised parachutist who jumped with Jade on her fatal fall last Sunday ran to Mr Wreford’s house close to Sky-High Skydiving near Peterlee, Co Durham.

Mr Wreford added: “My wife was here when it happened and spoke to a parachutist who was coming out of the field.

“You can’t imagine how traumatic it must have been.

“She said he was in a hell of a state. He was very incoherent. It’s horrible. I can’t stop thinking about the girl and her family.”

Jade studied marketing at university in Leeds before marrying solicitor James Damarell in 2019.

They lived in Yorkshire but were thought to have separated.

At the end of last year she moved into rented digs used by enthusiasts from the Peterlee centre.

A friend of Jade’s said: “This wasn’t an accident. We believe she intended to take her life, sadly.

“She chose not to open her parachute and she landed on her back.”

The skydiving club added in a statement: “It is with great sadness that we confirm a tragic incident took place involving a valued member of our community.

“All indications from the police and British Skydiving are that this was a deliberate act taken to end her own life.”

Jade had previously persuaded her mum to complete a jump at the Peterlee centre, despite her fear of heights.

Liz Samuel, of Caerphilly, South Wales, posted pictures online and wrote: “Such a bucket-list moment.

“Firstly watching my beautiful daughter Jade free-fly solo right before me, like a ninja.

“Just wow . . . over a minute in freefall from 15,500ft, at around 120mph. Considering my fear of heights I still can’t quite believe I did it!

“This experience makes me even more proud of Jade’s amazing free-fly skills.”

It is the third fatal incident at the base in recent years.

Last April videographer Sam Cornwell, 46, of Hampshire, landed on a roof at a nearby industrial estate after failing to complete a safe landing.

Pamela Gower, 49, from Hebburn, South Tyneside, also died during a charity skydive there in 2016.

Tributes poured in for Jade, with Chris Brown posting a snap of them in a plane together. He said: “Forever in my heart.”

Danni Willis, who worked at the centre, added: “Such a beautiful girl inside and out.”

Durham Police said Jade was pronounced dead at the scene last Sunday morning.

Source : https://www.the-sun.com/news/14149499/skydive-death-jade-damarell-suicide-note/

A MUM and son tourist pair have died in flash floods that hit an ancient city, as hundreds were evacuated.

Dramatic footage shows water cascading into Petra, Jordan – one of the seven wonders of the world – and authorities urging everyone out.

Streams sprung up and poured down the mountainsides into the famous gully, gushing past the elaborate carved palace.

Search and rescue teams found the bodies of the Belgian holidaymakers on Monday, a day after the woman and her three children were reported missing.

The other two kids were found alive on Sunday evening.

The family was part of a group of 18 tourists on an adventure tour in Wadi al-Nakhil.

A local official said the group was swept up in lightning floods that swept down from the mountains.

Fourteen other tourists, all Czechs, were rescued on Sunday.

The search was called off at 2am due to dangerous weather conditions and resumed on Monday, when the devastating discovery was made.

Jordan often contends with flash flooding when heavy rains overwhelms the bone-dry desert valleys.

More than 30 people perished when flash flooding hit Petra and Jordan’s Dead Sea coast in two separate disasters in 2018.

A schoolbus carrying 37 pupils and seven members of staff was washed away during a field trip near the Dead Sea.

Some 18 passengers died, most of whom were pupils younger than 14.

At least three people were killed in 2021 when their car was swept away.

Heavy rains began this season after low-pressure swept into southern Jordan, beckoning intense rain.

The dry valleys around Petra were transformed into rivers – including the Siq passageway which is the narrow entrance to the heritage site.

Footage posted to social media show panicked tourists fleeing to high ground as water gushed down the surrounding rock faces.

Authorities kicked into action and began shepherding the crowds to safety.

Petra is a revered archaeological site where buildings have been carved straight out of the rose-coloured rock.

Source : https://www.the-sun.com/news/14170197/mum-son-found-dead-tourist-hostpot-petra/

Authorities said the victims were security guards and miners. The region the mine is located in is under a state of emergency due to ongoing instability.

The bodies of thirteen people were found in a mine in Peru on Sunday after they were abducted a few days earlier.

The grim discovery was made in a gold mine in Peru’s Pataz province in the northern La Libertad region, situated around 560 miles (900 kilometers) from the capital Lima.

Mining is a key economic sector for Peru which is one of South America’s major producers of gold.

Victims discovered tied up

The mayor of Pataz, Aldo Carlos Marino, told broadcaster Canal N that the victims who were both miners and security guards, were found tied up in a pit.

“This morning, after intense search efforts, the police rescue team was able to recover the bodies of the 13 workers who were kidnapped […] by illegal miners in collusion with criminal elements,” mining company Poderosa said in a statement.

The victims had worked for a service provider used by Poderosa, a major gold mining outfit that has been targeted by armed groups involved in illegal mining operations.

Government launches probe after wave of violence

The area the mine is located in has been under a state of emergency for more than two years due to ongoing violence and unrest.

“The spiral of uncontrolled violence in Pataz is occurring despite the declaration of a state of emergency and the presence of a large police contingent which, unfortunately, has not been able to halt the deterioration of security conditions in the area,” Poderosa said.

Source : https://www.dw.com/en/peru-13-abducted-people-found-dead-in-gold-mine/a-72432837

Russia says Ukraine has launched an overnight drone attack targeting Moscow for the second night in a row.

All four of the capital’s major airports were closed for several hours to ensure safety but later reopened, Russia’s aviation watchdog Rosaviatsia said on Telegram.

Moscow’s mayor, Sergei Sobyanin, said on social media at least 19 Ukrainian drones had been destroyed before they reached the city “from different directions”. He said some of the debris had landed on one of the key highways into the city, but there were no casualties.

Ukraine has not yet commented. But the mayor of Kharkiv said Russia had also carried out drone strikes in the city overnight, as well as in the Kyiv area.

The governor of Ukraine’s Odesa region, Oleh Kiper, said one person was killed in a drone strike.

It is the second night in a row that Russia has reported a drone attack by Ukraine – on Monday, Russia’s defence ministry said it had destroyed 26 Ukrainian drones overnight.

Unconfirmed reports by Russian military bloggers suggested windows of an apartment in the south of Moscow were smashed.

As well as in Moscow, the governors of other Russian cities, including Penza and Voronezh, also said they had been targeted by drones overnight into Tuesday.

Since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine more than three years ago, Kyiv has launched several drone attacks on Moscow. Its biggest attack in March killed three people.

It comes after reports on Monday of fresh attempts by Ukraine to cross into Russia’s Kursk region.

Kyiv said it had hit a drone command unit in the Kursk region on Sunday near the Russian village of Tyotkino, according to the Ukrainian general staff.

In April, Moscow said it had regained control of the entire region, nine months after a Ukrainian forces launched a surprise invasion. Kyiv insists it still has soldiers operating across the border.

Also in Kursk, Russian officials reported an electrical substation in the town of Rylsk lost power on Monday after being damaged in an attack by Ukraine.

Two transformers at the substation in Rylsk had been damaged, according to acting governor of the Kursk region, Alexander Khinshtein, in a post on the Telegram messaging app.

He added two teenagers had been injured by shrapnel from the blast.

Multiple Russian military bloggers also reported that Ukrainian forces had attempted to cross into the village, posting images – as yet unverified by the BBC – of vehicles breaking through tank traps on the border.

On Monday, Ukrainian forces fired missiles over the border and crossed minefields in special vehicles, according to the bloggers.

“The enemy blew up bridges with rockets at night and launched an attack with armoured groups in the morning,” blogger RVvoenkor said according to Reuters news agency.

“The mine clearance vehicles began to make passages in the minefields, followed by armoured vehicles with troops. There is a heavy battle going on at the border.”

In a statement on Monday, Ukraine said: “Nine months after the start of the Kursk operation, Ukraine’s Defence Forces maintain a military presence on the territory of Russia’s Kursk region.”

While there has been no official response from Moscow, some military bloggers have also published maps showing opposing forces attempting to cross the border in two places towards Tyotkino – near where the drone command unit that was hit.

Source : https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c20xqdn04g3o

Amid escalating tensions between India and Pakistan, the closed-door meeting of the United Nations Security Council, convened at Pakistan’s request, concluded without any statement, resolution, or official outcome. No significant response emerged from the discussion. The meeting took place just hours after Secretary-General Antonio Guterres warned that the situation had reached its most volatile point in years.

Pakistan’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations, Asim Iftikhar Ahmad, once again misused the UN Security Council platform to spread false claims against India. In an attempt to divert attention from the Pahalgam terror attack that killed 26 civilians, Pakistan brought up the Kashmir issue, accusing India of military buildup and making provocative statements.

Ahmad also termed India’s recent suspension of the Indus Waters Treaty an “act of aggression,” in what India sees as a deliberate attempt to shift global focus away from Islamabad’s role in supporting cross-border terrorism.

Pakistan, currently a non-permanent member of the powerful 15-nation Security Council, had requested closed consultations to address the issue.

As the Council president for May, Greece scheduled a closed-door meeting for the afternoon of May 5. Unlike formal sessions held in the UNSC Chamber—where members convened around the iconic horse-shoe table—this consultation took place in a separate room next to the chamber.

Following the meeting, Pakistan’s UN envoy Asim Iftikhar Ahmad briefed reporters.

Prior to the UNSC meeting, India’s former Permanent Representative to the UN, Ambassador Syed Akbaruddin, told PTI that no “consequential outcome” can be expected from “a discussion where a party to the conflict seeks to shape perceptions by using its membership of the Council. India will parry such Pakistani efforts”.

In August 2019, China requested closed UNSC consultations to discuss India’s move to revoke the special status of Jammu and Kashmir. That meeting had ended without any outcome or statement from the powerful 15-nation UN organ, dealing a huge snub to Pakistan’s efforts, backed by Beijing, to internationalise the Kashmir issue, which an overwhelming majority in the Council stressed is a bilateral matter between New Delhi and Islamabad.

TENSIONS AT THEIR PEAK

On Monday morning, Guterres voiced concern over tensions between India and Pakistan being at “their highest in years”, saying “it pains me to see relations reaching a boiling point”. Guterres made the remarks to the press amid rising tensions between the two nuclear-armed neighbours following the April 22 Pahalgam terror attack in Jammu and Kashmir that killed 26 people.

Source : https://www.indiatoday.in/world/story/un-security-council-holds-closed-door-consultations-amid-india-pak-tensions-glbs-2720097-2025-05-06

Russia’s Deputy Permanent Representative Anna Evstigneeva, who attended the meeting, said, “We hope for de-escalation”.

Since India ramped up its preparations to punish the preparators of the April 22 Pahalgam terror attack, Pakistan has been in a panic mode. While Pakistan has been mobilising its army towards the borders, it also asked the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) to hold closed-door consultation on the evolving situation. What is interesting is that even after the meeting was called at the request of Pakistan, the Islamic nation failed to garner any support as the meeting ended with no outcomes, no statement and no official release. The fresh humiliation at the UNSC comes days after India thrashed Islamabad at the UNSC calling it a ‘terror-state’.

According to reports, the UN Security Council members raised tough questions for Pakistan at its informal session today. They refused to accept the “false flag” narrative and asked whether LeT was likely to be involved. There was broad condemnation of the terrorist attack and recognition of the need for accountability. Some members specifically brought up targeting of tourists on the basis of their religious faith. Many members expressed concern that Pakistan’s missile tests and nuclear rhetoric were escalatory factors. Pakistan’s efforts to internationalise the situation also failed. They were advised to sought out the issues bilaterally with India.

While the Security Council president President Evangelos Sekeris called the meeting ‘productive’, it did not yield any result. “The Security Council is always helpful in such efforts” to de-escalate. “It is the responsibility of the Council”. “It was a productive meeting and helpful”, he said.

Since the meeting was a closed consultation, its proceedings are secret without official records. Assistant Secretary-General Mohamed Khaled Khiari, who briefed the meeting, said on his way out that all want de-escalation. Russia’s Deputy Permanent Representative Anna Evstigneeva, who attended the meeting, said, “We hope for de-escalation”.

Sekeris convened the meeting at the request of Pakistan’s Permanent Representative Asim Iftikhar Ahmad. Ahmad called for a closed consultation because countries that are not members of the Council are not allowed to participate in it under Council procedures. That effectively shut out India, while Pakistan, as a current elected member, attended.

Before the meeting, Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said the situation was at a “boiling point” and asked the two countries to “step back from the brink”.

Source : https://zeenews.india.com/world/unsc-closed-door-meeting-on-indo-pak-tension-pakistan-faces-another-humiliation-2896332.html

The “fake” letter claimed to be an official communication from General Upendra Dwivedi, Chief of the Army Staff, to General Anil Chauhan, Chief of Defence Staff.

The Press Information Bureau on Monday issued a strict warning to social media users against pro-Pakistan X handles that have been circulating claims of a “leaked” communication letter between senior Indian Army officials.

The “fake” letter claimed to be an official communication from General Upendra Dwivedi, Chief of the Army Staff, to General Anil Chauhan, Chief of Defence Staff.

“Pro-Pakistan X accounts are sharing a fake letter claiming to be an official communication from General Upendra Dwivedi to General Anil Chauhan, Chief of Defence Staff,” the PIB Fact Check wrote in an X post, debunking the fake pro-Pakistan narrative.

See more

⚠️FAKE ALERT!

🚨 Pro-Pakistan X accounts are sharing a fake letter claiming to be an official communication from General Upendra Dwivedi to General Anil Chauhan, Chief of Defence Staff. #PIBFactCheck

🔹This is a malicious attempt to undermine the credibility of the Indian… pic.twitter.com/0x4PvPrw1B

— PIB Fact Check (@PIBFactCheck) May 5, 2025

Notably, the letter was widely shared by Pakistani X handles, which appeared to mock the confidentiality of Indian Army communications. However, no such letter was ever written.

Last month, the government debunked another pro-Pakistan narrative on social media, where Islamabad-based X users shared “leaked” confidential documents regarding the Indian Army’s preparedness following the recent terror attack in Pahalgam, Jammu and Kashmir.

In a post on X, PIB Fact Check dismissed the allegations, labelling the documents as “fake”.

“Pro-Pakistan social media accounts are falsely claiming that confidential documents related to the preparedness of the #IndianArmy have been leaked. #PIBFactCheck These documents are #FAKE,” PIB Fact Check wrote in an X post.

Source : https://www.news18.com/india/pro-pakistan-x-handles-share-leaked-indian-army-letter-govt-fact-checks-claim-9324774.html

 

Prospective jurors in Sean “Diddy” Combs’ sex trafficking trial acknowledged on Monday being familiar with allegations against the hip-hop mogul, seeing a video of him allegedly assaulting a woman and hearing a comedian joke about baby oil that prosecutors say was found in his residences.
But having followed the case in the media did not exclude them from potentially serving on the jury for a trial expected to last up to two months on charges of racketeering conspiracy, sex trafficking and transportation to engage in prostitution.

Combs, 55, has pleaded not guilty. The “Bad Boy Records” founder is known for elevating hip-hop in American culture in the 1990s and 2000s, and hosting lavish parties for the cultural elite in the Hamptons and Saint-Tropez.
In a 26th-floor courtroom in Lower Manhattan, U.S. District Judge Arun Subramanian questioned 32 prospective jurors one-by-one, a process known as voir dire, in a bid to seat a panel of 12 jurors and six alternates who can be fair and impartial to both sides despite heavy media coverage of the case.
Opening statements are scheduled for May 12.
Subramanian deemed 19 qualified to serve – including two who said they were fans of 1990s hip-hop – and the rest were dismissed. More will be questioned on Tuesday, and jury selection is expected to finish by the end of the week.

The judge’s goal is to choose 45 potential jurors who are qualified to serve, and lawyers for both sides will then have the opportunity to dismiss jurors without stating a reason.
With Combs looking on wearing dark glasses and sporting a salt-and-pepper goatee, one juror said they had seen a video on the news that showed Combs allegedly assaulting someone in a hotel. Subramanian decided that juror, referred to as Juror No. 5, was qualified for the panel after they assured the judge they would be a “blank slate entering this courtroom.”
A prospective juror was dismissed after writing in a screening questionnaire that a still image they had seen below a news headline of a woman on the floor in a hotel hallway and Combs standing near her “could be damning evidence.”
Last year, CNN broadcast surveillance footage of what it said was a 2016 incident in which Combs attacked his former girlfriend, the R&B singer Casandra Ventura, in the hallway of a Los Angeles hotel. Combs apologized after the footage aired.

The jury will be anonymous, which is frequently the case in high-profile trials in which jurors could face threats or harassment if their identities are known.
Prosecutors have said the incident depicted in the hotel surveillance video was evidence of how Combs used force and threats over a two-decade period to coerce women to take part in days-long, drug-fueled sexual performances with male sex workers, which the mogul called “Freak Offs.”

COMBS JAILED SINCE SEPTEMBER ARREST

Prosecutors say employees of Combs’ business empire helped the “Freak Offs,” including by booking hotel rooms, buying controlled substances and other items used during sex, and helping him cover up the activity. During raids of Combs’ homes, authorities found drugs and 1,000 bottles of baby oil and lubricant, prosecutors said.
One prospective juror said they had “liked” a video on social media in which a comedian joked about Combs and baby oil.
“I remember liking it because I thought it was funny,” said the juror, who Subramanian decided was qualified after they said they would be able to put the video aside and be impartial.
Combs’ lawyers say the hotel surveillance video depicted a domestic dispute over infidelity and was not evidence of sex trafficking. They are expected to argue that the sexual activity described by prosecutors was consensual.
Combs is the latest powerful man in the entertainment industry to be accused of sexual misconduct since the #MeToo movement encouraged women to speak up about abuse.
Since September he has been held at Brooklyn’s Metropolitan Detention Center, about an hour by subway from the Harlem neighborhood where he was born. His rags-to-riches life story is of a boy reared by a single mother who through perseverance grew up to live in mansions in Los Angeles and Miami.

Source : https://www.reuters.com/world/us/sean-diddy-combs-sex-trafficking-trial-kicks-off-with-jury-selection-2025-05-05/

PRESIDENT Donald Trump’s administration has offered illegal immigrants a free flight and a $1,000 check to self-deport out of the United States.

The Department of Homeland Security announced the “historic opportunity” on Monday, insisting it’ll benefit both illegal immigrants and the US government.

Illegal immigrants who use the US Customs and Border Protection Home App to self-deport will get travel assistance and be paid $1,000 in financial aid.

But the money will only be given after their return has been confirmed through the app.

In the DHS announcement, the agency said self-deportation is a “dignified way to leave the US and will allow illegal aliens to avoid being encountered by US Immigration and Customs Enforcement.”

The Trump administration said its new self-deportation incentive has “already proven successful.”

One immigrant took a flight home from Chicago to Honduras and others facing deportation have already booked flights for this week and next week, according to DHS.

“If you are here illegally, self-deportation is the best, safest, and most cost-effective way to leave the United States to avoid arrest,” DHS Secretary Kristi Noem said.

DHS expects the initiative to cut deportation costs paid by taxpayers by roughly 70%.

The average cost to arrest, detain, and deport an illegal immigrant is $17,121 per person, the agency said.

Even while paying for the stipend and commercial flights, having self-deport is expected to cost just about $4,500 per person on average, DHS told Fox News.

“This is the safest option for our law enforcement [and] aliens and is a 70% savings for US taxpayers,” Noem said.

Before the new initiative was announced, more than 5,000 illegal immigrants had already self-deported using the CBP Home app in April, Fox News Digital reported, citing DHS data.

TRUMP FLAUNTS IMMIGRATION SUCCESS

Trump touted his administration’s success in cracking down on illegal immigration as he celebrated the first 100 days of his second term last week.

Last Monday, the White House lawn was covered with signs featuring photos of alleged criminals who ICE arrested.

The crime they were accused of was written under their photo.

That same day, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt and Trump’s “border czar” Tom Homan gave a press conference in which they detailed record-low illegal immigration numbers.

Leavitt told reporters attempted illegal crossings into the US at the southern border hit historic lows in February and March.

This past March, US Border Patrol encountered just over 7,000 illegal immigrants, Leavitt said.

That is a 95% decrease from the 140,000 illegal immigrants that border agents encountered in March 2024 under the Joe Biden administration, according to Leavitt.

When one reporter asked Homan why there is still a national emergency at the southern border if illegal crossings are at a record low, Homan mentioned the damage caused by drug cartels and gangs.

“We gotta ensure that not one ounce of fentanyl comes across the border to kill Americans,” he said.

“The president has declared the cartels in Mexico a terrorist organization along with MS-13 and [Tren de Aragua].

“It’s an emergency until the cartels are wiped off the face of this Earth.”

Trump’s tough-on-immigration stance goes back to his first presidential campaign in 2016.

During the 2024 election cycle, Trump fiercely criticized the Biden administration’s handling of the southern border and promised the largest deportation in US history.

But carrying out a deportation of that scale is costly, so the Trump administration is pushing illegal immigrants to return to their native country on their own.

Meanwhile, the White House has also overseen several ICE raids like “Operation Tidal Wave” in Florida last month.

Federal agents arrested over 1,100 illegal immigrants and removed “several violent gang members” during the raid, according to ICE Deputy Director Madison Sheahan.

Source : https://www.the-sun.com/news/14168912/donald-trump-immigrants-self-deport-money-free-flight/

KIM Kardashian and Kylie Jenner dazzled after keeping fans at fashion’s biggest night waiting until the final minutes to wow them with their Met Gala looks.

Reality star Kim, 44, wore a long body con dress and fedora with several diamond necklaces and matching earrings as she was among the last to climb the museum’s iconic steps on Monday night.

She was closely followed by sister Kylie Jenner, who attended alone despite rumors her and Oscar-nominated boyfriend Timothee Chalamet would finally walk a red carpet together.

Gala co-chair A$AP Rocky also arrived alone despite partner Rihanna using the event to confirm her third pregnancy earlier in the evening.

The music superstar was pictured arriving at the nearby Carlyle Hotel wearing a tight skirt and top that showed off her bump.

The news was later confirmed by A$AP who told AP “it feels amazing.”

“It’s time that we show the people what we was cooking up. And I’m glad everybody’s happy for us ’cause we definitely happy, you know.”

Rihanna finally made an appearance at the Met just after 10pm where she showed off her bump once again.

Sabrina Carpenter and Madonna also stunned fans with their take on the theme.

The gala returned to the Metropolitan Museum of Art to raise money for the museum’s Costume Institute and kick off its annual exhibition.

Zendaya rocked the blue carpet wearing a bridal white Burberry suit, a possible nod to her engagement to actor and Spider-Man co-star Tom Holland.

Kerry Washington followed suit, wearing a white blazer and a sheer white skirt, accessorized with a hat that covered part of her face.

Kicking off the event, gala co-chairs Pharrell Williams and Lewis Hamilton lead the way, both wearing Louis Vuitton suits, as the biggest night of fashion celebrated the theme Superfine: Tailoring Black Style.

Diana Ross stunned the carpet after her 22-year absence, wearing an 18-foot gown dedicated to her family’s legacy.

The marvelous white gown featured crystals and hand-sewn beads topped with a wide-brim hat.

Actress Demi Moore wore a black and white striped sequin gown designed by Thom Browne, which resembled a man’s tie.

POP STARLETS RUN THE CARPET

Sabrina Carpenter wore a short and sweet outfit, stunning everyone.

The pop star donned a custom Louis Vuitton burgundy bodysuit paired with a blazer and white collar.

K-Pop singer and White Lotus star Lisa also rocked a short and sweet outfit, wearing head-to-toe Louis Vuitton.

The singer wore a tailored top and opted for LV monogram tights over pants.

Dua Lipa attended the gala with her rumored fiancé, Callum Turner.

The Future Nostalgia singer wore a long, black dress with feathers on the skirt and a halter bodice.

Grammy-winning rapper Doechii wore a Louis Vuitton suit, burgundy bowtie, and burgundy shoes to complete her look.

A-LIST ARRIVES

Attendees began walking the runway around 5pm including A-listers Simone Biles, Angel Reese, Spike Lee, Regina King, Audra McDonald, Jeremy Pope, and Janelle Monáe.

Influencer Emma Chamberlin acted as a special correspondent for Vogue on the red carpet and was one of the first to be photographed with her suit-like Courrèges gown.

La La Anthony, musician Teyana Taylor, and SNL cast member Ego Nwodim also arrived early on the carpet, as they’re all set to host Vogue’s 2025 red carpet live stream.

Actor Colman Domingo’s Valentino look featured a flowy blue pleated cape decorated with a silver sequined and embellished chest piece.

Underneath the cape, Domingo wore a black and white tweed suit.

The dramatic look honored the late journalist Andre Leon Talley, who wore a cape for the gala in 2011.

Celebs quickly began arriving as Sydney Sweeney was one of the first major stars to arrive at the event wearing a stunning black dress by Miu Miu.

NO SHOWS

Despite the slew of attendees, some notable guests were not attending the fundraiser.

Naomi Campbell posted on Instagram that she would miss out on the glamorous event, despite being invited and attending last year’s event.

“Congratulations to Anna Wintour, the brilliant designers, the dedicated Met Gala team, and stunning attendees of tonight’s extraordinary celebration,” the 54-year-old supermodel posted.

“I have to say, what perfect timing for the ‘Superfine: Tailoring Black Style’ theme.

“It really celebrates how Black dandyism has shaped fashion and how fashion has been a way for Black people to express who they are and claim their power.”

The model said she would be there “in spirit,” and honored late fashion icon André Leon Talley, who served as the editor-at-large at Vogue before he died in 2022.

“His commanding presence, vision and belief that fashion is art helped shape what the Met Gala is presenting tonight,” she wrote.

“I can’t wait to see how everyone mixes African and European style traditions on those famous steps tonight! The creativity will be amazing.”

Lakers star LeBron James, who also serves as the event’s honorary co-chair, also announced he will be missing fashion’s biggest night due to a recent injury.

“Unfortunately because of my knee injury I sustained at the end of the season I won’t be able to attend the Met Gala in NY tonight as so many people have been asking and congratulating me on,” he wrote on Instagram.

“Hate to miss an historical event! My beautiful, powerful Queen will be there holding the castle down as she always has done,” he added, mentioning his wife, Savannah James.

In a move not so Carrie-Bradshaw-like, Sex and the City star Sarah Jessica Parker will also not attend the Met Gala this year.

“I have to work,” she told Entertainment Tonight on May 2.

“But there’s going to be so much to see, and I look forward to seeing what everybody does, and how they interpret the theme and the homework they did for the assignment.”

Actress and pop star Jennifer Lopez also didn’t attend the event as she is busy shooting her new film Office Romance, The Daily Mail reported.

Mining in Pataz in Peru’s north will be suspended for 30 days, the country’s President Dina Boluarte said on Monday.

She made the announcement after the bodies of 13 security guards working at a gold mine were found by policein a mine tunnel on Sunday.

The workers had been held captive for more than a week after being kidnapped.

Peru’s government also plans to impose an overnight curfew and set up a military base in Pataz, located around 560 miles (900 kilometers) from the capital Lima.

The 13 people found dead on Sunday were employees of a subcontractor of mining company Ponderosa, one of Peru’s top gold producers.

Illegal miners accused of using ‘terrorist’ methods

“The armed forces will take control of the area where Poderosa operates,” Boluarte said. “We all know that illegal activity in our mining sector generates millions and millions, much more than drug trafficking.”

She added that the government would ask congress to pass legislation to allow it to combat what she called “urban terrorism.”

She didn’t provide details on how the mining pause would work.

Poderosa says that 39 of its workers, including contractors and artisanal miners, have been killed recently in the gold-rich Pataz region at the hands of criminal gangs believed to be linked to illegal mining.

This is despite the region being under a state of emergency for more than two years.

Source : https://www.dw.com/en/peru-suspends-gold-mining-in-north-after-massacre/a-72443414

From the White House to the Met Gala.

Kamala Harris was among the A-listers on the Met Gala 2025 red carpet on Monday night, hitting the star-studded event for the first time wearing a custom Off-White look by IB Kamara.

The former presidential candidate, 60, honored the night’s theme, “Superfine: Tailoring Black Style,” with a black silk gown, featuring a long scarf, sweeping white statement sleeve, and a pleated skirt.

The theme and dress code both honor black dandyism and “[explore] the importance of clothing and style to the formation of Black identities in the Atlantic diaspora,” per the Met.

She rounded out her simple attire with green diamond statement earrings, a black and gold clutch and her signature blown-out hairstyle.

Kamara shared his concept for Kamala’s look with Vogue, explaining, “for this monumental night at the Met celebrating Black culture and iconicity, we felt simplicity is best.”

“Utilizing a mix of silk fabrications and precise tailoring, we added subtle flares allowing her own dandyism to shine through,” he continued, “like the dramatic sleeve and elongated scarf.”

She was joined by husband Doug Emhoff, who wore a Brunello Cucinelli tuxedo.

Stepdaughter Ella Emhoff, however, did not join the couple after making her own Met Gala debut in 2021 wearing a red Adidas by Stella McCartney bedazzled look.

Harris isn’t the first politician to get the Met invite; Hillary Clinton previously attended in 2001 and 2013, and made her triumphant return in 2022 for the America-themed event wearing a Joseph Altuzarra gown embroidered with the names of famed women she admires, like Madeline Albright, Abigail Adams, Harriet Tubman, Rosa Parks, Lady Bird Johnson, and Clinton’s mother, Dorothy Rodham.

Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez made quite the statement with her 2021 attire — literally — sporting a white Brother Vellies gown with “Tax the Rich” splashed across the back.

Source : https://pagesix.com/2025/05/05/style/kamala-harris-makes-met-gala-debut-in-simple-black-and-white-cape-gown/

Pope Francis’ popemobile is being converted into a health clinic on wheels for children in Gaza, fulfilling the late pontiff’s final wishes.

The Catholic charity Caritas Jerusalem, which was gifted the vehicle after Francis’ visit to the West Bank in 2014, revealed that the pontiff reached out to them in his final months asking them to use his popemobile to help the children in Gaza.

“The purpose of the initiative is to safeguard and uphold children’s fundamental rights and dignity,” the Israel-based charity said in a statement.

Peter Brune, the secretary general of Caritas Sweden, said the vehicle will arrive in Gaza just in time to help “reach children who today have no access to healthcare – children who are injured and malnourished.

“This is concrete, life-saving intervention at a time when the health system in Gaza has almost completely collapsed,” Brune said in a statement. “It’s not just a vehicle, it’s a message that the world has not forgotten about the children in Gaza.”

The Vatican confirmed Francis’ final wish for the popemobile, which will drive around a doctor and medical staff, along with equipment to test for infections and suture wounds, the New York Times reported.

It will take about three weeks to complete the transformation and install blast-proof windows, with Caritas Jerusalem still waiting on approval from Israel to ride the vehicle into Gaza.

Anton Asfar of Caritas Jerusalem said the gift was evidence that the conflict in Gaza never strayed too far from the late pope’s mind.

“This vehicle represents the love, care and closeness shown by His Holiness for the most vulnerable, which he expressed throughout the crisis,” Asfar told the Vatican News.

Before his death last month, Francis repeatedly called for an end to the war in Gaza, with the pontiff’s final Easter message slamming the humanitarian crisis in the enclave as “dramatic and deplorable.”

Source : https://nypost.com/2025/05/04/world-news/pope-francis-popemobile-to-become-traveling-clinic-for-gaza-kids/

This cruise was a total washout for these wannabe celebs.

Around 30, budding, bikini-clad influencers took a luxurious Lamborghini Tecnomar out for a spin in the waters off Miami Beach on Saturday – only to have their hopes for a picture-perfect jaunt sink when the posh yacht started taking on water.

The glamorous but clueless bunch cracked jokes and appeared mostly unbothered by the harrowing ordeal.

The Coast Guard and a good Samaritan boat swooped in to get everyone off safely – with many of the influencers able to save their most prized possessions, including a Macbook and a $350 bottle of Clase Azul Gold tequila.

The pricey booze was cradled by former Miss America competitor Regan Hartley on a rescue boat while someone else shouted, “The baby is safe,” according to one video.

Social-media footage showed the rescued young women taking photos or videos of their sinking yacht from afar.

“No f–ks given,” an Instagram user noted of the blasé attitude of the group. “Everyone on the sinking yacht taking selfies.”

The high-end boat began sinking near Florida’s millionaire haven of Star Island around 5 p.m., and was nearly vertical as its 32 passengers and crew members rushed to the deck, the Coast Guard said.

Some of the attention-seeking wannabe trendsetters provided a behind-the-scenes look at their brush with disaster.

A series of videos from a model and stylist showed the women, now all in life vests, standing on the top of the sinking, 63-foot, black and white boat as each is led onto a Coast Guard vessel.

“Sheesh,” a woman can be heard saying as each one was rescued. “F–k, f–k.”

After the group got off the sinking yacht, the woman posted a video of the Lambo boat nearly submerged with only the front of the boat still peeking through.

“How did this happen?” another woman can he heard saying in a second video posted by aerial dance instructor Anita Ayala.

Another young woman can be seen in a separate video holding tight to her Macbook laptop in footage posted by Miami guide Luis Leon Martinez.

“Women and children first, women and children,” a man can be heard jokingly shouting as some of the already saved women laughed.

Officials said the women were taken to the Miami Beach Marina.

Source : https://nypost.com/2025/05/04/us-news/4m-lamborghini-luxury-yacht-flipped-over-off-miami-beach-32-rescued/

Celebrities from Cardi B to Tom Cruise who are staying at a tony Manhattan hotel for the posh Met Gala will be confronted with an ugly labor dispute before walking the red carpet Monday, union bigs warn.

Members of the Hotel Trade Council union say they will be holding a protest outside The Surrey Hotel, where many A-list attendees of the famed Met Museum event are staying on nearby East 76th Street.

The Surrey closed in 2020 during the pandemic and went into bankruptcy, then reopened in October under the Corinthia Hotels brand and new ownership by the Reuben Brothers, a global investment company based in London, Geneva and Milan.

But nearly 100 of the hotel’s workers who lost their jobs during the closure were never rehired by the new management when it reopened, a move that the trade council is blasting as a union-busting tactic.

The displaced workers filed a lawsuit in March against the new ownership, claiming the loss of their jobs violated a law approved during the pandemic aimed at retaining workers, even during a change in ownership. The case is pending.

Stars staying at The Surrey for Monday’s fete include Cardi B, Cruise, Alicia Keys, Shakira, Cristiano Ronaldo, Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts, Angela Bassett, Tommy Hilfiger and executives from the Burberry, Valentino and Stella McCartney brands, according to the HTC.

The union said it has contacted reps from each of the celebrities and asked for them to show their support for the workers. The labor activists said they will make another round of calls to the celebs early Monday.

The fired workers and their union are pressuring the stars “to step off the red carpet and stand with them” by demanding The Surrey rehire them.

The Surrey is offering its gala customers an ultra-deluxe spa treatment featuring Sisley Paris for those seeking “a transformative, red-carpet-ready experience,” with “expert sculpting massage, LED light therapy, and a rejuvenating eye treatment” available.

Among the former Surrey workers who want to look the entertainers and sports figures to back them is Merry Coronado, who was a room attendant at the hotel since 2010 before getting the heave-ho.

“I am a single mom, so my job at The Surrey means everything to me,” Coronado said in a statement to The Post. “This job fed my two daughters, paid for us to live in a good apartment, and enabled me to buy a car.

“When I lost this job, it was devastating. I’ve had to go into debt just to survive, to keep food on the table and the lights on. I’m fighting for my job back, so I can get my family’s life back.”

Donna McCammon, a room attendant at the hotel since 2002 before getting laid off, said, “Losing my job at The Surrey has been one of the hardest experiences of my life.

“I am the sole breadwinner for my household, and without the steady income, it was incredibly difficult,” McCammon said.

“I went from a stable job at The Surrey that allowed me to provide for my family, to having to take a job working the overnight shift just to survive. After working at The Surrey for decades, I had the expectation that my coworkers and I were going back to our jobs. We’re not giving up that hope.”

Source : https://nypost.com/2025/05/04/us-news/celebs-staying-at-the-surrey-hotel-in-nyc-for-famed-met-gala-face-protest-from-fired-workers/

President Trump called on his administration to reopen and expand Alcatraz so authorities could send the “dregs of society” to the notorious California prison more than six decades after it closed.

The commander in chief announced Sunday that he was directing the Bureau of Prisons and other federal agencies to get the massive island facility off the San Francisco bay — which has long been the lore of Hollywood — back up and running again to lock away homegrown, repeat criminals.

“For too long, America has been plagued by vicious, violent, and repeat Criminal Offenders, the dregs of society, who will never contribute anything other than Misery and Suffering,” he wrote on Truth Social.

“When we were a more serious Nation, in times past, we did not hesitate to lock up the most dangerous criminals, and keep them far away from anyone they could harm.

“That’s the way it’s supposed to be. No longer will we tolerate these Serial Offenders who spread filth, bloodshed, and mayhem on our streets.”

Trump, 78, also said the “substantially enlarged and rebuilt” prison would “serve as a symbol of Law, Order, and JUSTICE.”

But the logistics behind the presidential order are thornier.

The island is now a major tourist attraction that is run by the National Parks Service and attracts thousands of visitors each year. It’s also a designated National Landmark.

Alcatraz was initially closed because its infrastructure was crumbling and it was too expensive to keep running — given all food, supplies and other necessities had to be delivered by boat.

The facility was operated as a major federal detention center between 1934 and 1963 and was nearly inescapable because the island was surrounded by strong currents and ice-cold water. Some of its most famous prisoners included gangsters Al Capone and George “Machine Gun” Kelly.

The island has become the subject of several Hollywood blockbusters, including “The Rock,” starring Sean Connery and Nicolas Cage and the 1979 film “Escape from Alcatraz,” starring Clint Eastwood.

During Alcatraz’s 29 years as a prison, 36 men made a bid for freedom — with nearly all of them dying or getting captured by guards.

To this day, it remains unknown if three inmates – brothers John and Clarence Anglin, and fellow inmate Frank Morris – successfully made it off the island alive during their attempted escape in 1962.

Trump, in his social media post, said the country can’t be held hostage by “criminals, thugs, and Judges that are afraid to do their job and allow us to remove criminals, who came into our Country illegally.”

The Republican has railed against federal judges who have slowed his effort to boot alleged gangbangers and ship them off to the infamous El Salvador megaprison.

Just last Thursday, District Judge Fernando Rodriguez – who was appointed by Trump – blocked the US government from using the Alien Enemies Act to deport suspected members of the Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua.

Trump also ordered the FBI, the Department of Justice and the Department of Homeland Security to help get Alcatraz reopened.

Source : https://nypost.com/2025/05/04/us-news/trump-orders-reopening-of-notorious-alcatraz-prison-way-its-supposed-to-be/

Red bathed the small Panamanian town of Portobelo on Saturday in a celebration meant to represent a fight between good and evil, and the resistance of slaves and Spanish colonizers.

Every year, hundreds in the town, which sits wedged between the Caribbean Sea and the region’s tropical jungles, take to the streets for the Festival of Devils and Congos. The festival uses dramatic imagery and bright colors characteristic of Caribbean celebrations to capture the historic struggle between slaves during the time of colonization.

Marchers dress with intricate red and black masks, which merges imagery of the devil and Spanish colonizers. Slaves are dressed in color and, protected by angles dressed in white, chase the devils as they dance, eventually converting their oppressors to good.

It’s the culture of memory, the devil representing the culture of the oppressor, or in this case, the white man during times of slavery toward the Blacks, known as Congos, said 34-year-old Eduardo Guadalupe. He said he celebrated in a large black mask, with what appeared to be red and black dotted flames flaring out of the top and the sides.

Source : https://apnews.com/article/panama-colonialism-devils-congos-dede36b10b0f9ee21807a4571dccfb27

A missile launched by Iranian-backed rebels in Yemen briefly halted flights and commuter traffic at Israel’s main international airport on Sunday after its impact near an access road caused panic among passengers.

The attack on Ben-Gurion International Airport came hours before Israeli Cabinet ministers were set to vote on whether to intensify military operations in Gaza. The army was calling up tens of thousands of reserves, Israel’s chief of staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir said.

Israel’s army said it was the first time a missile struck the airport grounds since the war in Gaza began. The military said initial findings indicated the likely cause was a technical issue with the interceptor.

Israel’s paramedic service Magen David Adom said four people were lightly wounded.

Multiple international airlines canceled or postponed flights. The war with Hamas in Gaza and then Hezbollah in Lebanon had led a wave of airlines to suspend flights to Israel. Many had resumed in recent months.

The Houthis have targeted Israel throughout the war in solidarity with Palestinians, raising their profile at home and internationally as the last member of Iran’s self-described “Axis of Resistance” capable of launching regular attacks on Israel. The U.S. military under President Donald Trump has launched an intensified campaign of daily airstrikes targeting the Houthis since March 15.

Early Monday, the rebels issued a warning to airlines that they would carry out “repeated targeting” of Ben-Gurion, Israel’s main gateway to the world.

International carriers should “cancel all their flights to the airports of the criminal Israeli enemy, in order to safeguard the safety of their aircraft and passengers,” the Houthis said.

Israel vows to respond

Houthi military spokesman Brig. Gen. Yahya Saree said in a video statement that the group fired a hypersonic ballistic missile at the airport.

Houthi rebels have fired at Israel since the war with Gaza began on Oct. 7, 2023. The missiles have mostly been intercepted, although some have penetrated Israel’s missile defense systems, causing damage.

Israel has struck back against the rebels in Yemen.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the U.S. was supporting Israeli operations against the Houthis. “It’s not bang, bang and we’re done, but there will be bangs,” he said. In a later statement, he added Israel would respond to the Houthis “AND, at a time and place of our choosing, to their Iranian terror masters.”

Vote on expanding Gaza war

Netanyahu said the security Cabinet was meeting Sunday evening to vote on plans to expand the fighting in Gaza.

“We will operate in additional areas and we will destroy all of the infrastructure above and below ground,” Zamir said.

Far-right Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir told Israeli Army Radio he wanted to see a “powerful” expansion of the war, and demanded that Israel bomb “the food and electricity supplies” in Gaza.

An 8-week ceasefire with the Hamas militant group allowed more aid into Gaza and freed some Israeli hostages, but it collapsed in March when Israel resumed strikes. The military has since captured swaths of the coastal enclave. Hundreds of Palestinians have been killed, according to local health officials.

Israel in March halted the entry of goods into Gaza as part of efforts to pressure Hamas to negotiate on Israel’s terms for a new ceasefire. That has plunged the territory of 2.3 million people into what is believed to be the worst humanitarian crisis of the war. Hunger has been widespread, and shortages have set off looting.

In a confrontation over efforts to support Gaza, Malta’s prime minister, Robert Abela, said his country had offered to send a marine surveyor to look into the damage caused to a ship said to be carrying aid and organized by pro-Palestinian activists. Abela said the captain refused.

The activists said Friday their vessel was struck by drones, blaming Israel. The ship remained in international waters off Malta. The Israeli military has not commented.

New Israeli airstrikes kill children

Israeli airstrikes killed at least seven Palestinians, including parents and their children, ages 2 and 4, in southern and central Gaza, Palestinian medics said. The military had no comment.

The military said two soldiers were killed in combat in Gaza, bringing the number killed since fighting resumed in March to six.

The war in Gaza began when Hamas-led militants attacked southern Israel, killing 1,200 people and taking about 250 hostages. Israel says 59 captives remain in Gaza, although about 35 are believed to be dead.

Israel’s offensive has killed more than 52,000 people in Gaza, many of them women and children, according to Palestinian health officials, who do not distinguish between combatants and civilians in their count.

Source : https://apnews.com/article/israel-palestinians-hamas-war-news-04-05-2025-44737a4e5eba0bdd2cfe9b008b600d0c

 

One of the men accused of taking part in a wave of sectarian violence against Syria’s Alawite minority two months ago has told the BBC that he and other armed civilians who travelled to the area were advised and monitored by government forces there.

Abu Khalid said he had travelled as a civilian fighter to the Mediterranean coastal village of Sanobar on 7 March, to help battle former regime insurgents.

“The General Security department told us not to harm civilians, but only to shoot at insurgents who shot at us,” he told me.

“There were eight men with me, but it was a large group, and the General Security department was overseeing things so that no-one would vandalise the village or harm the residents.”

He later filmed himself shooting dead a 64-year-old village resident, Mahmoud Yusef Mohammed, at the entrance to his house.

Abu Khalid, who has now been arrested, insisted Mahmoud was an armed insurgent – but video he filmed of the incident does not support his account.

Military police told the BBC there had been no coordination between security forces and Abu Khalid.

Human rights groups estimate that almost 900 civilians, mainly Alawites, were killed by pro-government forces across Syria’s coastal region in early March.

The Alawite sect is an offshoot of Shia Islam and its followers make up around 10% of Syria’s population, which is majority Sunni.

Syria’s coastal area – a stronghold of the former regime – has been largely sealed off, but a BBC team gained access, speaking to witnesses and security officials about what happened in Sanobar.

The violence came a day after fighters loyal to the country’s overthrown former President Bashar al-Assad, who is an Alawite, led deadly raids on government security forces.

The new Sunni Islamist-led government had called for support from various military units and militia groups to respond to those raids – but that escalated into a wave of sectarian anger aimed at Alawite civilians.

Witnesses told the BBC that several different armed groups had targeted Alawites for summary executions. Some also said that government security forces had battled violent and extremist factions to protect Alawite villagers from attack.

When the violence along this coast erupted, the village of Sanobar was right in its path. Some 200 people were wiped out from this small Alawite village, over the course of a few days in early March.

Almost two months after the killings, there have been no funerals in Sanobar.

A mass grave now squats beside the winding village road. Hurried burials have cleared the remaining corpses.

This is now a village of women and secrets. Most survivors are still too scared to speak openly but their stories, shared with us privately, are often strikingly similar.

The body of Mahmoud Yousef Mohammed lay outside his simple breeze-block house in Sanobar for three days after he was shot dead.

His wife, daughter and grandchildren, sheltering in a neighbour’s house, were too afraid to emerge from hiding and bury him, as armed groups roamed the village.

His family said Mahmoud was a polite man, known and respected in the village; a farmer with a military background, who sometimes worked as a minibus driver.

His house, on a quiet street at the edge of the village, stands less than 300m (985ft) from the main highway where, on 6 March, army officers from Syria’s former regime led co-ordinated attacks on the country’s new security forces.

For two days, government forces battled former regime fighters, known locally as “filoul” (“remnants”), in the villages along this coastal highway, calling for support from allied militia groups who helped push Bashar al-Assad from power last year.

An array of armed supporters responded to the call, including foreign jihadist fighters, civilians and armed units now nominally part of the new Syrian army, but still not fully under government control. All are groups now accused by survivors of civilian executions.

All day on 7 March, Sanobar residents listened to the sounds of intense fighting around the village, as families hid in their houses.

Then the targeting of civilians began.

“All day, many groups entered our house,” one survivor from Sanobar told me. “They weren’t from the [military] groups based here, but from Idlib, Aleppo and elsewhere. Some wore camouflage uniforms. But the ones who killed us were wearing green uniforms with a mask.”

“They stole everything, insulted us, threatened the children,” she continued. “The last group came around 6pm. They asked, ‘Where are the men?’ and took my father and my brother Ali. We begged them not to kill them. They said, ‘You’re Alawite, pigs,’ and shot them in front of our eyes.”

Some time that day, Mahmoud stepped outside the building he was sheltering in with his family. One of his relatives said he could smell toxic fumes from a fire nearby, and wanted to check on his own house.

He never reappeared.

“We found the next morning that he had been killed,” the relative told us.

The story of what happened to Mahmoud began to emerge when a video of his killing surfaced on social media, filmed by the man who shot him.

In the video, Abu Khalid is seen grinning and taunting Mahmoud from the back of a motorbike before shooting him six times.

To meet Abu Khalid, we travelled to Idlib, the heartland of transitional President Ahmed al-Sharaa’s Islamist group, Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), which swept Syria’s old regime from power last December.

Now in military police custody pending an investigation, Abu Khalid shuffled into the room, blinking and stretching as his blindfold and handcuffs were removed.

A young man in camouflage pants, he seemed keen to talk, explaining that Mahmoud was not a civilian, but an insurgent who was fighting in the village that day, and had been carrying an 8.5mm-calibre rifle when he shot him.

“I turned the camera on him and told him to sit down,” Abu Khalid told me. “He was running away and he wanted to kill me, so I shot him in the shoulder and the leg. When I got closer, I saw him moving his hand as if he had a bomb or a gun. I was afraid, so I killed him.”

But the video Abu Khalid filmed of the shooting – its location and timing verified by the BBC – does not support his account.

A former member of the British special forces confirmed that there was no weapon visible on or near Mahmoud at any point in the video.

And at no point does Abu Khalid ask the 64-year-old to stop or sit down – nor does he appear scared or under threat.

Instead, he is shown whooping and grinning on the back of the motorbike, before calling out to Mahmoud, “I’ve caught you, I’ve caught you! Look at the camera!”

He then shoots him three times in quick succession. Mahmoud falls to his knees inside the doorway of his house.

“You didn’t die?!” Abu Khalid calls out, as he follows him to the building.

Mahmoud can be heard begging for his life, before Abu Khalid shoots him three more times at close range.

International law forbids the killing of civilians, the injured, or disarmed fighters.

Khaled Moussa, from the military police unit now holding Abu Khalid, said he had gone to fight in Sanobar without coordination with the security forces.

“Civilians are not supposed to be there during military operations,” Mr Moussa said. “He made a mistake. He could have captured the person, but instead he killed him.”

But Abu Khalid has little regret for what he did.

When he cries during our interview, it’s not for Mahmoud – or even for himself. It’s for his little brother, killed in a bomb attack by President Assad’s former army in 2018 as his family sat down at home to break their Ramadan fast.

“He was eight years old, and I held him while his soul left his body,” he told me, before tears start flowing down his face.

“I was raised during the revolution, and saw nothing but injustice, blood, killing and terror. They ignore everything that happened in Syria before the liberation, and focus on the video I filmed.”

He tells me his family’s latest casualty was his 17-year-old cousin, killed while fighting insurgents near Sanobar. “He was completely burned,” he said. “We took him away in a plastic bag.”

“If I was going for revenge for what they did to us, I wouldn’t have left any of them.”

The insurgent attacks on 6 March ripped open sectarian fault-lines that Syria’s new Islamist government had tried to paper over with promises of tolerance and inclusion.

The Syrian Network for Human Rights (SNHR), an independent monitoring group, says former regime loyalists killed at least 446 civilians, including 30 children and women, and more than 170 government security forces, most of them on 6 March.

Those attacks resurrected deep-seated anger over the repressive dictatorship of former President Assad, with Alawite civilians seen by some as complicit in the crimes of his regime – and as part of the insurgency that followed his fall.

The SNHR says the government’s crackdown on insurgents on the coast “escalated into widespread and severe violations”, most of which were “retaliatory and sectarian”.

The group says that pro-government forces and supporters killed at least 889 civilians, including 114 children and women, in the days following the insurgent attacks.

Amnesty International has investigated dozens of attacks it says were “deliberate”, “unlawful” and targeted at Alawite civilians.

One video from Sanobar shows a pro-government fighter marching through the village chanting, “ethnic cleansing, ethnic cleansing”.

Lists of victims from the village, compiled by local activists, include the names of more than a dozen women and children, including an 11-year-old, a pregnant woman and a disabled man.

The survivor who watched gunmen kill her father and brother said the family showed their killers the men’s civilian ID cards to prove they hadn’t been part of Assad’s army. But it made no difference; their only accusation, she said, was that the family were “Alawite pigs”.

Separating civilians from insurgents is key to the new government’s plan to secure the country, and its promise to protect minorities.

But that will require prosecuting those responsible – and proving it can control its own military forces and armed allies.

Sharaa’s HTS group – once the local affiliate of al-Qaeda and still designated as a terrorist organisation by the UN, US and UK – formed the backbone of his new army.

There has been rapid recruitment to fill the ranks of a new civilian police and the General Security Forces.

Training has reportedly been shortened and many units say they are under-equipped. One commander looked wistfully at my body-armour and radio when we joined them on a patrol. “We don’t have those,” he said.

Turkish-backed militia and jihadist fighters who once fought alongside HTS to remove Bashar al-Assad are among those named by witnesses and human rights groups as carrying out summary executions.

In the streets of Sanobar, the names of Turkish-backed units, now supposedly under government control, have been graffitied on the walls, and the BBC heard several reports that their men were still present in the village.

Some videos of alleged violations also appear to show the presence of vehicles and uniforms from the official General Security Forces – prompting Amnesty International to call for investigation.

The head of the General Security Forces for the Latakia region, Mustafa Kunaifati, told me that civilians with friends or relatives in the army were responsible for most of the crimes, but admitted that members of armed groups had also been involved – including what he called “individual cases” from his own General Security units.

“It happened,” he said, “and those members were also arrested. We can’t accept something like that.”

After the former regime fighters were expelled and the situation brought under control, he said his men “began removing all the rioters from the area and arresting anyone who had harmed civilians”.

Several witnesses have confirmed to the BBC that Mr Kunaifati’s forces intervened to protect them from other armed groups.

One of Mahmoud’s neighbours in Sanobar told us they evacuated him and his family 30 minutes before Mahmoud was killed.

And the witness who described the killing of her father and brother said the General Security Forces had helped them escape the village, and later to return and bury their relatives.

Sharaa has vowed that “no-one will be above the law” when it comes to prosecuting the killings on the coast.

A special committee is currently investigating both the initial 6 March attack by insurgents, and the violence by pro-government forces that followed. The BBC understands some 30 people have been arrested.

But in a country still waiting to see justice for the crimes of the past, this is a delicate moment.

Source : https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cm2erkr1n15o

Hamas has executed a number of alleged looters after several incidents in which heavily armed gangs attacked food stores and community kitchens in the Gaza Strip this week, sources close to the Palestinian militant group said.
Hamas officials have accused some of the looters of working in collaboration with Israel, which has sealed off aid from entering Gaza for the past two months. Israel has not commented on the allegation.

In one incident, the Hamas-run interior ministry said a police officer was killed and others were wounded when an Israeli drone fired a missile at a police unit chasing criminals in Gaza City.
“We will strike with an iron fist all these renegades, and we will take the necessary measures to deter them, no matter the cost, and we will not allow them to continue terrorizing citizens, threatening their lives, and stealing their property,” the ministry said in a statement on Saturday, referring to the alleged looters.
Ismail Al-Thawabta, director of Gaza’s Hamas-run government media office, said some of the looters acted under a clan umbrella and others acted as organized groups, some of which he said received direct support from Israel.

He said a number of “revolutionary execution rulings” had been carried out against “several top criminals” proven to have been involved in looting.
Some Gaza residents and Palestinian media said Hamas’ armed wing imposed curfews starting at 9 p.m. to restrict the movement of civilians and to chase criminals.
United Nations officials have warned of the increasingly dire humanitarian situation facing Gaza, which has been devastated by the Israeli campaign launched following the Hamas-led attack on Israel on October 7, 2023.
Israel has defended its blockade against aid entering Gaza, alleging that Hamas steals supplies intended for the civilian population and distributes them to its own forces, an allegation that Hamas denies.
However, the problem has worsened as the blockade has persisted, posing a challenge to Hamas, which has faced irregular protests by people in Gaza angered by shortage of food reaching the enclave.

GANGS TAKE MONEY, PHONES

Marvel movie “Thunderbolts” brought in $162 million at theaters around the world over the weekend, providing a solid start to the summer movie season that is key to Hollywood’s year at the box office.
“Thunderbolts,” the story of a ragtag group of heroes who unite to fight a supervillain, earned $76 million of its total in the United States and Canada, distributor Walt Disney (DIS.N), said on Sunday.

The returns were in line with pre-weekend forecasts, though below the $88.8 million domestic opening of Marvel’s “Captain America: Brave New World” in February.
“This is about what we’ve come to expect from Marvel movies in the recent marketplace,” said Jeff Bock, senior box office analyst at Exhibitor Relations Co. It was a decent start, he said, for a movie with lesser-known characters that have played sidekicks in other Marvel stories.
Starring Florence Pugh and Sebastian Stan, “Thunderbolts” sets the stage for Marvel’s July release “Fantastic Four” and next summer’s “Avengers: Doomsday.” “This is a prelude to something much bigger,” Bock said.

“Thunderbolts” had a slow opening of $10.4 million in China, where it was the first test of Chinese appetites for Hollywood films since authorities pledged to limit movie imports as part of a trade war with the Trump administration.
The figures from the rest of the world were positive, Bock said, considering “Thunderbolts” doubled last year’s dismal start to summer with “The Fall Guy.”
Hollywood brings in about 40% of the year’s box office receipts during the summer season, which the industry measures from the first weekend in May through Labor Day in September. Theaters are still trying to climb back to pre-pandemic ticket sales levels.
Through Sunday, year-to-date ticket sales in the United States and Canada were running 15% above 2024 but 31.8% below 2019. The summer of 2019 benefited from “Avengers: Endgame,” which had a record opening of $357.1 million at domestic theaters.

“Thunderbolts” had the strongest reviews for a Marvel Cinematic Universe film since 2021’s hit “Spider-Man: No Way Home,” said Andrew Cripps, head of global theatrical distribution at Disney. On the Rotten Tomatoes website, 88% of critics and 94% of moviegoers gave it positive marks.
“I think word of mouth will be really strong and people will continue to discover it,” Cripps said of “Thunderbolts.”

Source : https://www.reuters.com/lifestyle/thunderbolts-kicks-off-domestic-summer-box-office-with-76-million-2025-05-04/

Meghan Markle showed her support for Prince Harry after he lost an appeal granting him and his family police protection when they visit the UK.

The Duchess of Sussex took to Instagram Saturday to share a black-and-white photo of her husband walking with their two kids, Prince Archie, 6, and Princess Lilibet, 3, through a garden.

Harry was photographed holding his son’s hands while his daughter sat on his shoulders.

Markle, 43, didn’t caption the adorable snap.

The day prior, news broke that the Duke of Sussex wouldn’t be granted publicly funded security when returning to his homeland.

Harry, 40, told the BBC that he was “quite sad” that he “won’t be able to show” his little ones where he grew up after losing the appeal to challenge the decision to remove his security privileges when he and his wife quit the royal family and relocated to North America in 2020.

“I can’t see a world in which I would be bringing my wife and children back to the UK at this point. And the things that they’re gonna miss is, well, everything,” he told the outlet.

The former royal also insisted he was treated unfairly.

The Court of Appeal, however, argued that it was fair to review Harry’s security protection on a case-by-case basis every time he returned home.

Harry also pointed the blame at his father, King Charles III, for putting more distance and tension between himself and his family.

The book author also admitted that his family wasn’t happy when he revealed their secrets in his 2023 memoir, “Spare.”

“There is a lot of control and ability in my father’s hands. Ultimately, this whole thing could be resolved through [Charles],” he claimed.

Source : https://pagesix.com/2025/05/04/royal-family/meghan-markle-sends-clear-message-with-rare-family-photo-1-day-after-prince-harry-loses-uk-security-appeal/

Lady Gaga’s concert in Rio de Janeiro dodged a bomb attack by a group of people posing as her “Little Monsters” fans.

Local authorities claimed a hate group was plotting the vocalization and radicalization of minors through self-harm and violence at Saturday’s concert in Copacabana Beach.

“The suspects were recruiting participants, including minors, to carry out coordinated attacks using improvised explosives and Molotov cocktails,” Brazilian police said, per CNN.

Per the police, members of the group claimed they were Gaga’s “Little Monsters” fan base.

Ultimately, investigators received a tip, which led to the uncovering of the group’s plan to encourage violent behavior through “extremist symbolism” and “coded language,” CNN reported.

An unidentified man, assumed to be the group’s leader, was arrested for the illegal possession of a firearm.

A teenager was also detained for alleged possession of child pornography.

Dozens of search warrants were also issued in São Paulo, Mato Grosso, Rio Grande do Sul and Rio de Janeiro.

Reps for Gaga, 39, weren’t immediately available to Page Six for comment.

A rep for the “Born This Way” singer told TMZ that she and her team found out about the alleged threat when news broke on Sunday morning.

They allegedly weren’t informed by police or told to take precautions despite closely working with law enforcement.

The “Bad Romance” songstress didn’t address the hate plot when she gushed over Saturday night’s concert in Brazil via Instagram.

“Nothing could prepare me for the feeling I had during last night’s show—the absolute pride and joy I felt singing for the people of Brazil,” she wrote on Sunday.

“The sight of the crowd during my opening songs took my breath away,” Gaga, born Stefani Joanne Angelina Germanotta, added.

Source : https://pagesix.com/2025/05/04/celebrity-news/lady-gagas-rio-concert-targeted-for-bomb-attack-by-hate-group-posing-as-her-little-monsters-fans/

LADY Gaga has spoken out after it was revealed Brazilian police foiled a bomb plot against her record-breaking free concert on Saturday.

The singer gushed that she was “grateful” for her fans and felt “absolute pride and joy […] singing for the people of Brazil”.

Her team said they learned about the bomb plot “via media reports” – rather than direct contact from the police.

An estimated 2.5million flocked to watch the free concert at Rio De Janeiro’s Copacabana Beach – so an explosion could have been devastating.

Brazilian cops said they disrupted an attack allegedly planned by a group spreading hate speech against the LGBTQ+ community.

Two people have been arrested over the alleged scheme.

Police said the group tried to recruit teenagers to carry out attacks using Molotov cocktails and improvised explosives.

In an Instagram post on Sunday, Lady Gaga did not directly address the reports but instead heaped praise on the people of Brazil and their culture.

She wrote: “Nothing could prepare me for the feeling I had during last night’s show—the absolute pride and joy I felt singing for the people of Brazil.

“The sight of the crowd during my opening songs took my breath away.

“Your heart shines so bright, your culture is so vibrant and special, I hope you know how grateful I am to have shared this historical moment with you.”

The crowd of an estimated 2.5million people is the largest-ever for any woman history, she said.

Nine addresses across Brazil were raided by police as part of “Operation Fake Monster” to stop the attacks.

Officers found a number of suspicious electronic devices as well as other materials.

One man – said to be the leader of the mob – was arrested for the illegal possession of a firearm in Rio Grande do Sul.

Police said the group operated online and spread hate speech against the LGBT community.

It also promoted the radicalisation of teenagers, encouraged self-harm and shared violent content, they said.

The group is thought to have been actively recruiting participants – including teenagers – to carry out attacks.

And investigations suggest the Gaga bomb plot was seen by those involved as a “collective challenge” to make themselves known on social media.

Lady Gaga signed off her tribute to Brazil with: “You can give yourself dignity by rehearsing your passion and your craft, pushing yourself to new heights- you can lift yourself up even if it takes some time.

“Thank you Rio for waiting for me to come back. Thank you little monsters all over the world. I love you. I will never forget this moment.

Source : https://www.the-sun.com/news/14163745/lady-gaga-breaks-silence-concert-bomb-plot-foiled/

Volodymyr Zelenskyy said an interim ceasefire with Russia was possible any moment, “even starting today,” if Moscow agreed to the US proposal. Ukraine’s president rejected a Russian truce for three days from May 8 to 10.

US President Donald Trump said he will not remove Jerome Powell as Federal Reserve Board chairman before his term ends in May 2026 while describing the central banker as “a total stiff” and repeating calls for the Fed to lower interest rates.

Trump insisted that his moves to upend the global trading system with higher tariffs would eventually make Americans rich, and insisted that a first-quarter contraction in the US economy was the result of former President Joe Biden’s policies.

In an interview with “Meet the Press with Kristen Welker” on NBC News that aired on Sunday, Trump said he expected the Fed to lower interest rates at some point.

“Well, he should lower them. And at some point, he will. He’d rather not because he’s not a fan of mine. You know, he just doesn’t like me because I think he’s a total stiff,” he said in the interview, which was taped in Florida on Friday.

Asked if he would remove Powell before his term as chair ends in 2026, Trump issued his most definitive denial, saying, “No, no, no. That was a total – why would I do that? I get to replace the person in another short period of time.”

Wall Street stocks fell sharply last month after Trump doubled down on his attacks against Powell, amplifying concerns about the central bank’s autonomy and rattling markets. After the nosedive, Trump has backed off somewhat.

The comments aired on Sunday were the clearest indication yet that the president would keep Powell in place, which could reassure markets deeply unsettled by Trump’s moves to upend the global trading system with a tsunami of tariffs.

On Apr 2, Trump imposed a 10 per cent tariff on most countries, along with higher tariff rates for many trading partners that were then suspended for 90 days. He has also imposed 25 per cent tariffs on autos, steel and aluminum, 25 per cent tariffs on Canada and Mexico, and 145 per cent tariffs on China.

MIXED SIGNALS ON ECONOMY

Trump continued to send mixed messages on the economy, dismissing concerns about a first-quarter decline in GDP and arguing that his predecessor was to blame for any economic weakness, but that he deserved credit for any signs of strength.

Trump’s whipsaw moves on tariffs have sparked the most volatile weeks on Wall Street since the early part of the COVID pandemic five years ago.

Asked when the economy would be solely his responsibility, Trump said: “It partially is right now. And I really mean this. I think the good parts are the Trump economy and the bad parts are the Biden economy because he’s done a terrible job.”

He said his administration should get credit for driving down energy and gasoline costs and starting to reverse the US trade deficit.

He glossed over concerns that tariffs on China would raise consumer prices, saying Americans simply didn’t need large numbers of cheap goods such as dolls and pencils.

“I’m just saying they don’t need to have 30 dolls,” Trump said. “They can have three. They don’t need to have 250 pencils. They can have five.”

Trump’s administration is negotiating with over 15 countries for trade deals that could avert the higher tariffs, and officials say the first deal could be announced soon.

During the interview with NBC News, Trump declined to rule out making some of the tariffs permanent.

“No, I wouldn’t do that because if somebody thought they were going to come off the table, why would they build in the United States?” he said, touting trillions of dollars in investments announced by foreign and domestic companies.

Trump acknowledged that he had been “very tough with China,” essentially cutting off trade between the world’s two large economies, but said Beijing now wanted to reach an agreement.

Source : https://www.channelnewsasia.com/world/trump-says-wont-remove-fed-chair-powell-claims-credit-good-parts-economy-5108446

The Kremlin says that Russia has “liberated” the Kursk region from Ukraine, a claim that Kyiv denies. Thousands of locals have fled, and those who remain live in a state of fear and feel neglected by Moscow.

“It is still unclear whether we are safe or not. We have no peace because there are still drones … We live in fear, one day at a time,” Marina told DW. She is a refugee from Russia’sKursk region and doesn’t want to disclose her current location.

She and her family fled their village after Ukrainian troops crossed the border into Russia in August 2024 and launched a surprise incursion into the region which is to the north-east of Ukraine, north of the Donbass region, which is illegally occupied by Russia.

Like Marina, thousands of locals left their homes, finding refuge further away from the frontline in nearby villages and towns.

Ukraine’s incursion into Russian territory caught Moscow off guard and has since turned into a military humiliation for Russian President Vladimir Putin and the Kremlin. For seven months, Ukrainian troops held on to parts of the region, including the town of Sudzha. For thousands of locals, the long stalemate led to a humanitarian catastrophe and a personal tragedy.

On April 26, the Russian military claimed to have regained full control of the Kursk region but hours later the Ukrainian army dismissed these claims, calling them “propaganda tricks.”

Conflicting messages from both capitals mean that it’s unclear whether Ukraine’s military is still present in some parts of the Kursk region or not. But the situation remains tense.

Life under Ukrainian control

Anastasia and her family left Sudzha on the first day of the incursion. The town is just 10 kilometers (6 miles) from the border with Ukraine. Aside from many smaller villages, Sudzha was the only actual town Ukraine captured. The Russian military retook it in March this year.

Like Anastasia, most of the locals fled and the town then saw some of the most gruesome fighting since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. Intense shelling left the town in ruins with mines scattered across the streets.

Some locals, such as Anastasia’s uncle, had preferred to stay. “He either died or he was killed. Well, I don’t know exactly,” Anastasia told DW, adding that she had no information about whether he had received a funeral. She and her family have so far been unable to return to Sudzha.

Both Russian independent media outlets and state media have reported cases of looting in the Kursk region. Some residents told DW that their cars had been stolen, but they were unable to say which military was responsible.

Russia has accused Ukraine’s military of “committing war crimes” in the Kursk region, but it has issued no credible evidence to back the allegations.

“All we know about this is that the armed forces of Ukraine always try to solve humanitarian issues related to local civilians regardless of the citizenship of these people,” Pavel Luzin, a visiting scholar at the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy at Tufts University in the US, told DW.

By contrast, according to the UN’s Independent International Commission of Inquiry on Ukraine, Russia has systematically committed war crimes in Ukraine, such as torture, sexual violence, or child deportations. In January, the UN estimated that more than 12,300 civilians in Ukraine had been killed since Russia launched its full-scale invasion in 2022.

Residents feel abandoned by the state

In the wake of Ukraine’s incursion, many felt that they had been left to fend for themselves.

“Please take the message to [Russian President Vladimir] Putin that nobody needs us at all,” one local woman pleaded in a video shared by the Telegram channel Ostorozhno, Novosti in August.

Despite this perceived lack of swift support for Kursk residents from the Russian government, Russian state media portrayed the unfolding humanitarian crisis since last summer as a time when Russians came together to volunteer for those in need.

Some refugees confirmed to DW that they were receiving support from the state, but others said the Kremlin had neglected displaced people in Kursk and failed to fulfill its promises.

“They talk and promise more than they do. The reality is different,” Nadezhda, another resident of the city of Kursk, told DW.

The Russian authorities, however, do not accept that criticism, even suggesting that people are ungrateful.

“I have an impression that before 2022, you were living on an uninhabited island, that you had no roads, hospitals, schools … that it was not the government who was paying your pension, that it came just out of the blue,” Alexander Khinshtein, the current governor of the Kursk region, defended Moscow’s dedication to the region in a meeting with Kursk locals last December.

Do locals relate to Ukrainians under Russian occupation?

Many Kursk residents pointed the blame at the Ukrainian army for bringing misery and destruction to their land, and praised Russian soldiers for their “liberation,” but some quietly expressed dissent and blamed Putin for starting the war in the first place.

“[People say], ‘Thank you, Vladimir Vladimirovich, for starting a special military operation in Ukraine; otherwise there would be a war [in Russia],'” Vitaliy, a Kursk resident who fled the region but stayed in Russia, told DW, referring to locals who believe the Russian state media narrative that there is no war in Ukraine, but only a military operation aimed at protecting Russia’s security.

“Many still don’t realize where the root of the evil really is and who brought death to their homes,” Vitaliy added.

Since Russia’s annexation of Crimea in 2014, its support of pro-Russian rebels in Luhansk and Donetsk and its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, there are now millions of Ukrainians living under Russian occupation.

“Poor, unhappy people, they are not guilty, as we are not now,” Marina told DW. “I feel sorry for them and for us, too. We are ordinary people. We did not want the bloodshed.”

Others, however, don’t want to discuss the issue at all.

“I don’t want to feel anything towards [Ukrainians]. I just want to detach myself from this and live my life,” Nadezhda, another Kursk resident, told DW.

Source : https://www.dw.com/en/between-propaganda-and-reality-russians-in-kursk-speak-up/a-72389423

“Crimea will remain with Russia,” President Donald Trump said as he set the agenda for talks to end of the Ukraine war. But what do the indigenous inhabitants of the peninsula, the Crimean Tatars, think about this plan?

As part of his “peace plan,” US President Donald Trump is ready to recognize the annexed Ukrainian peninsula of Crimea permanently as Russian territory. In Ukraine, DW spoke to representatives of the Crimean Tatars, the original inhabitants of the peninsula, to find out what they think.

‘Our fight will go on’

“We know all too well what Russia is like. It is a successor to the Soviet Union, which once deported my mother and grandmother,” says a woman who now lives in Crimea and wishes to remain anonymous. “It took us half a century to return to our homeland and we will not leave again. We will wait here for the return of the Ukrainian state.”

“Our people have fought for the right to live on their own land. That’s why this fight will go on, regardless of the political situation,” says another resident of the peninsula, who also wishes to remain anonymous. She points out that the oppression of the indigenous population began with the conquest of Crimea by Tsarist Russia.

It continued under the Soviets after the Russian Revolution and in 1944, the Crimean Tatars were deported to Central Asia. They were only allowed to return to their homeland in the 1990s, after the collapse of the Soviet Union and after receiving permission from Ukraine, which had gained independence. In 2014, Crimea came under Russian occupation again and many Crimean Tatars were persecuted for their pro-Ukrainian stance and forced to leave their homeland.

At the time, the second anonymous woman says, the Crimean Tatars were disappointed that the Ukrainian government had not fought “to keep the peninsula as part of Ukraine.” Today, she says she would be relieved if a political decision were to end the daily deaths from the war in Ukraine. “On the other hand, many believe that if Ukraine were to recognize the occupied territories as Russian, all those lives would have been sacrificed in vain in defense of Ukrainian independence and statehood.”

In her view, the peace treaty currently under discussion would legitimize territorial concessions to Russia. She fears that people in the occupied territories could then become political prisoners because Russian legislation would apply there.

‘We counted on the US as a bulwark of democracy’

The debate about ceding territory to Russia “of course triggers a negative reaction both in the mind and in the heart,” says Nariman Dzhelyal, first deputy chairman of the Mejlis, the representative body of the Crimean Tatars, and a former political prisoner. “Throughout the years of the occupation of Crimea and Russian aggression, we have relied on the United States. In the minds of most Ukrainians and certain residents of Crimea, the US has always been a leader in protecting human rights and a bastion of democracy. And now we are experiencing a U-turn, such commercial pragmatism,” he says. As the central executive body of the Crimean Tatars, the Mejlis has been classified as an “extremist organization” and banned by the Russian Federation since April 2016.

Dzhelyal notes the principled stance of the Ukrainian government, which refuses to recognize Crimea as Russian. “Ukraine can actually do little for the local population. That is why symbolic things such as declarations that it will not recognize the annexation of Crimea and wants to reintegrate it into Ukraine are the most important link between our people and the free territory of Ukraine,” explains the former political prisoner. “Agreeing to the proposal by Trump and his representatives would sever this link.”

‘Peninsula of fear’

“Our people will never trust the Russian empire,” says Seydamet Mustafayev, a refugee from Crimea, who speaks of a ‘peninsula of fear.’

“I don’t see any peace agreement with Vladimir Putin. I have always been a pacifist and want to live in peace. But I don’t understand how you can negotiate with this person when his goal is to destroy Ukrainian identity,” he tells DW.

Mustafayev hopes that the Russian-Ukrainian war will end with the liberation of Crimea, just as it began with the occupation of the peninsula. He believes that a peace agreement involving territorial concessions would inevitably lead to a world war.

‘I’m not fighting for that’

For the Crimean Tatars among the Ukrainian soldiers DW spoke to, the conditions for an end to the war largely hinge on Ukraine. A soldier nicknamed “Tataryn” says that no one can pressure Ukraine into making territorial concessions. “Ukraine now has an army that stopped the Russian army in 2022 and destroyed its potential. It is now fighting not only thanks to American weapons, but also with its own,” he says, adding that recognizing the Russian annexation of Crimea would set a dangerous precedent that could trigger armed conflicts over territorial claims worldwide. “You can give up everything, but not your own country. I’m not fighting for that.”

Source : https://www.dw.com/en/keeping-russian-control-of-crimea-crimean-tatars-respond/a-72407629

 

President Donald Trump posted an AI-generated photo showing himself as the pope ahead of this week’s gathering of cardinals to choose a new leader of the 1.4-billion-strong Catholic Church, and just days after he joked he would “like to be pope”.

Trump, who is not a Catholic and does not attend church regularly, posted the image on his Truth Social platform late on Friday, less than a week after attending the funeral of Pope Francis, who died at 88 last month. The White House then reposted it on its official X account.

The image shows an unsmiling Trump seated in an ornate chair, dressed in white papal vestments and headdress, with right forefinger raised.

The irreverent posting drew instant outrage on X, including from Republicans against Trump, a group that describes itself as “pro-democracy conservative Republicans fighting Trump & Trumpism.” The group reposted the image, calling it “a blatant insult to Catholics and a mockery of their faith”.

Vatican spokesman Matteo Bruni declined to comment on the image during a briefing with journalists about the process of electing a new pope, which begins on May 7.

See more

pic.twitter.com/x2HrR939tn

— The White House (@WhiteHouse) May 3, 2025

In mid-February, both Trump and the official White House social media accounts posted a different AI-generated image of the president wearing a crown and captioned “CONGESTION PRICING IS DEAD. Manhattan, and all of New York, is SAVED. LONG LIVE THE KING!”

Source : https://www.channelnewsasia.com/world/trump-posts-ai-generated-photo-himself-pope-5106946

 

Madonna, Stevie Wonder and Diana Ross will all be attending the glamorous Met Gala, also known as fashion’s biggest night, Page Six hears.

Icon Ross will be at the swanky benefit taking place next Monday along with daughter, “Black-ish” star Tracee Ellis Ross and her son Evan, we hear.

Another source tells us Lauryn Hill will also be in attendance, after receiving an invite from gala co-chair Pharrell Williams.

Lorde, who just dropped the new song “What Was That,” Bebe Rexha, and singer Shaboozey, known for the hit “A Bar Song (Tipsy)” will also be there, according to a source.

Movie stars Angela Bassett and Demi Moore are also heading to Anna Wintour’s big night.

Sources tell Page Six we will also see comic Chris Rock and late night host Jimmy Fallon in their finest.

Singer Nick Jonas and Adrienne Warren, who are starring in Broadway’s “The Last Five Years,” will be walking the carpet, too.

Walton Goggins, who has been garnering attention for the latest season of HBO hit “White Lotus,” will also be climbing the famous steps of the Met, as well as “Succession” star Sarah Snook, who is starring in “Dorian Gray” on Broadway.

We hear “Severance” star Adam Scott will also be there, as well as “Stranger Things” Caleb McLaughlin.

And “Saturday Night Live” star Ego Nwodim will be on hand interviewing guests for Vogue, says a source.

The theme for this year’s gala is “Superfine: Tailoring Black Style,” with the dress code, “Tailored for You.” It benefits the Met’s Costume Institute, as ever.

Invites for the event are hard to come by. Guests are brought by designers or brands, and have to be approved by Vogue’s Wintour.

A source previously told Page Six that other stars heading to this year’s glam event include singers Doechii, Shakira, Lizzo, Mary J. Blige, and models Amelia Gray and Ashley Graham.

Source : https://pagesix.com/2025/05/01/style/madonna-diana-ross-stevie-wonder-and-more-set-to-attend-met-gala/

Kanye West’s wife, Bianca Censori, channeled his ex Kim Kardashian while debuting a new long hairdo on her Instagram Stories Saturday.

In the photo, the Australian model styled her longer tresses down with wispy bangs in the front.

She also wore a light mini dress and a pair of black heels.

The look was reminiscent of the “Kardashians” star’s December 2024 hair that she wore to her Skims NYC store opening.

Kardashian and Censori have been compared to each other many times in the past. In April 2024, their pink hair looks became a hot topic of conversation as many fans debated who wore it better.

Kardashian, 44, was also accused of copying Censori’s risqué style in her December 2024 Skims photo shoot, where she dressed in a balaclava and a thong.

Though, the resemblance between the two ladies may have something to do with the man they share in common, as he a history of dressing the women with whom he’s in relationships.

After getting back together with Censori in March, the “Stronger” artist, 47, doubled down on his claims of being his wife’s “master” following his previous comments about having “dominion” over Censori.

He reposted a tweet from a fan on X who wrote: “every man needs himself a bianca.”

“she is a good woman that does whatever ye tells her to do without caring what anyone else has to say, the only thing she cares about is being a subservient extension to her master,” the original tweet continued.

Source : https://pagesix.com/2025/05/03/style/kanye-wests-wife-bianca-censori-is-kim-kardashians-doppelganger-with-new-long-hairdo/

Israel called on Qatar, a key mediator between Israel and Hamas, to “stop playing both sides with its double talk and decide if it’s on the side of civilization or if it’s on the side of Hamas”, the Israeli Prime Minister’s office said on Saturday.
Qatar rejected the statements as “inflammatory”.

Despite efforts by Egyptian and Qatari mediators to restore a ceasefire, neither Israel nor Hamas has shown willingness to back down on core demands, with each side blaming the other for the failure to reach a deal.

Israel, which wants the return of 59 hostages still held in Gaza, has insisted Hamas must disarm and be excluded from any role in the future governance of the enclave, a condition that Hamas rejects.
It has insisted on agreeing a lasting end to the fighting and withdrawal of Israeli forces as a condition for a deal that would see a release of the hostages.
“The State of Qatar firmly rejects the inflammatory statements issued by the Israeli Prime Minister’s Office, which fall far short of the most basic standards of political and moral responsibility,” Qatar’s foreign ministry spokesperson Majed Al-Ansari posted on X early on Sunday.

Al-Ansari criticized the portrayal of the Gaza conflict as a defense of civilization, likening it to historical regimes that used “false narratives to justify crimes against civilians.”
In his post, Al-Ansari questioned whether the release of 138 hostages was achieved through military operations or mediation efforts, which he said are being unjustly criticized and undermined.
He also cited the dire humanitarian situation in Gaza represented by what he called a suffocating blockade, systematic starvation, denial of medicine and shelter, and the use of humanitarian aid as a tool of political coercion.
On Friday, Israel’s security cabinet approved plans for an expanded operation in the Gaza Strip, Israeli media reported on Friday, adding to signs that attempts to stop the fighting and return hostages held by Hamas have made no progress.

Source : https://www.reuters.com/world/middle-east/israel-calls-qatar-stop-playing-both-sides-gaza-talks-2025-05-03/

Eight men have been arrested in two separate counter-terrorism police investigations.

Five were arrested at various locations around England on Saturday as part of a “pre-planned” investigation into a plot to “target a specific premises”, the Metropolitan Police said.

Four – two aged 29, one aged 40 and one aged 46 – are Iranian nationals. Police said the nationality and age of the fifth was still being established.

Three other men, all Iranian, were arrested in London on Saturday as part of a separate counter-terror police investigation. Police said the two operations were not connected.

Home Secretary Yvette Cooper thanked police and security services “for the action they have taken to keep our country safe”.

She said: “These are serious events that demonstrate the ongoing requirement to adapt our response to national security threats.”

In the operation in which five men were arrested, four were detained under the Terrorism Act. The fifth man was arrested under the Police and Criminal Evidence Act (Pace).

All five were arrested on suspicion of preparation of an act of terrorism.

The men were arrested in Swindon, west London, Stockport, Rochdale and Manchester and remain in police custody.

Police said the investigation related to a suspected plot to target a “specific premises”.

The “affected site”, which it did not name, has been made aware and is being supported by police, the Met added.

The investigation is being led by the Met’s counter-terrorism command, supported by officers from Greater Manchester Police and Wiltshire Police, as well as counter-terrorism officers from across the country.

“The investigation is still in its early stages and we are exploring various lines of enquiry to establish any potential motivation as well as to identify whether there may be any further risk to the public linked to this matter,” said Cdr Dominic Murphy, head of the Met’s counter-terrorism command.

Source : https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cx2wqy5ejdjo

India on Saturday imposed a ban on the import of goods coming from or transiting through Pakistan and also the entry of Pakistani ships into its ports.

Pakistan has banned the use of its ports by Indian flag carriers, hours after New Delhi imposed fresh punitive measures, including a ban on import of goods and entry of Pakistani ships into its ports, against Islamabad.

India on Saturday imposed a ban on the import of goods coming from or transiting through Pakistan and also the entry of Pakistani ships into its ports even as Prime Minister Narendra Modi said the country is committed to take “firm and decisive” action against terrorists and their backers.

Pakistan late Saturday ordered that any “Indian flag carriers shall not be allowed to visit any Pakistani port”, Dawn, a Pakistani newspaper reported.

“In view of the recent development of maritime situation with neighbouring country, Pakistan in order to safeguard maritime sovereignty, economic interest and national security enforces following measures with immediate effect: Indian flag carriers shall not be allowed to visit any Pakistani port, Pakistani flag carriers shall not visit any Indian port (and) any exemption or dispensation shall be examined and decided on case to case basis,” the newspaper reported.

The Dawn newspaper had quoted an order issued late Saturday by Pakistan’s Ministry of Maritime Affairs’ Ports and Shipping Wing.

Ties between the two neighbouring countries plummeted following the April 22 Pahalgam terror attack that killed 26 people, mostly tourists.

In fresh punitive measures against Pakistan that came into effect immediately amid heightened Indo-Pak tensions in the wake of the deadly Pahalgam terror attack, India also suspended the exchange of mails, parcels from the neighbouring country via air and surface routes.

Besides banning entry of Pakistani ships into Indian ports, India also barred Indian ships from visiting Pakistani ports, according to the Directorate General of Shipping (DGS). The restrictions were put into place with immediate effect, officials said.

According to an Indian government order, the complete ban on imports of all goods from Pakistan was imposed on the grounds of national security and public policy.

Though the 200 per cent import duty imposed on Pakistani goods in 2019 after the Pulwama attack had effectively halted direct imports, the latest decision also prohibits the entry of Pakistani goods routed through third countries.

The fresh moves came a week-and-half after India announced a raft of punitive measures against Pakistan including suspension of the Indus Waters Treaty, shutting down of the only operation land border crossing at Attari and downgrading of diplomatic ties following the terror attack.

The Pakistan army, meanwhile, said in a statement that it has conducted a successful training launch of the Abdali Weapon System – a surface-to-surface missile with a range of 450 km, saying it was aimed at ensuring the operational readiness of troops and validating key technical parameters.

In New Delhi, people familiar with the matter said India considers the test launch of the ballistic missile a “blatant” act of “provocation”.

Source : https://www.ndtv.com/world-news/after-new-delhis-strong-move-pakistan-shuts-ports-for-indian-ships-8324712

The little boy is in tears and, understandably, irritable. Diarrhea has plagued him for half of his brief life. He is dehydrated and so weak. Attached to his tiny left hand is a yellow tube that carries liquid food to his frail little system.

At 9 months old, Khaled is barely 11 pounds (5 kilos) — half of what a healthy baby his age should be. And in Gaza’s main pediatric hospital ward, as doctors try to save her son, Wedad Abdelaal can only watch.

After back-to-back emergency visits, the doctors decided to admit Khaled last weekend. For nearly a week, he was tube-fed and then given supplements and bottled milk, which is distributed every three hours or more. His mother, nervous and helpless, says that’s not enough.

“I wish they would give it to us every hour. He waits for it impatiently … but they too are short on supplies,” Abdelaal says. “ This border closure is destroying us.”

The longer they stay in the hospital, the better Khaled will get. But Abdelaal is agonizing over her other children, back in their tent, with empty pots and nothing to eat as Israel’s blockade of Gaza enters its third month, the longest since the war started.

Locked, sealed and devastated by Israeli bombings, Gaza is facing starvation. Thousands of children have already been treated for malnutrition. Exhausted, displaced and surviving on basics for over a year and half of war, parents like Abdelaal watch their children waste away and find there is little they can do.

They are out of options.

Acute malnutrition among children is spiking

Hospitals are hanging by a thread, dealing with mass casualty attacks that prioritize deadly emergencies. Food stocks at U.N. warehouses have run out. Markets are emptying. What is still available is sold at exorbitant prices, unaffordable for most in Gaza where more than 80% are reliant on aid, according to the United Nations.

Community kitchens distributing meals for thousands are shuttering. Farmland is mostly inaccessible. Bakeries have closed. Water distribution is grinding to a halt, largely because of lack of fuel. In desperate scenes, thousands, many of them kids, crowd outside community kitchens, fighting over food. Warehouses with few supplies have been looted.

The longest blockade on Gaza has sparked a growing international outcry, but it has failed to persuade Israel to break open the borders. More groups accuse Israel of using starvation as a weapon of war. Residents and humanitarians warn that acute malnutrition among children is spiraling.

“We are breaking the bodies and minds of the children of Gaza,” Michael Ryan, executive director of emergencies at the World Health Organization, told reporters in Geneva. “Because if we don’t do something about it, we are complicit in what is happening before our very eyes. … The children should not have to pay the price.”

Israel imposed the blockade March 2, then ended a two-month ceasefire by resuming military operations on March 18, saying both steps were necessary to pressure Hamas into releasing the hostages. Before the ceasefire collapsed, Israel believed 59 hostages were still inside Gaza, 24 of them alive and still in captivity.

It hasn’t responded to accusations that it uses starvation as a war tactic. But Israeli officials have previously said Gaza had enough aid after a surge in distribution during the ceasefire, and accused Hamas of diverting aid for its purposes. Humanitarian workers deny there is significant diversion, saying the U.N. monitors distribution strictly.

A mother wants to help her son — but can’t

Khaled has suffered from malnutrition since he was 2 months old. His mother managed it through outpatient visits and supplements distributed at feeding centers. But for the past seven months, Abdelaal, 31, has been watching him slowly shrivel. She, too, is malnourished and has had hardly any protein in recent months.

After an exhausting pregnancy and two days of labor, Khaled was born — a low-weight baby at 4 1/2 pounds (2 kilos) but otherwise healthy. Abdelaal began nursing him. But because of lack of calcium, she is losing her teeth — and producing too little milk.

“Breastfeeding needs food, and I am not able to give him enough,” she says.

Khaled has four other siblings, aged between 9 and 4. The family has been displaced from Rafah and now lives in a tent further north in Mawasi Khan Younis.

As food ran out under the blockade, the family grew dependent on community kitchens that serve rice, pasta and cooked beans. Cooking in the tent is a struggle: There is no gas, and finding wood or plastic to burn is exhausting and risky.

Ahmed, 7 and Maria, 4, are already showing signs of malnutrition. Ahmed, 7, weighs 17 pounds (8 kilos); his bones are piercing his skin. He gets no supplements at feeding centers, which serve only kids under 6. Maria, 4, has also lost weight, but there is no scale to weigh her.

“My kids have become so frail,” Abdelaal laments. “They are like chicks.”

Nutrition centers around Gaza are shutting down

Since March 2, U.N. agencies have documented a rise in acute malnutrition among children. They are finding low immunity, frequent illness, weight and muscle mass loss, protruding bones or bellies, and brittle hair. Since the start of the year, more than 9,000 children have been admitted or treated for acute malnutrition, UNICEF said.

The increase was dramatic in March, with 3,600 cases or an 80% increase compared to the 2,000 children treated in February.

Since then, conditions have only worsened. Supplies used to prevent malnutrition, such as supplements and biscuits, have been depleted, according to UNICEF. Therapeutic food used to treat acute malnutrition is running out.

Parents and caregivers are sharing malnutrition treatments to make up for shortages, which undermines treatment. Nearly half of the 200 nutrition centers around Gaza shut down because of displacement and bombardment.

Meanwhile, supplies are languishing at the borders, prevented by Israel from entering Gaza.

“It is absolutely clear that we are going to have more cases of wasting, which is the most dangerous form of malnutrition. It is also clear we are going to have more children dying from these preventable causes,” UNICEF spokesperson Jonathan Crickx says.

Suad Obaid, a nutritionist in Gaza, says parents are frequenting feeding centers more because they have nothing to feed their children. “No one can rely on canned food and emergency feeding for nearly two years.”

At Nasser Hospital, four critical cases were receiving treatment last week for acute malnutrition, including Khaled. Only critical cases are admitted — and only for short periods so more children can be treated.

“If we admit all those who have acute malnutrition, we will need hundreds of beds,” says Dr. Yasser Abu Ghaly, acknowledging: “We can’t help many, anyway … There is nothing in our hands.”

The system for managing diseases has buckled

Before the war, hundreds of families in Gaza were registered and treated for congenital defects, genetic or autoimmune disorders, a system that has broken down mostly because food, formulasor tablets that helped manage the diseases quickly ran out.

Dr Ahmed al-Farrah, head of the pediatrics and obstetrics ward at Nasser Hospital, says hundreds of children with genetic disorders could suffer cognitive disorders as well, if not worse.

“They are sentenced to death,” he says.

Osama al-Raqab’s cystic fibrosis has worsened since the start of the war. Lack of meat, fish and enzyme tablets to help him digest food meant repeated hospital visits and long bouts of chest infections and acute diarrhea, says his mother, Mona. His bones poke through his skin. Osama, 5, weighs 20 pounds (9 kilos) and can hardly move or speak. Canned food offers him no nutrition.

“With starvation in Gaza, we only eat canned lentils,” his mother says. “If the borders remain closed, we will lose that too.”

Rahma al-Qadi’s baby was born with Down syndrome seven months ago. Since then, Sama gained little more than half a pound (300 grams) and was hospitalized multiple times with fever. Her mother, also malnourished and still suffering from infection to her wound after birth, continues to breastfeed her. Again, it is not enough.

Sama is restless, doesn’t sleep and is always demanding more food. Doctors ask her mother to eat better to produce more milk.

Lifting Sama’s scrawny legs up, her mother says: “I can’t believe this is the leg of a 7-month-old.”

Source : https://apnews.com/article/gaza-israel-palestinians-malnutrition-children-f94af55885aadaee7e95b2492fc432e9

While Prince Harry’s legal battle for UK security may not have ended in his favor, he did uncover some “shocking truths” throughout the process.

The Duke of Sussex revealed some of his findings in an official statement after Friday’s ruling, taking aim at the Executive Committee for the Protection of Royalty and Public Figures (RAVEC) over the recent loss.

“The court’s ruling confirms that the Executive Committee for the Protection of Royalty and Public Figures, known as RAVEC and comprised of senior officials from the Royal Household, Home Office and Metropolitan Police, has failed to follow its own mandated processes for me, which are applied to all other high-risk and high-profile individuals,” Harry wrote.

He also vowed to continue fighting this case by writing to the Home Secretary “to ask her to urgently examine the matter and review the RAVEC process.”

Harry went on to call the long-fought legal struggle “a last resort” that nevertheless has “uncovered shocking truths, starting with the fact that the Royal Household are key decision-makers on RAVEC and my sole representation for matters regarding my safety.”

“In this process I’ve also learned the names of all those involved, many of whom retired immediately after playing their part,” he added.

Harry, 40, began challenging the UK government after it decided to strip him and his wife, Meghan Markle, of their publicly funded security following their resignation from their royal duties and move to the US in 2020.

However, he claimed in his statement that the issue dates back to 2017 when the “secretive committee” decided that his wife, 43, would not be offered protection when she officially joined the royal family. The decision was ultimately reversed after Harry’s prodding.

The problem would only continue to grow in the following years, resulting in Harry no longer having the automatic state-backed security measures he’s “had since birth.”

The “Spare” author — who has been embroiled in a tense feud with his family members over the situation — went on to blame his family for the issue persisting for so long.

“To this present day, the Royal Household remain my sole representation on RAVEC for every visit and could call for this assessment to be done at any point.”

“The only possible conclusion that can be drawn is they choose not to, because they know the outcome would prove that my security should never have been removed in the first place.”

Harry alleged he and his family have been subjected to Neo-nazi threats as well as threats of violence from extremists, making their safety a paramount focus for the dad of two as he travels to the UK for various visits.

“This all comes from the same institutions that preyed upon my mother, that openly campaigned for the removal of our security, and that continue to incite hatred towards me, my wife and even our children, while at the same time protecting the very power that they should be holding accountable,” he said.

“The UK is my birthplace and will always be part of who I am. It is a place I love and the country where my son was born,” Harry wrote. “I’ve only ever wanted to continue my charitable work in supporting the causes and people that mean so much to me, and for my children to know the beauty of my homeland.”

The duke made a similar comment about his family in his bombshell BBC News interview that was released on Friday.

Amid claims that he and his father, King Charles III, are not currently on speaking terms, he also echoed his remarks that the king, 76, had the power to take care of the situation for him.

“There is a lot of control and ability in my father’s hands. Ultimately, this whole thing could be resolved through him,” Harry argued.

Source : https://pagesix.com/2025/05/03/royal-family/prince-harry-unloads-shocking-truths-after-losing-security-appeal-taking-aim-at-king-charles/

The beach and seafront were packed with fans hours before the concert was set to begin. Rio officials expect a boost to economic activity in the city.

American pop icon Lady Gaga is holding a free concert at the iconic Copacabana Beach in the Brazilian city of Rio de Janeiro on Saturday.

The show will be the biggest in the pop star’s career so far.

It was scheduled to start at 9:45 p.m. local time (0045 GMT Sunday).

The beach and seafront were packed with fans hours before the concert was set to begin.

“I got here at 7:40 this morning,” 22-year-old Alisha Duarte told the AFP news agency. “So far, it’s going well. It’ll get more complicated tonight when it’s going to get super crowded, but we’ll survive — Lady Gaga is worth it!”

Boosting economy through concerts

Rio officials have a history of organizing huge concerts on Copacabana Beach.

Last year, a show by Madonna on the same beach drew 1.6 million people from all over Brazil.

The city expects a similarly huge turnout for the Lady Gaga event.

The large-scale performances are part of an effort led by City Hall to boost economic activity.

Officials estimate the concert to inject about 600 million reais ($100 million, €88.5 million) into the local economy, nearly 30% more than last year’s free Madonna concert.

“It brings activity to the city during what was previously considered the low season — filling hotels and increasing spending in bars, restaurants, and retail, generating jobs and income for the population,” said Osmar Lima, the city’s secretary of economic development, in a statement released by Rio City Hall’s tourism department last month.

Similar concerts are scheduled to take place every year in May at least until 2028.

Source : https://www.dw.com/en/lady-gaga-fans-flock-to-copacabana-for-free-concert/a-72428225

A POPULAR sandwich shop is rapidly shrinking in size.

The fast food giant is the largest in the US by number of locations.

Subway, the sandwich chain, closed 631 locations across the country in 2024 alone, according to a recent report from QSR.

While Subway still operates 19,502 restaurants nationwide, that number marks a significant milestone.

This is the first time in 20 years the chain has dipped below 20,000 domestic locations.

It’s part of a broader, years-long decline.

COMPANY HISTORY

Subway’s US store count peaked in 2015 at more than 27,000 restaurants, but since 2016, the chain has been in retreat.

That year, it closed 357 locations across the US.

The pace accelerated quickly: 866 closures followed in 2017, then 1,108 in 2018, culminating in a staggering 1,601 closures in 2020.

Despite the steep losses, Subway still holds the top spot among US restaurant chains in terms of total units.

FACING COMPETITION

QSR reports that Starbucks comes in second with 16,935 locations, and McDonald’s ranks third with 13,559.

Still, the rapid downsizing raises questions about the brand’s future in the US – and how it’s adapting.

“Subway achieved a positive global net restaurant growth for the second consecutive year,” QSR said Subway stated.

The company now operates nearly 37,000 locations worldwide, signaling a shift in its focus to global markets.

CORPORATE STRATEGY

“In the US, we are optimizing our footprint using a strategic, data-driven approach to ensure restaurants are in the right location, image and format and operated by the right franchisees,” the company said in its statement.

“This includes opening new restaurants as well as relocating or closing locations as needed, to ensure a consistent, high-quality and convenient guest experience.”

The closures, then, are not just signs of trouble – they’re part of what Subway describes as a long-term strategy.

The company refers to it as “Smart Growth,” a plan to consolidate and strengthen its operations.

Even so, losing more than 7,000 stores since 2015 represents a steep fall from grace for a chain once known for its aggressive expansion.

The numbers suggest that Subway may be choosing depth over breadth as it recalibrates its US presence.

While many American consumers may notice fewer Subways in their neighborhoods, the company’s international footprint continues to grow.

Source : https://www.the-sun.com/money/14160751/largest-fast-food-chain-closing-locations-shutdowns-subway/

U.S. President Donald Trump said on Friday his administration will revoke Harvard University’s tax-exempt status, returning to a threat he issued against the Massachusetts school last month as part of his wider attack on elite universities.
“We are going to be taking away Harvard’s Tax Exempt Status. It’s what they deserve!” Trump wrote in a post on his social media platform, without elaborating.

The university responded, saying that would be an unlawful misuse of the U.S. tax code, which makes it a crime for the president, vice president or any White House employee to request the Internal Revenue Service investigate or audit a particular individual or entity.

Harvard is already suing the Trump administration over the announcement last month that the government was freezing federal grants to the Ivy League university amounting to $2.2 billion, mostly to fund medical and other scientific research.
Trump previously said on April 15 that he thought Harvard should perhaps “lose its Tax Exempt Status and be Taxed as a Political Entity if it keeps pushing political, ideological, and terrorist inspired/supporting ‘Sickness?'”
Soon after, White House spokesperson Harrison Fields said any forthcoming IRS actions were independent of the president and that any audit or investigations were initiated before Trump’s post.

Representatives for the Internal Revenue Service did not respond to questions on Friday.
The tax code requires that any IRS employee who receives an improper request from the White House report that to the U.S. Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration, whose office also did not respond to questions.
Harvard, the nation’s oldest and wealthiest university, said a revocation of its tax-exempt status would be unlawful and unprecedented, a comment echoed by free-speech advocacy groups and other non-profit organizations on Friday.
“There is no legal basis to rescind Harvard’s tax-exempt status,” the Boston-area school said in a statement. “The unlawful use of this instrument more broadly would have grave consequences for the future of higher education in America.”

It would also cut money available for student scholarships, medical research and technological advancements that drive economic growth, Harvard said.

Most universities, including Harvard, are exempt from federal income tax because they are deemed to be charitable organizations operated exclusively for public educational purposes. The exemption also allows people to make tax-deductible donations to such organizations, a valuable source of income for colleges with wealthy alumni.
Since a 2017 law, Harvard and other universities have had to pay a 1.4% excise tax on their endowments. Harvard’s endowment amounted to $53.2 billion dollars as of the 2024 fiscal year, opens new tab, when it paid more than $44 million in taxes.
Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer and fellow Democratic U.S. senators on Friday asked Acting Inspector General Heather Hill at the Treasury to investigate any IRS actions being taken against Harvard.
Diane Yentel, president of the National Council of Nonprofits, said in a statement that Trump’s actions are an abuse of executive power and “an existential threat to the entire nonprofit sector.”
“If the Trump administration can silence universities today, who will be next?” Yentel said.
Since taking office in January, Trump has targeted U.S. universities by freezing federal funding, launching investigations, revoking international students’ visas and making other demands.
Trump, a Republican, has said higher education has been gripped by antisemitic, anti-American, Marxist and radical left ideologies.
Trump’s administration escalated its fight against Harvard in recent weeks by freezing federal grants, seeking details on its foreign ties and threatening its ability to enroll foreign students.

Source : https://www.reuters.com/world/us/trump-take-away-harvards-tax-exempt-status-2025-05-02/

Vitali Klitschko, the former heavyweight boxer who is now mayor of Kyiv, ventured last month into hazardous political territory: he delicately suggested in an interview that Ukraine might need to cede land to end its battle against Russia.
After a flood of angry online comments, he walked back his comments, saying on Facebook that “territorial concessions contradict our national interests and we must fight against their implementation until the last”.

U.S. President Donald Trump and his negotiators believe the only route to ending the Russian war in Ukraine is for Kyiv to acknowledge in some form that it is not getting back the Ukrainian land Moscow’s troops have taken since invading.
But the episode with Klitschko — along with opinion polling shared exclusively with Reuters — indicates that, more than three years into the war, most Ukrainians are not willing to cede territory to Russia in exchange for a ceasefire deal.
The state of public opinion helps explain why Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy, who is expected to run for re-election, has resisted Trump’s pressure to cede territory in ceasefire negotiations.

A poll from Gradus Research exclusively shared with Reuters showed that almost three-quarters of the population did not see territorial concessions as a way to end the war.
“Most respondents believe that Russia’s main goal in the war … is to establish full control over our country,” Gradus said in a research note. “Ukrainian territorial concessions are not perceived as a compromise or a guarantee of peace – on the contrary, they can only strengthen the aggressor.”
Russia has denied seeking control of Ukraine, but its forces headed directly to Kyiv in their full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022 before Ukrainian troops pushed them back from the capital to their current positions in the south and east.
The Ukrainian poll conducted this week indicated that 40% of respondents believed that even in the case of concessions, peace would be only temporary and unsustainable. Another 31% thought that concessions would not lead to peace at all, Gradus said.

Russia now de facto controls about 20% of Ukrainian territory, including the Crimean peninsula that it seized and unilaterally annexed in 2014 as well as large parts of four other regions of east and southeast Ukraine.
According to U.S. negotiators, many of Ukraine’s European allies, and some Ukrainians when speaking in private, say Ukraine will have to acknowledge loss of territory to end the war.
Ukrainians are exhausted and up against a bigger and stronger enemy. Their attempts to push Russia back on the battlefield have failed since the first year of the war, and their Western partners have not given them enough military aid for it to achieve a decisive victory.
Zelenskiy has acknowledged that Ukraine cannot regain its territories by military force but notes that formally ceding land would run counter to the country’s constitution.

Opposition to giving up land has softened as the war has ground on. Data from the Kyiv International Institute of Sociology (KIIS), showed that in March about 39% supported territorial concessions, compared with just 10% in May 2022.
Yet it also found that in March 50% of Ukrainians rejected the idea of giving up any land to Russia, ever, down from 51% in December.
Data from another pollster – Razumkov Centre — from a February-March poll showed nearly 82% of respondents were against any formal recognition of the occupied territories.
“The definition of territorial concessions that more than half of the population might accept with a heavy heart is a de facto recognition of the occupation without de-jure recognition,” said Anton Hrushetskyi from KIIS, adding that the country would have to receive security guarantees in exchange.
Apart from Klitschko’s short-lived intervention, no prominent figures in Ukrainian politics or public life are trying to promote a national conversation about the need to acknowledge the loss of territory.

Source : https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/peace-exchange-land-many-ukrainians-its-too-painful-contemplate-2025-05-02/

President Donald Trump’s administration on Friday agreed to halt all efforts to freeze funds intended for a Maine child nutrition program after initially suspending those dollars due to a disagreement between the state and Trump over transgender athletes.

In response, the state will drop its lawsuit that had been filed against the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Maine Attorney General Aaron Frey announced.

“It’s unfortunate that my office had to resort to federal court just to get USDA to comply with the law and its own regulations,” Frey said in a statement. “But we are pleased that the lawsuit has now been resolved and that Maine will continue to receive funds as directed by Congress to feed children and vulnerable adults.”

An email message seeking comment was sent Friday to the Agriculture Department.

The settlement closes a dispute first sparked by the federal government’s decision to freeze federal funds to Maine for certain administrative and technological functions in the state’s schools.

A letter from Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins explained that the decision stemmed from a disagreement between the state and federal governments over whether Maine was complying with Title IX, the federal law that bans discrimination in education based on sex. Trump had accused Maine of failing to comply with his executive order barring transgender athletes from sports.

Soon after the secretary’s letter was sent, Maine’s Department of Education could not access several sources of federal funds for a state nutrition program, according to the court’s written order.

Maine quickly sued the Trump administration, where the state’s attorneys argued that the child nutrition program received or was due to receive more than $1.8 million for the current fiscal year. Prior year funds that were awarded but are currently inaccessible total more than $900,000, the lawsuit states.

Source : https://nypost.com/2025/05/02/us-news/trump-administration-settles-with-maine-over-funding-freeze-after-dispute-over-trans-athletes/