Category: World

Ahead of nuclear talks, US President Donald Trump says he is losing confidence about reaching a deal with Iran.

Washington and Tehran have held five rounds of talks since April as Trump seeks an agreement that would place constraints on Iran’s uranium enrichment. He has threatened to attack Iran if no deal can be agreed.

Defence Minister Aziz Nasirzadeh said on Wednesday that Iran would target US military bases in the region if the US attacked it first.

“Some officials on the other side threaten conflict if negotiations don’t come to fruition. If a conflict is imposed on us … all US bases are within our reach and we will boldly target them in host countries,” Nasirzadeh told reporters, the Reuters news agency reported.

Iraq, in the meantime, has not monitored any security concerns that call for evacuation of US personnel from the embassy in Baghdad, the Iraqi state news agency reported on Wednesday. US and Iraqi sources said earlier that Washington is preparing a partial evacuation of its Iraqi embassy and will allow military dependents to depart locations around the Middle East due to escalated security risks in the region.

Later in the day, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian reiterated Tehran’s red lines: “We have announced and the supreme leader has a belief that we will not build nuclear weapons. Come and evaluate it however you want. We will not build a nuclear bomb.

“However, who gave you permission to say that we in this country do not have the right to conduct research on such and such topics? Who are they to tell us that we have no right to conduct research and must shut everything down? We are engaged in negotiations … We stand firm to ensure that no one imposes force upon us.”

The sixth round of talks is expected later this week, with Trump saying they will take place on Thursday, and Tehran saying they will be held on Sunday in Oman.

Trump ‘less confident’ of a deal

Trump said that he was growing less confident that a nuclear deal would be reached, in comments in a podcast released on Wednesday.

“I don’t know,” the US leader told the podcast Pod Force One on Monday, when asked whether he thought he could strike a deal with Iran.

“I’m less confident now than I would have been a couple of months ago. Something happened to them, but I am much less confident of a deal being made,” he said.

Trump repeated the US position that Iran would be stopped from developing a nuclear bomb, regardless of whether a deal was reached.

“But it would be nicer to do it without warfare, without people dying, it’s so much nicer to do it,” he told the podcast.

“But I don’t think I see the same level of enthusiasm for them to make a deal.”

Source : https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2025/6/11/iran-threatens-to-strike-us-bases-if-conflict-erupts-over-nuclear-programme

California Governor Gavin Newsom accused US President Donald Trump of treating National Guard troops with “disrespect” after viral images showed them sleeping on the floor in cramped conditions following their deployment to Los Angeles amid intensifying immigration protests. The dispute has escalated into a legal battle, with Newsom’s office filing a lawsuit against the Trump administration over what it calls an illegal and politically motivated deployment.

“You sent your troops here without fuel, food, water or a place to sleep,” Newsom posted on X, sharing photos of guardsmen lying shoulder-to-shoulder on the ground. “This isn’t about public safety. It’s about stroking a dangerous President’s ego. This is reckless. Pointless. And disrespectful to our troops.”

The governor claimed Trump’s administration dispatched over 2,000 National Guard troops without basic supplies, adding that only 300 had received active orders, while the rest were left idle in federal buildings. “This is how Donald Trump treats his troops. Disgraceful,” Newsom wrote in another post.

In response, Pentagon spokesperson Sean Parnell accused Newsom of “using the troops as political props,” stating that soldiers “have ready access to food and water” and that due to the “fluid security situation,” they were temporarily housed in less-than-ideal facilities.

“Also, when you’re a soldier you’re prepared to sleep in worse places than this,” Parnell added on X.

Meanwhile, Trump authorised the deployment of an additional 2,000 troops, bringing the total number of Guard personnel under federal orders in Los Angeles to more than 4,100. The move follows the earlier deployment of 700 US Marines to support local authorities. The Pentagon has estimated the cost of the operation at $134 million.

Newsom’s lawsuit argues that the president’s use of emergency powers in this instance exceeds his constitutional authority, alleging that Trump exploited a manageable protest situation for political gain. “On Saturday, June 7, he used a protest that local authorities had under control to make another unprecedented power grab,” the suit states.

Source : https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/us/california-governor-slams-trump-over-disrespect-to-troops-photos-show-national-guard-sleeping-on-floors-sues-administration-over-la-deployment/articleshow/121762057.cms 

VLADIMIR Putin has killed at least two people in a terrifying drone blitz which tore through a Ukrainian maternity ward.

Russia directly attacked Kyiv with 315 drones and missiles and demolished large parts of the southern port of Odesa overnight.

At least four people have been hospitalised in Kyiv with seven out of the city’s 10 districts being impacted.

The devastating aerial attacks sparked intense recovery operations as emergency services battled against fires in residential neighbourhoods.

Air raid alerts in Kyiv lasted for around five hours as they first alerted residents at around 5am, according to military data.

Russia sent out a 315 drone blitz in the attack, including 250 Shaheds, and seven missiles, according to Volodymyr Zelensky.

A harrowing image of the capital’s skyline shows how it had been engulfed by a cloud of orange from the numerous blasts.

As the sun rose in the morning residents complained they “could not see the dawn” due to the thick black smoke still lingering in the air.

Timur Tkachenko, the head of Kyiv’s military district, said on Telegram: “A difficult night for all of us.

“Throughout the night, the enemy relentlessly terrorised Kyiv with attack drones.

“They targeted civilian infrastructure and peaceful residents of the city.”

Russia claimed they had only targeted the Ukrainian Artem plant which is where Kyiv produces air-to-air missiles, air-guided weapons, and anti-tank guided missiles.

But an emergency warning was sent round to all residents by Kyiv mayor Vitali Klitschko who said: “Stay in shelters! The massive attack on the capital continues.”

Zelensky also said large swaths of Odesa, Dnipro region, and Chernihiv were all hit overnight.

The heroic leader said the night from hell marked one of the “largest attacks” in the gruelling war to date.

In Odesa, a maternity hospital and residential buildings were all completely destroyed.

Two were killed, including a 59-year-old, at the hands of Putin across the city.

Speaking on X, Zelensky said: “In Odesa, even a maternity hospital became a Russian target.

“Thirteen people were injured. Tragically, there are fatalities. My condolences to the families.

“It is vital that the response to this and other similar Russian attacks is not silence from the world, but concrete action.”

Odesa’s mayor confirmed that the maternity hospital was evacuated in time with no casualties reported.

The strikes were seen as Putin’s continued revenge for his humiliating operation Spiderweb defeat at the hands of Ukraine.

Just nine days ago, Ukraine hit more than 40 Russian bomber aircraft in an audacious drone blitz on four military air bases.

Russia has since stepped up their assaults and now fire over 500 drone strikes every night on Ukraine.

Earlier this week, Russian drones and missiles were launched at Kyiv again as Russian Tu-22M3 strategic bombers were reportedly unleashed to rain hell on the infamous Snake Island in the Black Sea.

Moscow launched a massive strike on Rivne using its Tu-22M3 and Tu-95MS strategic bombers to hit Dubny airbase.

Another key Ukrainian military airport – Hostomel – was also attacked as Putin sought revenge for the humiliating attack.

Polish armed forces command said Nato fighter jets were patrolling due to “intensive air attack by the Russian Federation on Ukrainian territory”.

Just days ago, Kharkiv was rocked overnight as 48 kamikaze drones, along with missiles and guided bombs, slammed into residential areas, according to the city’s mayor.

Source : https://www.the-sun.com/news/14438448/putin-russia-ukraine-drone-kyiv/

CHILLING new details of Iran’s secret project to develop powerful nuclear warheads for missiles capable of firing over 2,000 miles have been revealed.

Satellite images and new information about the clandestine programme – codenamed the “Desert Plan” – have been uncovered by Iranian resistance networks.

They warned that the tyrannical regime’s dash to obtain deadly nukes had “intensified”.

Seven hidden sites in the Semnan province of northern Iran have been identified including an underground base used for nuclear explosion tests.

In a bid to keep the programme under wraps, regime leaders have even deleted roads leading to bases from official maps.

Low-flying aircraft and drones equipped with face recognition technology patrol the area around the sites – and any foreigners who venture near are arrested and interrogated.

The new details, which were gathered by networks inside Iran from the People’s Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI/MEK), were released on Tuesday by the National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI).

They uncovered how the regime initiated its “Kavir Plan” – which means Desert Plan – in 2009 to replaced the regime’s previous Amad plan, which was exposed and shut down in 2003.

The Kavir Plan is a series of projects set up under the direct orders of leader Ali Khamenei to develop boosted nuclear warheads for missiles with a range exceeding 2,000 miles or 3,000 kilometres.

“Make no mistake. Nuclear weapons are the regime’s life insurance policy.

That would mean the nuclear warheads could reach US bases in the Middle East as well as countries as far away as Italy, Ukraine, Sudan and parts of Russia.

To mask the Kavir Plan, the regime pretends it has a goal of “desert security” and nuclear weapons are being developed under the guise of manufacturing satellite-launching missiles, the NCRI say.

They have identified seven sites they believe to be related to the Kavir Plan including the Shahroud Site where nuclear warheads for the Ghaem-100 missile are being developed and the Semnan Site, focused on developing nuclear weapons for the Simorgh missile.

The Ivanaki Site is responsible for developing components for the weapons and the Sanjaran Site develops shock wave generators for simultaneous detonation in a nuclear weapon.

Underground explosive testing is conducted at the Sorkheh Hesar Site, while the “Parchin Site (Project 6)” has been identified as engaging in the production of explosives and carrying out testing.

Meanwhile the SPND, the organisation which commands the secret nuclear programme, is believed to be located in the Noor Building in Tehran.

“Tehran has done everything to hide its relentless effort to acquire nuclear weapons.

The nuclear sites are patrolled by a special unit called the Kavir Security Unit and the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, who have set up an intelligence base in the area.

To conceal the sites’ activities, Iran’s Ministry of Intelligence removed the road between Semnan and the provinces of Yazd and Isfahan from the country’s official geographic maps to prevent foreign nationals from accessing it, the NCRI claim.

The areas around the sites are monitored by light reconnaissance aircraft and drones with facial recognition cameras mounted on them.

The regime also uses satellite surveillance technology to monitor the area.

‘THREAT TO GLOBAL PEACE’

According to NCRI, foreigners – particularly American and European tourists who travel to the region for scientific or wildlife research, are closely monitored by security and law enforcement in the area by direct order of Khamenei.

They claim the regime “has consistently arrested foreign nationals travelling in the region and subjected them to interrogation”.

In a statement, the NCRI said: “The regime’s approach to the international community regarding its nuclear activities over these decades can be described as concealment, deception, obfuscation, delaying, and destruction of evidence.

“Tehran has done everything to hide its relentless effort to acquire nuclear weapons. The regime’s policy remains one of stalling and delaying to prevent decisive action while
moving forward with its weapons program. The time has come to end this.

“This regime’s threat to global peace and stability is not limited to its nuclear program.

“The genocide inside Iran, as confirmed by the UN Special Rapporteur, and the export of terrorism and warmongering necessitate a decisive policy towards it.

“The mullahs’ regime is at its most fragile state, facing an explosive society. Since Masoud Pezeshkian was appointed as the regime’s president in August, more than 1,300 prisoners—
including women political prisoners—have been executed, and dozens are at imminent risk of execution.

“Regionally, the regime is at its weakest point in four decades, making it more desperate than ever to rely on the nuclear lever.

“Four press conferences by the Iranian Resistance exposing the regime’s secret nuclear projects in the past six months demonstrate that Tehran’s dash to obtain nuclear weapons has intensified.

“Make no mistake. Nuclear weapons are the regime’s life insurance policy.”

The NCRI has now called for all of the regime’s nuclear and missile sites to be shut down and dismantled.

They also want to see the snapback mechanism of the Iran nuclear deal triggered, which means sanctions will be reimposed on Iran.

Iran claims it is not trying to develop nuclear weapons and its nuclear programme is for civilian purposes only.

However, the UN nuclear watchdog – the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) – warned last month that Iran had secretly increased its stockpile of uranium enriched almost to weapons-grade levels.

It made Iran the only non-nuclear-weapon state to have produced such material, according to the IAEA’s report.

US intelligence agencies believe Iran has yet to begin a weapons program but say it is in a position to produce a nuclear weapon if it wanted to.

It comes as the US held several rounds of talks with Tehran over a possible nuclear deal, President Donald Trump believes could be completed soon.

However Iranian officials dismissed reports a deal was imminent and said they wouldn’t agree to anything unless all sanctions were lifted and their nuclear programme was allowed to continue.

Trump hit back, giving Tehran a chilling deadline to either sign a new nuclear agreement or face military action.

Source : https://www.the-sun.com/news/world-news/14444632/irans-codenamed-nuclear-programme-underground-bunker/

TEXAS is the latest state to deploy National Guard troops on the ground as the chaos in Los Angeles continues to spread across the US.

LA’s mayor announced a curfew overnight as the city braces for a sixth day of intense protests.

Anti-ICE and anti-Donald Trump demonstrations have hit New York, Chicago, San Francisco, Atlanta, Philadelphia, and other major cities since LA was taken over by rioters on Friday.

Some 197 people were arrested by the LAPD on Wednesday, with hundreds more being detained across America for similar protests.

The curfew on downtown LA was imposed at 8pm last night with most of the rioting chaos halted as troops patrolled the area and arrested anyone breaching the rules.

Mayor Karen Bass said the lockdown was based on a surging number of looting being reported.

Trump has now vowed to crack down on the growing demonstrations with more force than ever.

The president is believed to be readying up ICE tactical units to storm New York City, Seattle, Chicago, Philadelphia and northern Virginia, MSNBC reports.

Some 4,000 National Guard troops are already in LA – despite objections by Californian Democrats.

With 700 Marines expected to begin patrolling the city on Wednesday.

Most demonstrations against Trump’s deportation program have remained largely peaceful.

But speaking at the 250th anniversary of the US Army on Tuesday, Trump said: “The mob in Los Angeles will not deter us.”

His comments come as Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth said the military presence in LA will cost $134 million.

California lawmakers have criticized Trump’s deployment of the National Guard, insisting the troops’ presence has just stoked further tensions.

Newsom has slammed Trump saying: “This isn’t about public safety. It’s about stroking a dangerous President’s ego,” .

The governor has since sued the US president for what he called an unlawful deployment of federal troops with the hearing to take place on Thursday.

The growing demonstrations come as the feud between Trump and California Governor Gavin Newsom has deepened.

Trump blasted his west coast rival as “incompetent” and blamed him for “third world lawlessness”.

Newsom hit back by posting a Star Wars spoof video of Trump in the midst of their protest spat.

Protests spread across to at least 10 major US cities

Police in almost a dozen cities across the US are now reporting mass protests taking place on the streets.

Los Angeles has continued to see demonstrations, some of which have been violent, ever since Friday.

Source : https://www.the-sun.com/news/14424780/trump-troops-la-protests-ice-raids/

At least two people were killed on Tuesday after a string of bomb explosions targeted police posts in the southwestern Colombian city of Cali, officials said.

Spanish news agency EFE reported that at least 36 people were injured in the explosions.

While it remains unclear who carried out the apparently coordinated attacks, guerrilla groups that split from the once-powerful FARC militia are known to be active in the area.

What do we know about the attacks in Cali?

The blasts occurred in the neighborhoods of Meléndez, Manuela Beltran, and Los Mangos. One of the bombs is believed to have been planted on a motorcycle, according to officials.

Cali Mayor Alejandro Eder stated on social media platform X that emergency services were responding. “Our security forces are on the scene and health teams are on alert in case of further incidents,” he said.

Footage from the attacks showed several people lying injured in the streets while bystanders and police attempted to assist them.

The bombings came just days after the attempted assassination of a presidential candidate in Bogota, a brazen attack that has put the country on edge. Conservative senator Miguel, 39, was shot twice in the head at close range by a 15-year-old alleged hitman while campaigning Saturday in Bogota.

How far have the attacks spread?

Another explosion was also reported in Jamundi, a municipality near Cali.

Additional attacks took place in the neighboring department of Cauca, where two car bombs exploded in the towns of El Bordo and Corinto, causing material damage but no casualties. In the town of Caloto, a police officer was killed by a sniper, and another explosion struck the toll booth in Villa Rica, also in Cauca, about 20 kilometers (12.5 miles) from Cali.

The Colombian Army’s Third Division, which operates in the region, blamed the attacks on dissident FARC faction led by Nestor Gregorio Vera, alias Ivan Mordisco.

Source : https://www.dw.com/en/colombia-multiple-dead-after-string-explosions-in-cali/a-72861011

Pakistan has decided to substantially hike its military spending in the wake of recent clashes with its archrival and nuclear-armed neighbor, India.

Islamabad has raised next year’s defense budget to 2.55 trillion Pakistani rupees ($9 billion), compared to 2.12 trillion in the fiscal year ending this month, marking a jump of roughly 20% year over year.

The announcement came as Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s government unveiled its annual federal budget for the 2025-26 fiscal year on Tuesday.

The surge in military spending came despite Pakistan battling weak finances and tremendous economic challenges.

In fact, the overall spending planned in the budget is down 7% to 17.57 trillion rupees ($62 billion).

Pakistan’s army sees surge in popularity

Pakistan and India recently witnessed a major flare-up in violence, the worst since the rivals’ last open conflict in 1999, which sparked fears that it could spiral into a full-blown war.

It began after a deadly attack on Hindu tourists in Pahalgam town — in India-administered Kashmir — on April 22, in which 26 people, mostly Hindu men, were killed.

New Delhi blamed Islamabad for backing the attack, an allegation Pakistan has denied.

The crisis soon spiraled into a military confrontation between the two nations. After four days, however, both sides agreed to a ceasefire.

Against this backdrop, the higher defense expenditures “aren’t in the least surprising,” said Michael Kugelman, a South Asia expert at the Washington-based Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars.

“There’s the fundamental issue of needing to ensure sufficient resources in the aftermath of a serious conflict with India. Furthermore, the military, which surely sought these increased expenditures, is emboldened following the conflict and will look to push its agenda more rigorously,” Kugelman told DW.

Pakistan’s military, the country’s most powerful institution, had been unpopular in recent years, with many people accusing it of meddling in politics and keeping the country’s most popular politician, Imran Khan, away from power.

But the military establishment has seen a surge in popularity after the recent fighting.

“Finally, with the nation fully behind Pakistan in its fight with India, the civilian and military leadership know that they have the political space to take these types of measures,” said Kugelman.

Struggling with economic crisis

Pakistan has been dealing with an economic crisis for years, marked by high inflation, a depreciating currency and International Monetary Fund (IMF) bailouts.

As recently as 2023, the country was staring at risk defaulting on its debts.

But a multibillion-dollar support package from the IMF has helped steady the economy and bring inflation under control.

In January, Pakistan agreed to an unprecedented 10-year plan with the World Bank which will see $20 billion (€19.4 billion) worth of loans for the cash-strapped economy.

Sharif’s government now projects 4.2% economic expansion in 2025-26.

Growth this fiscal year is likely to be 2.7%, against an initial target of 3.6% set in last year’s budget.

The reliance on the IMF means Islamabad will have to fulfill the institution’s requirements for budget management and economic reforms.

The IMF has urged Pakistan to widen the tax base through reforms which include taxing agriculture, retail and real estate.

Analysts say Sharif’s government plans to offset the increased defense budget with cuts to spending in other areas, including welfare.

“It’s a big hike and will have to be funded from somewhere. Of course, it will have implications for expenditure on the social sectors and on development schemes,” Safiya Aftab, an Islamabad-based economist, told DW.

“It’s unfortunate that Pakistan is once again implementing the economic policy of a security state, but to be honest, the situation on the borders makes this inevitable,” she added.

Source : https://www.dw.com/en/pakistan-boosts-military-spending-amid-india-tensions/a-72858283

Earth’s oceans are home to more than 250,000 species, among them tiny plankton, colorful coral reefs and the gigantic blue whale. Over a billion people rely on food from the sea as a significant source of nutrition.

The international community is now meeting in Nice, France, to hash out solutions to better protect the planet’s vulnerable and plundered ocean waters. But what are the areas of concern at the UN Ocean Conference?

Warmer oceans mean fewer underwater inhabitants

As the planet heats up, huge swathes of underwater life are at stake.

With rising temperatures, corals lose their color as a stress response and these crucial habitats can then die. Coral bleaching affects about 84% of all reefs.

If ocean temperatures were to rise by 1.5 degrees Celsius (2.7 degrees Fahrenheit) compared to pre-industrial times, most reefs would die.

“With anything higher than 2 degrees Celsius, destruction would be inevitable,” says Katja Matthes, director of the GEOMAR Helmholtz Center for Ocean Research Kiel in Germany.

Warm water also absorbs less oxygen and that puts many more underwater creatures at risk.

New research shows that oceans are warming to a depth of 2,000 meters (about 6,600 feet).

“That means plankton, fish and marine mammals run out of oxygen. We see death zones here in Germany’s Baltic Sea where life is virtually unable to exist anymore,” Matthes said.

Overfishing puts stress on marine ecosystems

Excessive and unregulated fishing also puts a strain on marine ecosystems. Environmental organization WWF estimates the number of overfished stocks globally has tripled in the past 50 years. Fish populations have no chance to replenish if they’re overly exploited.

The problem is especially dire in the Mediterranean Sea, where over half of fish populations, such as herring, sardines and anchovies, are considered overexploited.

“That has an impact on the food chain of bigger marine mammals and in turn affects an entire ecosystem,” said Matthes.

Fish are the most important source of protein for over a billion people. Over 600 million people depend on oceans for their livelihoods — especially in China, Indonesia and India.

More plastic than fish in oceans by 2050

By 2050 the weight of all fish combined could be exceeded by something else: plastic waste. Every year, about 8 to 10 million tons of plastic ends up in the water. That’s according to estimates by the World Resources Institute, a non-profit organization based in Washington D.C.

It can take hundreds of years for plastic to break down. The persistent waste and microplastic particles are causing increasing problems for marine life.

Rising sea temperatures affect weather patterns

Global ocean currents have a major influence on monsoon periods in South America and Asia and Europe’s relatively mild climate.

The Gulf Stream, for example, as part of the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation (AMOC), brings warm water from the tropics to the North Atlantic Ocean. This helps regulate Europe’s mild air temperatures and, thus, is central to the continent’s high agricultural yields.

According to researchers, rising temperatures could alter the AMOC. There are signs that the Gulf Stream is already slowing down. Without it, northern Europe would be 5 to 15 C colder, according to Germany’s environment agency UBA.

Oceans as an ‘ally in the fight against climate change’

Sea surface temperatures set new records in 2023 and 2024, according to the latest report from Copernicus, the European Union’s Earth observation program. Water expands as it warms. This is one of the main reasons for sea level rise, alongside melting land ice.

The sea is getting warmer, because it absorbs CO2 and other greenhouse gas emissions. It’s sucked up about a third of human-made emissions.

“Without this storage function, the temperature in the atmosphere would already be unbearable,” said marine scientist Carlos Duarte, who’s based at the King Abdullah University of Science and Technology in Saudi Arabia.

“The ocean is our ally in the fight against climate change,” Matthes said, “but only as long as we maintain its function.” As water temperatures rise, oceans absorb less CO2.

And higher CO2 levels turn the sea acidic, killing off mussels and corals, Matthes added.

Adjusting to more acidic conditions is hard on many creatures, and means they can lack the energy needed to grow and reproduce.

How are oceans protected right now?

To counteract these threats, countries have established marine protected areas. The largest of these is located off the coast of Hawaii in the US.

The kind of protection provided in such zones varies from country to country. Wind farm construction and fishing are often prohibited. Currently, there are protected areas in less than 9% of the world’s oceans — but fishing is prohibited in just 3% of these.

The goal of cutting down on plastic in oceans

“We can’t solve all the problems with marine protected areas. These zones don’t matter to climate change or the plastic floating in the ocean,” Duarte said.

The UN has pushed for an international treaty for years to cut down on plastic pollution. Recent negotiations stalled thanks to oil and gas producing nations such as Saudi Arabia and Russia. The next round of talks is scheduled for later this year in August in Switzerland.

Research into alternatives to conventional plastic is another avenue scientists are pursuing. Japanese researchers have developed a substance that is supposed to dissolve in ocean salt water within hours.

However, such new alternatives offer no solution to the already huge amounts of plastic waste in oceans.

Who is allowed to exploit ocean resources?

About 40% of the oceans are governed by national law. These are the areas within a radius of approximately 370 kilometers (about 230 miles) around a state. Beyond this lie the high seas which don’t belong to any nation and are often referred to as the “common heritage of mankind.”

For the longest time, this area wasn’t regulated at all.

“As a result, many of the ocean’s resources were plundered without anyone being held accountable,” Duarte said.

So far, only 1% of the high seas is protected because the international community could not agree on any other region besides Antarctica.

Source : https://www.dw.com/en/high-seas-treaty-ocean-protection-biodiversity-global-warming-can-we-save-our-oceans/a-72855805

British finance minister Rachel Reeves will reveal her first multi-year spending review on Wednesday, dividing up more than 2 trillion pounds ($2.7 trillion) of public money between her ministerial colleagues and setting their budgets until 2029.
Below is what the government has already announced in the days preceding the announcement:

RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT

Reeves will allocate 86 billion pounds to fund research and development.

The package, funding everything from new drug treatments and longer-lasting batteries to artificial intelligence breakthroughs, will be worth more than 22.5 billion pounds a year by 2029/30, driving new jobs and economic growth, the government said.

NUCLEAR POWER

The government will invest a further 14.2 billion pounds to build the Sizewell C nuclear plant in eastern England. The funding takes the total government commitment to 17.8 billion pounds, with 3.6 billion invested before the review.
It also pledged 2.5 billion pounds for a programme to develop a fleet of small modular nuclear plants over the next four years and named Rolls-Royce SMR as its preferred bidder.

Britain says new nuclear projects will replace ageing plants, boost energy security, help it reach climate targets and create new jobs.

TRANSPORT PROJECTS

Reeves has committed 15.6 billion pounds towards transport projects in cities outside London that have long suffered from underinvestment. Most of the investment was earmarked by the previous, Conservative government.

WINTER FUEL PAYMENTS U-TURN

Reeves has reversed her previously-announced cuts to winter fuel payments to pensioners, a move that would restore payments to 9 million pensioners and cost the government 1.25 billion pounds.

SUBMARINES

Britain will invest more than 6 billion pounds in its submarine building capacity, supporting firms such as defence group BAE Systems and engineering multinational Rolls-Royce.
The investment, which will cover the four-year spending review period, will help companies deliver the increase in submarine production rate announced by the government.

TAXES

POLICE AND PRISONS

The US and China say they have agreed in principle to a framework for de-escalating trade tensions between the world’s two biggest economies.

US Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick said the deal should result in restrictions on rare earth minerals and magnets being resolved.

Both sides said they would now take the plan to their presidents – Donald Trump and Xi Jinping – for approval.

The announcement came after two days of negotiations in London between top officials from Beijing and Washington.

Chinese exports of rare earth minerals, which are crucial for modern technology, were high on the agenda of the meetings.

Last month, Washington and Beijing agreed a temporary truce over trade tariffs but each country has since accused the other of breaching the deal.

The US has said China has been slow to release exports of rare earth metals and magnets which are essential for manufacturing everything from smartphones to electric vehicles.

Meanwhile, Washington has restricted China’s access to US goods such as semiconductors and other related technologies linked to artificial intelligence (AI).

“We have reached a framework to implement the Geneva consensus,” Lutnick told reporters.

“Once the presidents approve it, we will then seek to implement it,” he added.

The new round of negotiations followed a phone call between Donald Trump and China’s leader Xi Jinping last week which the US President described as a “very good talk”.

“The two sides have, in principle, reached a framework for implementing the consensus reached by the two heads of state during the phone call on June 5th and the consensus reached at the Geneva meeting,” China’s Vice Commerce Minister Li Chenggang said.

When Trump announced sweeping tariffs on imports from a number of countries earlier this year, China was the hardest hit. Beijing responded with its own higher rates on US imports, and this triggered tit-for-tat increases that peaked at 145%.

In May, talks held in Switzerland led to a temporary truce that Trump called a “total reset”.

It brought US tariffs on Chinese products down to 30%, while Beijing slashed levies on US imports to 10% and promised to lift barriers on critical mineral exports. It gave both sides a 90-day deadline to try to reach a trade deal.

But the US and China have since claimed breaches on non-tariff pledges.

US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer said China had failed to rollback restrictions on exports of rare earth magnets.

Source : https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c4gkmy26e2po

Looters tore apart stores across Los Angeles as daytime protests against ICE-immigration raids descended into chaos overnight, yet again — and even a museum dedicated to Japanese-American immigrants was vandalized.

Windows were smashed and merchandise was stolen at LA’s Broadway Apple store Monday night, while down the block the Adidas store was broken into and robbed of sneakers by frenzied crowds.

The windows of a nearby jewelry store were also smashed open and the shop’s shelves were completely emptied by looters, while two marijuana dispensaries and a pharmacy were also raided, according to NBC 4.

Footage from the chaos showed mobs masked and hooded hooligans pouring into the stores and grabbing armloads of whatever was in sight and then pouring back out onto the street spilling goods as they fled.

Alarms blaring on multiple iPhones that were taken from the Apple store in downtown LA
Displays on the devices read
“Please return to Apple Tower Theatre
This device has been disabled and is being tracked. Local authorities will be alerted.” pic.twitter.com/rhMiaRXA9z

— Brendan Gutenschwager (@BGOnTheScene) June 10, 2025
Some ran right into the ranks of waiting cops, but many were able to muscle themselves free from the overwhelmed officers and escape.

“This is so ridiculous. This doesn’t look like they’re protesting for ICE or anything. Just looting the stores,” one fed up business owner who watched the overnight chaos unfold told News Nation.

Across town in Little Tokyo, a sushi restaurant — Otoro Sushi — even had its doors ripped open by mobs, with troublemakers appearing to make off with a computer monitor and other equipment while onlookers yelled that they were “Making us look bad.”

The Japanese American National Museum was even targeted, with “F**k ICE” and other graffiti spray-painted across windows, walls, and even over what appeared to be an outdoor exhibit about Japanese-American soldiers who fought in WWII as their families were locked away in internment camps.

Volunteers flocked to the museum Tuesday morning with brushes and soap to help scrub away what vandalism they could, photos showed.

And back on Broadway workers were seen laboring to sweep up and take stock of the damaged stores, while shattered windows and doors were boarded up.

At least 14 people were arrested for looting, according to police, while another 96 were arrested for failure to disperse.

The protests were expected to continue for a fifth day and night Tuesday, as President Trump dispatched another round of National Guard troops — as well as Marines forces — to quell the chaos.

Those deployments — which California’s and LA’s Democrat leaders say have done nothing but fuel the chaos in the city — is expected to cost at least $134 million, the Pentagon revealed Tuesday.

Source : https://nypost.com/2025/06/10/us-news/la-anti-ice-looters-shatter-apple-store-and-make-off-with-iphones-adidas-in-another-night-of-chaos/

Sean “Diddy” Combs is a “cuck” who is secretly bi-curious but “too ashamed” to have sex with other men, his ex-girlfriend said in bombshell testimony at his Manhattan trial Tuesday.

Combs’ former flame, who is testifying under the alias “Jane,” told jurors she had scoured the internet during their relationship in a desperate bid to understand the disgraced music mogul’s twisted sexual desires and their bizarre bedroom dynamic.

That’s when she landed on the “cuckhold” fetish, which she said was a “spot on” description for his warped sexual urges — and a possible explanation as to why he would allegedly force her into sick “freak-offs” with male escorts.

“I was just trying to deep-dive all the reasons why [cucks] derived so much pleasure watching their woman be with other men,” she said.

“I just wanted to know why my partner wanted so many of these nights and what was driving him. I was just trying to find an understanding.”

Jane told the jury she discovered that some cucks are secretly bi-curious but “too ashamed” to act on it themselves – so they live out that desire vicariously through their partner.

She explained that the “I’ll Be Missing You” rapper often used terms like “voyeurism” and “escapism” to describe his erotic preferences.

“I would use the word cuck for him, more so,” said Jane, who noted that she normally didn’t like having sex with anyone but Combs.

The shocking testimony came during Jane’s fourth day on the stand in Combs’ federal sex-trafficking and racketeering trial, as his defense attorneys grilled her over her allegations.

Jane, who dated the Bad Boys Records founder for three years until his September 2024 arrest, previously testified – often sobbing uncontrollably – in disturbing detail that the embattled producer savagely beat her and forced her to have unprotected sex with porn stars and escorts.

Jurors have heard testimony and seen text messages that back up Jane’s claim that she didn’t want to have sex with other men, but did so to please Combs, who’d repeatedly threatened to stop paying her $10,000 monthly rent if she refused.

Source : https://nypost.com/2025/06/10/us-news/sean-diddy-combs-is-a-cuck-who-may-be-bi-curious-and-ashamed-to-have-sex-with-men-ex-girlfriend-testifies/

Famed sportscaster Bob Costas slammed the mainstream media for cowing to President Trump during his second term while accepting a leadership award.

Costas, attending the Mirror Awards in New York City on Monday night, singled out ABC News and CBS News for rolling over after Trump sued both networks.

In a long-winded speech that covered his career in broadcasting and the state of the media business, Costas criticized ABC parent Disney for paying $15 million to settle a defamation lawsuit against the network over star anchor George Stephanopoulos saying Trump was found guilty of raping E. Jean Carroll.

A New York court had found Trump guilty of sexual assault — not rape, a key legal difference — in the civil case.

Trump has denied wrongdoing in that case.

In a surprising turn, former allies Donald Trump and Elon Musk appear to be stepping back from a highly publicised feud that has dominated headlines in recent week.

Asked if he planned to speak to Musk, Trump responded: “I haven’t really thought about it actually. I would imagine he wants to speak to me. If I were him, I would want to speak to me. Maybe he’s already called. You’d have to ask him.”

“We had a good relationship and I just wish him well, very well actually.”

Shortly after the remarks, Musk responded on X (formerly Twitter) with a simple heart emoji, suggesting a possible thawing of hostilities.

President Donald Trump on Elon Musk: “We had a great relationship and I wish him well — very well, actually.” pic.twitter.com/FhiZcP4xYw

— ALX 🇺🇸 (@alx) June 9, 2025

From allies to adversaries

The relationship between the tech billionaire and the President began to unravel after Musk openly opposed the “One Big Beautiful Bill Act,” a sweeping Republican tax and spending proposal supported by Trump. Musk lambasted the bill as “outrageous, pork-filled” and a “disgusting abomination,” urging GOP lawmakers to “kill the bill.”

Musk’s public criticism intensified after he accused the President of hiding the Jeffrey Epstein files to protect himself—a claim he posted on X and later deleted.

The fallout escalates

In retaliation, Trump criticised Musk’s conduct and even suggested pulling federal contracts from his companies.

“He went crazy,” Trump told reporters. “He’s lost his mind.”

In response, Musk threatened to remove SpaceX’s Dragon spacecraft from NASA missions—an extraordinary move that could have severely impacted the US space program.

Musk’s political clout on display

Musk, 53, has wielded significant influence over conservative circles and reportedly spent nearly $300 million supporting Trump’s 2024 campaign. But he recently declared he would scale back political donations.

In one of his most explosive claims, Musk asserted that “Trump would have lost the election without me,” and even floated the idea of impeachment, further stoking tensions.

Source : https://www.livemint.com/news/world/donald-trump-2-0-xi-jinping-washington-beijing-tariff-war-with-china-timeline-steel-geneva-london-11749613395463.html

Deep in the frozen forests of Michigan’s Upper Peninsula, archaeologists have uncovered one of the most surprising discoveries in American history: a sophisticated farming operation spanning nearly 235 acres that reframes what we thought was possible in ancient Native American agriculture. Using drone technology, researchers found evidence of intensive farming in a place so hostile to growing crops that it seems almost impossible. Yet somehow, ancestral Menominee communities thrived here for 600 years without centralized government or large cities to support them.

For decades, experts assumed that massive farming systems needed big populations, powerful leaders, and favorable climates. As this study now shows, the Menominee people proved otherwise.

Hidden Agricultural System Revealed by Cutting-Edge Technology

The Sixty Islands archaeological site sits along the Menominee River on the Michigan-Wisconsin border. Thick forest cover had concealed what lay beneath for generations. Previous surveys in the 1990s identified some raised garden beds covering about 23 acres, an impressive figure, but by no means groundbreaking.

Everything changed in May 2023 when Dartmouth College archaeologist Madeleine McLeester’s team deployed drone-mounted LIDAR technology. LIDAR uses laser pulses to create detailed ground maps, revealing features invisible through dense tree cover.

The results were staggering. Dense clusters of raised agricultural beds covered 95 hectares (about 235 acres), an astonishing ten times larger than previously mapped. “The density of raised, ridged beds throughout our survey area reveals a level of agricultural intensification that was not previously documented this far north,” the researchers wrote in their study, published in Science.

Each raised bed measured between 4 and 6 feet wide and stretched 65 to 165 feet long. By no means were these simple dirt mounds. Excavations revealed sophisticated multi-layered construction that rivals modern soil science techniques.

Advanced Farming in a Challenging Climate

Ancestral Menominee farmers engineered custom soil by mixing nitrogen-rich wetland soils into existing topsoils. They composted household waste (charcoal, pottery fragments, and food scraps) to enrich their fields. Cross-sections show multiple rebuilding phases, proving farmers continuously improved their system over centuries.

The climate makes their success even more remarkable. Michigan’s Upper Peninsula sits near the northern limit where corn can grow. Temperatures plummet below freezing for months, with growing seasons lasting only about 120 days. Yet radiocarbon dating shows these fields operated from roughly 1000 to 1600 CE—spanning 600 years, including the period known as the Little Ice Age.

“The period during which the Sixty Islands agricultural ridges were constructed bridges the Little Ice Age (1350 to 1850 CE), indicating that Indigenous farmers were successful at mitigating any potential local adverse effects of the colder climate,” the study notes.

Wild rice grew abundantly in local lakes and rivers, providing a reliable food source that required no farming. So why invest enormous effort in risky corn cultivation? The answer goes beyond survival. Elaborate burial mounds and ceremonial features scattered throughout the agricultural landscape suggest farming served social and spiritual purposes as well as practical ones.

Small Communities, Monumental Coordination

Perhaps most surprising is who built this extensive farming system: small, semisedentary communities with no evidence of kings, nobles, or centralized authority. Traditional thinking held that intensive agriculture required hierarchical societies with powerful rulers organizing massive labor projects.

The nearest documented village was relatively small and likely occupied only seasonally. No sprawling cities or monumental architecture exist in the area. Yet these egalitarian communities coordinated construction and maintenance of a farming system larger than anything previously documented in the eastern United States.

“Although considerable scholarship has tied intensive agricultural production to emergent hierarchical state formation and inequality, efforts at Sixty Islands were undertaken by egalitarian, small-scale ancestral Menominee communities,” the researchers explain.

LIDAR surveys showed that farming wasn’t the only activity. Burial mounds, ceremonial dance rings, and other cultural features are woven throughout the agricultural landscape, showing how deeply farming connected to Menominee social and spiritual life.

Rethinking America’s Environmental Past

Creating these massive corn, bean, and squash fields required clearing large swaths of forest around 1000 CE, centuries before European arrival. The density and continuity of agricultural ridges across the study area suggest ancestral Menominee communities orchestrated one of the region’s most intensive precolonial landscape transformations.

Today’s heavily forested terrain isn’t pristine wilderness; it’s regrowth following this ancient environmental engineering.

The discovery invites archaeologists to reconsider where else intensive agriculture might be hidden. If small-scale communities could build massive farm systems in Michigan’s harsh conditions, similar operations may await discovery in other “unlikely” places across the Americas.

Source : https://studyfinds.org/archaeologists-unearth-ancient-native-american-farm-menominee-michigan/

NASA has upped the odds of a 200ft “city killer” asteroid smashing into the Moon in 2032.

Asteroid 2024 YR4 was once feared to be on a collision course with Earth, with the chance peaking at 20 percent by some estimations.

Further calculations showed it will sail past our planet without incident during a flyby in 2032.

However, the space rock is now back in the spotlight following a warning from Nasa.

YR4 now has an increased chance of hitting the Moon.

The asteroid is too far to observe from Earth, so scientists have used the $10billion James Webb Space Telescope (JSWT) as their eye in the sky.

Using data from JSWT, a team of scientists from the Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory refined predictions of where YR4 will be on 22 December, 2032.

The new predictions prompted Nasa to increase the odds of a lunar impact from 3.8 per cent to 4.3 per cent, according to a recent update.

The odds of an impact have more than doubled since February – when Nasa gave it a 1-in-59 chance of hitting our only orbital satellite.

“As data comes in, it is normal for the impact probability to evolve,” Nasa noted in its most recent statement.

The US space agency will be able to make more observations about the asteroid’s predicted path when during its next flyby of the Sun in 2028.

Fortunately, in the event of an impact, there would be minimal consequences for Earth.

“In the small chance that the asteroid were to impact, it would not alter the Moon’s orbit,” Nasa wrote.

It would simply add another pockmark to the lunar landscape, which is plastered with impact craters.

Any debris kicked up by the impact would likely burn up in Earth’s atmosphere – if any of it nears our planet at all.

JWST observations suggest that the space rock measures between 174-220 feet in diameter.

Source : https://www.the-sun.com/tech/14440827/nasa-update-city-killer-asteroid-moon-2032/

At a charity event in Kingston, Jamaica, in 2012, Prince Harry challenged the legendary sprinter Usain Bolt to a race—and won!
The playful interaction took place during the Diamond Jubilee tour celebrating Queen Elizabeth II’s 60 years on the throne.
The setting was the University of the West Indies, where Prince Harry was passing on the monarch’s best wishes to Jamaican athletes ahead of the London Olympics.

In a moment of spontaneity, he initiated the race with a false start, then distracted Bolt and took off to the finish line.

The runner was in on the joke and laughed along with the crowd. He also said that he enjoyed the Duke of Sussex’ laidback style.
The race, though unopposed and clearly not competitive, became a huge moment on social media. Bolt, who would go on to have a record-breaking run at the 2012 Olympics—where he won gold medals in the 100m, 200m and 4x100m relay—had allowed Harry to “win”.

It was a characteristic display of humility and humour on part of the runner. As for Harry, though he did not break royal protocol in racing Bolt, it established his public persona of accessibility and ability to connect with people on a personal level.
The same was also true for his mother, Diana, Princess of Wales, who, in 1991, partook in a Mother’s Day race at the school he and Prince William attended.
The apparent similarity was not lost on social media. Commenting on Harry’s clip, an X user said: “I’ve always loved Harry, he’s literally a reflection of Dianna and that’s why the royal family doesn’t like him.”

Source : https://www.timesnownews.com/viral/when-prince-harry-raced-usain-boltand-won-article-151828662

AN invasive species of carnivorous ants has been spreading in several states, leading to fears of attacks on humans.

Asian needle ants will reach their yearly peak numbers in July and August; however, spotting them is easier said than done.

HAUNTING details have emerged about the campground crime scene where three young girls were found murdered.

Travis Decker, 32, left his dog behind when he went on the run after allegedly killing his daughters on a planned custody visit.

The official cause of death for Paityn, 9, Evelyn, 8, and Olivia, 5, was confirmed to be suffocation in their autopsies, according to the Chelan County Sheriff’s Office.

They were found at a campground in Washington state on June 2. The girls had plastic bags over their heads and their wrists were zip-tied, cops said.

Decker still hasn’t been found as the manhunt for the suspect has now lasted for over a week.

Police released new details about the case to the public on Monday as they announced they’re handing the search over to the federal authorities.

A man’s blood was found at the crime scene, along with animal blood, cops said.

Officials also said they found Decker’s dog.

“The suspect’s dog was recovered and turned over to the humane society for safe care,” the CCSO said.

It’s unclear where the dog was located.

Police didn’t say whether the non-human blood found at the scene belonged to the pet.

Officials previously said in court documents that they found “two hand prints of blood” on the tailgate of Decker’s truck, which was also recovered at the campground.

It’s unclear if the handprints were Decker’s, or if the blood samples collected belonged to him.

“We have collected a large amount of evidence, many of the suspect’s personal items, from the truck recovered on scene,” cops said.

Authorities said they’re still testing DNA and fingerprints from the scene.

“Our investigators have begun to receive more analysis information back from evidence found at the crime scene,” CCSO said.

“While this does assist in the investigation and later prosecution, it also creates more questions and information for investigators to continue to pursue.”

DOG REFERENCED IN COURT DOCS

Decker’s dog has been mentioned in court documents before.

The veteran was homeless in the months before the alleged killings, living out of his truck and motel rooms.

His ex-wife, Whitney Decker, said his housing and financial instability led him to consider getting rid of the dog.

She told investigators how important his pet was to him in questioning after she reported her daughters missing.

Whitney called police on May 30 when Decker didn’t return them on time after what was supposed to be a three-hour custody visit. The girls were found dead three days later.

Before their bodies were found, Whitney told cops that Decker’s daughters and his dog “are the two big positives in his life,” she said, according to a police affidavit.

Whitney and Decker were married for seven years before divorcing in 2022, and she told cops he’s been mentally unstable since their divorce.

The girls’ mom told cops Decker has PTSD from his time in the military, as well as diagnosed borderline personality disorder.

In September 2024, Whitney submitted a filing so that the girls could no longer stay with their dad due to his homelessness and mental instability.

The dog came up in those court documents again as she mentioned the girls were often scared when he disciplined his pet on their visits to him.

It’s unclear how Decker disciplined his dog.

Authorities have searched hundreds of square miles around Washington state so far as the manhunt for Decker continues.

Federal authorities are now leading the search as cops previously warned he has extensive military skills due to his years in the Army and the Washington National Guard.

Decker has previously survived for two and a half months in the wilderness alone, leading cops to believe he can stay hidden outside for weeks.

He’s believed to be hiding near the Pacific Crest Trail, which passes through Canada.

It comes as cops revealed Decker searched “how to relocate to Canada” days before the alleged killing.

Police recently shared new pictures of Decker showing his tattoos and hair, which is kept in a ponytail.

Source : https://www.the-sun.com/news/14437169/travis-decker-dog-blood-crime-scene-search-daughters/

Both telecommunications and international trade rely on cables connecting continents across the ocean floor. In a changing world, Asian and European powers are looking for ways to protect these vital links from sabotage.

The world’s undersea cable network spans roughly 1.4 million kilometers (870,000 miles) and carries over 95% of intercontinental internet traffic, yet it remains vulnerable to accidental damage, such as ship anchors, and deliberate disruption.

Recent incidents in the Baltic and Red Sea have underscored the cables’ fragility. Policymakers are now staging international initiatives to safeguard the system.

“We need to work together to defend the entire network,” Singaporean Minister of Defense Chan Chun Sing said at the IISS Shangri-La Dialogue, Asia’s premier security forum, earlier this month.

“There’s no point trying to defend the integrity and security of a submarine cable by looking at a point. We need both ends to be secure,” he added.

NATO nations patrol Baltic Sea as cables fail

In February 2024, multiple cables in the Red Sea were severed when anchors from a cargo vessel sunk by Houthi militants dragged along the seabed. The damage caused a sharp reduction in internet capacity between Europe and Asia, disrupting everything from financial transactions to video conferencing.

Meanwhile, Europe has struggled with a series of similar faults in the Baltic Sea, with many Western officials hinting those cables were intentionally damaged by Russia-linked ships. Experts warn, however, that there is no proof of deliberate damage.

Since January, some NATO members have expanded deployments of frigates, maritime patrol aircraft and naval drones to conduct regular cable-surveillance missions across vital waterways.

Beijing using cable projects as leverage in naval disputes

In Southeast Asia, subsea infrastructure also faces similar geopolitical friction. In February, Taiwanese officials detained a Chinese-crewed ship after an undersea communications cable was damaged near the self-ruled island, which China sees as a breakaway province. China has also increasingly pressured cable consortia laying new links from Japan through the South China Sea to seek Beijing’s “permission,” effectively doubling down on its claims in internationally disputed waters.

“This is just another way that China is trying to assert its sovereignty over the South China Sea,” Zachary Abuza, professor at the National War College in Washington, told DW.

China is also reportedly developing “advanced cable-cutting devices capable of targeting armored cables at unprecedented depths,” according to a commentary published by Tokyo-based magazine Nikkei Asia this week.

Southeast Asian nations are also worried about the cables being threatened by natural disasters and possibly costing them access to new and expanded renewable energy projects, such as offshore wind farms.

According to Nikkei Asia, investment in the submarine power cable sector is projected to reach $1.95 billion (€1.70) by 2030.

Hanoi ‘cautious not to anger China’

Vietnam, a nation of 90 million people served by just five undersea cables, lost up to 75% of its data capacity in February 2023 when all five suffered partial or total damage. In June last year, three of the five submarine internet cables failed again.

The cause for those disruptions is still unclear, at least officially. Alexander Vuving, a professor at the Daniel K. Inouye Asia-Pacific Center for Security Studies in Honolulu, told DW that Hanoi is “cautious not to anger China and tend to dismiss the suspicion that the cables were intentionally damaged.”

“They argue that the cables are located in one of the world’s busiest shipping routes, hence the chance that fishing vessels unintentionally damage them is high,” Vuving added.

“However, this argument leaves unanswered the question of why the rate of incidents rose sharply in recent years.”

EU as a way out of US-China clinch

Vietnam wants to add up to four new cables in the coming years to significantly boost connectivity speeds and the power supply, as the country looks to progress into higher-end, tech manufacturing.

Hanoi has encouraged Vietnamese telecom companies to spearhead this move. However, laying cables across the ocean floor is costly, and Vietnamese firms are looking for outside investment, mainly from China and the US.

“Many in Vietnam see this as a no-win situation as they do not want to be dependent on either China or the US and certainly do not want to get entangled in the US-China competition,” Vuving told DW.

“European companies can help Vietnam escape this Catch-22 situation. The same can be said regarding other countries in Southeast Asia.”

Brussels working on ‘cable diplomacy’

France’s Alcatel Submarine Networks is often regarded as the global leader in subsea cable installation, and several European firms operate sizeable fleets of cable repair ships.

In February, the EU published its Action Plan on Cable Security, which called on Brussels to “develop and deploy an advanced cable diplomacy.”

“When it comes to addressing incidents,” the plan reads, “the [EU] should enhance the exchange of information with, for instance, Indo Pacific partners who are facing similar incidents in relation to critical submarine infrastructures.”

Soon thereafter, Henna Virkkunen, the European Commission’s executive vice president in charge of security, announced that almost €1 billion is being redirected in the EU’s budget to boost surveillance of undersea cables and establish a fleet of emergency repair vessels.

Does US want Europeans in Asia?

Whether Europe is actually capable of supporting Asia is another matter.

“While Europeans could help build more undersea cable architecture for Southeast Asia, China already dominates the undersea cable network in the region,” Joshua Kurlantzick, senior fellow for Southeast Asia at the Council on Foreign Relations, told DW.

“It would take a massive and very costly effort by Europe to come anywhere near supplanting China’s cable network, and I don’t think Europe can afford that,” he added.

Source : https://www.dw.com/en/eu-southeast-asia-look-for-ways-to-protect-undersea-cables/a-72841922

The United States State Department directed all US missions abroad and consular sections to resume processing Harvard University student and exchange visitor visas after a federal judge in Boston last week temporarily blocked President Donald Trump’s latest ban on foreign students at the Ivy League institution.

In a diplomatic cable sent last Friday (Jun 6) and signed by US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, the State Department cited parts of the judge’s decision, saying the fresh directive was “in accordance with” the temporary restraining order.

Under that order granted to Harvard late last Thursday, US District Judge Allison Burroughs blocked Trump’s proclamation from taking effect pending further litigation of the matter.

Trump had cited national security concerns as justification for barring international students from entering the United States to pursue studies at Harvard.

The Trump administration has launched a multi-pronged attack on the nation’s oldest and wealthiest university, freezing billions of dollars in grants and other funding and proposing to end its tax-exempt status, prompting a series of legal challenges.

Harvard argues that the administration is retaliating against it for refusing to accede to demands to control the school’s governance, curriculum and the ideology of its faculty and students.

Source : https://www.channelnewsasia.com/world/us-state-department-resumes-processing-harvard-student-visas-after-judges-ruling-5171791

Blake Lively feels “vindicated” after a judge dismissed Justin Baldoni’s $400 million lawsuit against her.

“Today’s opinion is a total victory and a complete vindication for Blake Lively, along with those that Justin Baldoni and the Wayfarer Parties dragged into their retaliatory lawsuit, including Ryan Reynolds,” the “Gossip Girl” alum’s attorneys Esra Hudson and Mike Gottlieb told Page Six in a statement Monday.

“As we have said from day one, this ‘$400 million’ lawsuit was a sham, and the Court saw right through it.”

Lively’s attorneys shared that they plan on “seeking attorneys’ fees, treble damages and punitive damages against Baldoni” for bringing the “abusive litigation.”

The actress also took to her Instagram Stories to discuss the dismissal, writing, “Like so many others, I’ve felt the pain of a retaliatory lawsuit.

“While the suit against me was defeated, so many don’t have the resources to fight back,” she said, adding she’s “more resolved than ever to continue to stand for every woman’s right to have a voice in protecting themselves, including their safety, their integrity, their dignity and their story.”

“With love and gratitude for the many who stood by me, many of you I know. Many of you I don’t. But I will never stop appreciating or advocating for you,” Lively concluded.

Lively’s legal team spoke out shortly after the judge tossed the “Jane the Virgin” star’s defamation lawsuit against Lively and Reynolds as well as his $250 million libel lawsuit against the New York Times.

According to court documents obtained by Page Six, Judge Lewis J. Liman wrote that Baldoni and his production company, Wayfarer Studios, “have not alleged that Lively is responsible for any statements other than the statements in her [California Civil Rights Department] complaint, which are privileged.”

Liman explained that the producer’s complaint “alleged that Reynolds and [publicist Leslie] Sloane made additional statements accusing Baldoni of sexual misconduct and that the ‘Times’ made additional statements accusing the Wayfarer Parties of engaging in a smear campaign.”

“The Wayfarer Parties have not alleged that Reynolds, Sloane or the ‘Times’ would have seriously doubted these statements were true based on the information available to them, as is required for them to be liable for defamation under applicable law,” he continued.

Baldoni’s legal team has yet to respond to the ruling.

Rumors of a feud between Lively and Baldoni began swirling in August 2024 during promotion for their film, “It Ends With Us.”

Lively, 37, filed a complaint against Baldoni in December 2024, accusing him of sexual harassment before filing a formal lawsuit one week later.

She also accused her co-star/director of organizing a smear campaign to ruin her reputation, which she claimed caused emotional distress.

Source : https://pagesix.com/2025/06/09/celebrity-news/blake-lively-vindicated-after-justin-baldoni-lawsuit-dismissed/

Travis Kelce’s NFL pal may have inadvertently let it slip that the Kansas City Chiefs tight end and Taylor Swift are secretly married.

Chicago Bears player Cole Kmet’s event planner, Ellie Nottoli, shared details on his Saturday wedding to Emily Jarosz, revealing that Kelce and Swift were on the guest list.

The planner revealed the “personalized touches” at the ceremony, including a letter that was addressed to “Taylor and Travis Kelce” in elegantly calligraphy, with a “Table 13” assignment.

“We all know Taylor and Travis were at a different wedding in Tennessee,” Nottoli said in an Instagram Story video on Monday.

“But each guest had an envelope that was adhered to a beautiful backdrop, and Emily wrote love notes to all of her guests.”

The letter reveal sent several fans into a frenzy over the possibility that Swift and Kelce had already said “I do.”

“TAYLOR AND TRAVIS KELCE?!????? EXUSE [sic] ME,” one person gushed.

However, not everyone was convinced. “This is very common for couples (married and unmarried) for weddings. it’s the aesthetic,” another person wrote.

“Me and my bf do that too on gifts and stuff even though we aren’t married, it’s just kinda for the aesthetic of it,” a third chimed in.

Meanwhile, a fourth quibbled, “technically it should be Travis and Taylor Kelce.”

As it turns out, the NFL star and his pop-star girlfriend weren’t even at Kmet’s wedding, which took place on Saturday. The duo instead hit up Kelce’s cousin Tanner Corum’s wedding on Friday in Knoxville, Tenn.

Corum exchanged vows with Samantha Peck during the countryside wedding.

Social media pics of the famous couple showed the singer, 35, sporting a blue floral strapless dress from Markarian for the occasion, with Kelce, also 35, donning a laid back quarter-sleeved shirt and slacks.

The marriage speculation comes two weeks after a source dropped hints as to when Kelce might pop the question to the songstress.

“Once he is done playing [football], the conversation will be front and center,” an insider told the Daily Mail in May — referring to Kelce’s upcoming return for another NFL season with the Chiefs.

Source : https://pagesix.com/2025/06/09/celebrity-news/travis-kelces-nfl-pal-may-have-revealed-secret-marriage-to-taylor-swift/

A Gaza-bound aid boat carrying Greta Thunberg and other activists arrived at an Israeli port Monday after Israeli forces stopped and detained them — enforcing a longstanding blockade of the Palestinian territory that has been tightened during the Israel-Hamas war.

The boat, accompanied by Israel’s navy, arrived in Ashdod in the evening, according to Israel’s Foreign Ministry. It published a photo on social media of Thunberg after disembarking.

The 12 activists were undergoing medical checks to ensure they are in good health, the ministry said. They were expected to be held at a detention facility in Ramle before being deported, according to Adalah, a legal rights group representing them.

The activists had set out to protest Israel’s military campaign in Gaza, which is among the deadliest and most destructive since World War II, and its restrictions on the entry of humanitarian aid. Both have put the territory of around 2 million Palestinians at risk of famine.

The Freedom Flotilla Coalition, which organized the voyage, said the activists were “kidnapped by Israeli forces” while trying to deliver desperately needed aid.

“The ship was unlawfully boarded, its unarmed civilian crew abducted and its life-saving cargo — including baby formula, food and medical supplies — confiscated,” it said in a statement.

It said the ship was seized in international waters about 200 kilometers (120 miles) from Gaza, and Adalah asserted that Israel had “no legal authority” to take it over.

Israel’s Foreign Ministry portrayed the voyage as a public relations stunt, saying on social media that “the ‘selfie yacht’ of the ‘celebrities’ is safely making its way to the shores of Israel.”

It said the activists would return to their home countries and the aid would be sent to Gaza through established channels. It circulated footage of what appeared to be Israeli military personnel handing out sandwiches and water to the activists, who were wearing life vests.

Israel says boat was carrying minimal aid

Israeli officials said the flotilla carried what amounted to less than a truckload of aid.

A Chinese scientist was arrested while arriving in the U.S. at the Detroit airport, the second case in days involving the alleged smuggling of biological material, authorities said Monday.

The scientist is accused of shipping biological material months ago to staff at a laboratory at the University of Michigan. The FBI, in a court filing, described it as material related to certain worms and requires a government permit.

“The guidelines for importing biological materials into the U.S. for research purposes are stringent, but clear, and actions like this undermine the legitimate work of other visiting scholars,” said John Nowak, who leads field operations at U.S. Customs and Border Protection.

The scientist was interviewed and arrested Sunday after arriving on a flight from China, where she is pursuing an advanced degree at Huazhong University of Science and Technology in Wuhan. She planned to spend a year completing a project at the University of Michigan.

Her shipments, including an envelope stuffed inside a book, were intercepted last year and earlier this year and opened by authorities, the FBI said.

The court filing doesn’t indicate whether the FBI believes the biological material was risky, though U.S. Attorney Jerome Gorgon Jr. said smuggling “threatens our security.”

The scientist remains in custody awaiting a bond hearing Wednesday.

“It doesn’t strike me as something that is dangerous in any way. But there are rules to ship biological material,” said Michael Shapira, a biologist at the University of California, Berkeley, who read the court filing and spoke to The Associated Press.

Source : https://apnews.com/article/michigan-lab-chinese-scientist-arrested-351e3a8ea0be25c03575cf7d3090192e

When children of wealthy families reach adulthood, they often benefit from the largesse of parents in the form of a trust fund. It’s another way they get a leg up on less affluent peers, who may receive nothing at all — or even be expected to support their families.

But what if all children — regardless of their family’s circumstances — could get a financial boost when they turn 18?

That’s the idea behind a House GOP proposal backed by President Donald Trump. It would create tax-deferred investment accounts — coined “Trump Accounts” — for babies born in the U.S. over the next four years, starting them each with $1,000. At age 18, they could withdraw the money to put toward a down payment for a home, education or to start a small business. If the money is used for other purposes, it’ll be taxed at a higher rate.

“This is a pro-family initiative that will help millions of Americans harness the strength of our economy to lift up the next generation,” Trump said at a White House event Monday for the proposal. “They’ll really be getting a big jump on life, especially if we get a little bit lucky with some of the numbers and the economy.”

While the investment would be symbolically meaningful, it’s a relatively small financial commitment to addressing child poverty in the wider $7 trillion federal budget. Assuming a 7% return, the $1,000 would grow to roughly $3,570 over 18 years.

It builds on the concept of “ baby bonds,” which two states — California and Connecticut — and the District of Columbia have introduced as a way to reduce gaps between wealthy people and poor people.

At at time when wealth inequality has soured some young people on capitalism, giving them a stake in Wall Street could be the antidote, said Utah Republican Rep. Blake Moore, who led the effort to get the initiative into a massive House spending bill.

“We know that America’s economic engine is working, but not everyone feels connected to its value and the ways it can benefit them,” Moore wrote in an op-ed for the Washington Examiner. “If we can demonstrate to our next generation the benefits of investing and financial health, we can put them on a path toward prosperity.”

Families of all income levels could receive ‘Trump Accounts’

The bill would require at least one parent to produce a Social Security number with work authorizations, meaning the U.S. citizen children born to some categories of immigrants would be excluded from the benefit. But unlike other baby bond programs, which generally target disadvantaged groups, this one would be available to families of all incomes.

Economist Darrick Hamilton of The New School, who first pitched the idea of baby bonds a quarter-century ago, said the GOP proposal would exacerbate rather than reduce wealth gaps. When he dreamed up baby bonds, he envisioned a program that would be universal but would give children from poor families a larger endowment than their wealthier peers, in an attempt to level the playing field. The money would be handled by the government, not by private firms on Wall Street.

“It is upside down,” Hamilton said. “It’s going to enhance inequality.”

Hamilton added that $1,000 — even with interest — would not be enough to make a significant difference for a child living in poverty.

A Silicon Valley investor who created the blueprint for the proposal, Brad Gerstner, said in an interview with CNBC last year that the accounts could help address the wealth gap and the loss of faith in capitalism that represent an existential crisis for the U.S.

“The rise and fall of nations occurs when you have a wealth gap that grows, when you have people who lose faith in the system,” Gerstner said. “We’re not agentless. We can do something.”

Critics say poor families have more immediate needs

The proposal comes as Congressional Republicans and Trump face backlash for proposed cuts to programs that poor families with children rely on, including food assistance and Medicaid.

Even some who back the idea of baby bonds are skeptical, noting Trump wants to cut higher education grants and programs that aid young people on the cusp of adulthood — the same age group Trump Accounts are supposed to help. Pending federal legislation would slash Medicaid and food and housing assistance that many families with children rely on.

Source : https://apnews.com/article/baby-bonds-trump-child-poverty-8503180dc5c57a2f20dd59d7ece01d6a

It is 1am on 3 June. A near gale force wind is blasting into Scotland. Great weather for the Moray East and West offshore wind farms, you would have thought.

The two farms are 13 miles off the north-east coast of Scotland and include some of the biggest wind turbines in the UK, at 257m high. With winds like that they should be operating at maximum capacity, generating what the developer, Ocean Winds, claims is enough power to meet the electricity needs of well over a million homes.

Except they are not.

That’s because if you thought that once an electricity generator – whether it be a wind farm or a gas-powered plant – was connected to the national grid it could seamlessly send its electricity wherever it was needed in the country, you’d be wrong.

The electricity grid was built to deliver power generated by coal and gas plants near the country’s major cities and towns, and doesn’t always have sufficient capacity in the wires that carry electricity around the country to get the new renewable electricity generated way out in the wild seas and rural areas.

And this has major consequences.

The way the system currently works means a company like Ocean Winds gets what are effectively compensation payments if the system can’t take the power its wind turbines are generating and it has to turn down its output.

It means Ocean winds was paid £72,000 not to generate power from its wind farms in the Moray Firth during a half-hour period on 3 June because the system was overloaded – one of a number of occasions output was restricted that day.

At the same time, 44 miles (70km) east of London, the Grain gas-fired power station on the Thames Estuary was paid £43,000 to provide more electricity.

Payments like that happen virtually every day. Seagreen, Scotland’s largest wind farm, was paid £65 million last year to restrict its output 71% of the time, according to analysis by Octopus Energy.

Balancing the grid in this way has already cost the country more than £500 million this year alone, the company’s analysis shows. The total could reach almost £8bn a year by 2030, warns the National Electricity System Operator (NESO), the body in charge of the electricity network.

It’s pushing up all our energy bills and calling into question the government’s promise that net zero would end up delivering cheaper electricity.

Now, the government is considering a radical solution: instead of one big, national electricity market, there’ll be a number of smaller regional markets, with the government gambling that this could make the system more efficient and deliver cheaper bills.

But in reality, it’s not guaranteed that anyone will get cheaper bills. And even if some people do, many others elsewhere in the country could end up paying more.

The proposals have sparked such bitter debate that one senior energy industry executive called it “the most vicious policy fight” he has ever known. He has, he says, “lost friends” over it.

Meanwhile, political opponents who claim net zero is an expensive dead end are only too ready to pounce.

It is reported that the Prime Minister has asked to review the details of what some newspapers are calling a “postcode pricing” plan. So is the government really ready to risk the most radical shake-up of the UK electricity market since privatisation 35 years ago? And what will it really mean for our bills?

Prime Minister Narendra Modi is likely to travel to Ottawa to participate in the outreach sessions to be held on the sidelines of the G7 summit, which will be held at Kananaskis, Alberta, in Canada from June 15 to 17.

Even as Ottawa claimed to have agreed with New Delhi on “continued law enforcement dialogue”, India is likely to stress that Canada must act fast on its requests for extradition of 26 fugitives, including some top Khalistani Sikh terrorists operating from the North American country.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi is likely to travel to Ottawa to participate in the outreach sessions to be held on the sidelines of the G7 summit, which will be held at Kananaskis, Alberta, in Canada from June 15 to 17.

He will also have a bilateral meeting with Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney on the sidelines of the conclave.

Modi is likely to urge Carney to act on the long-pending requests from New Delhi for Ottawa to extradite the Khalistani Sikh terrorists, including Gurjeet Singh, Gurjinder Singh, Gurpreet Singh, Lakhbir Singh Landa and Arshdeep Singh Gill, as well as to ensure that the extremists can no longer run a secessionist campaign against India from Canada, a source told DH on Sunday.

Carney drew flak from the Khalistani Sikh extremists and their sympathisers after he called Modi on June 6 and invited him to attend the G7 summit even as the law-enforcement agencies were still investigating the role of India in the killing of Hardeep Singh Nijjar, a fugitive terrorist, in Canada two years back.

Nijjar led the terrorist organisation, Khalistan Tiger Force, in India before fleeing to Canada. He was shot dead at the parking lot of a gurdwara in Surrey in the British Columbia province of the North American country on June 18, 2023. Carney’s predecessor, Justin Trudeau, in September 2023, alleged that agents of the Government of India had been involved in the killing of Nijjar. New Delhi refuted the allegation, which, however, brought India-Canada relations to a new low over the past couple of years.

Carney, however, defended his decision to invite Modi and pointed out that the legal process in connection with the June 18, 2023, killing of Nijjar was “underway and quite advanced” in Canada.

Four citizens of India living in Canada were charged with murdering the Khalistani Sikh terrorist.

The office of the Canadian Prime Minister in Ottawa stated after his phone call to his counterpart in New Delhi on June 6 that the two leaders had agreed to continue “law enforcement dialogue and discussions addressing security concerns”. “Bilaterally, we have now agreed importantly to continued law enforcement dialogue. So, there’s been some progress on that. That recognises issues of accountability (in the case of the killing of Nijjar),” Carney told journalists in response to queries on his decision to invite Modi. “I extended the invitation to Prime Minister Modi in that context, and he has accepted.”

To defend his decision to invite Modi, Carney cited his ‘agreement’ with the prime minister of India on continued dialogue between the law-enforcement agencies of the two nations over the allegation about New Delhi’s role in the killing of Nijjar in Canada.

New Delhi has been steadfastly maintaining that Ottawa had never shared with it any evidence in support of the allegations about its role in the murder of the Khalistani Sikh extremist in Canada.

Modi will convey to Carney that India was and would always be ready to look into any evidence provided by Canada, said the source in New Delhi. He will also underline that the cooperation between the law-enforcement agencies could progress if Ottawa acted fast on the pending 26 extradition requests from New Delhi, as well as many pending requests for provisional arrests of gangsters and terrorists who had fled from India to Canada, said the source.

Ottawa in October 2024 had gone on to accuse India’s High Commissioner to Canada, Sanjay Kumar Verma, and his five colleagues of having a role in the June 18, 2023, killing.

The Royal Canadian Mounted Police had on October 14, 2024, publicly accused the agents of the Government of India of orchestrating criminal activities in Canada.

Source : https://www.deccanherald.com/india/modi-to-ask-carney-to-act-on-indias-pending-requests-for-extradition-of-khalistanis-from-canada-3576771

ELON Musk has “White House PTSD” and thinks he made a mistake by helping Trump get reelected, his dad has claimed.

Errol Musk, 79, made the explosive remarks in Moscow, where he’s set to appear at a Kremlin-backed forum organised by Putin’s inner circle.

It comes just days after his billionaire son’s high-profile alliance with the US President imploded in a fierce online feud.

The world’s richest man — who reportedly donated $288 million to Trump’s 2024 campaign and briefly served as a White House aide — has now turned on the president over his sweeping tax and spending bill.

Elon even claimed on X that Trump was tied to disgraced paedophile Jeffrey Epstein, though the post was later deleted and the White House dismissed the allegation outright.

Their bromance is now beyond repair.

On Sunday, Trump confirmed to NBC that he has no interest in making amends: “I would assume so, yeah,” he said when asked if their relationship was over. “I have no intention of speaking to him.”

Now, the Tesla and SpaceX boss is said to be grappling with regret and fatigue from his turbulent stint in Washington.

Musk Snr told Putin-controlled media: “So at the moment, Elon is inclined to say that he’s made a mistake.”

“Trump will prevail. He’s the president, he was elected as the president.

“Elon made a mistake, I think, but he’s tired, he’s stressed.

He added: “Five months of continuous stress, continuous, continuous stress, stress, stress.

“They are all suffering from a bit of PTSD, a post-traumatic stress disorder over the last few months, they started hitting out at each other.

“And then in the end, it’s just him and Trump left… They still don’t know what to do, so they fight with each other until they can come to normal conditions.”

The South African businessman likened the split to a “marriage going wrong” and suggested his son was out of depth in the brutal political arena.

He told Russian outlet Izvestia: “It happens in marriages, it happens in partnerships, it happens a lot .

“And people have to understand that at the moment, Elon is having second thoughts…

“He’s not a great politician, he is still learning, he’s a great tech innovator and so forth.

“But his politics is, as I’ve said before, is a swimming pool with no bottom, it’s a swimming pool with no sides.

“When you’re in a swimming pool of politics, you’ve got to really know where to go.

“And he [Elon] doesn’t realise that.”

Errol added that Elon had been trying to “get everything right” with a recent bill, but clashed with Trump over what he saw as excessive Democratic spending concessions.

“But unfortunately, he doesn’t realise that in order to get their votes in the Senate and the Congress, Trump has to do that,” he said.

“They are the only two people left in the arena… and they took to each other, which is understandable.”

Errol’s comments were made to Tsargrad TV — owned by Konstantin Malofeev, a businessman with alleged links to Russian military intelligence.

He praised Moscow, saying: “Whoever designed this city is a true genius. These majestic buildings remind me of Ancient Rome.”

He also dismissed Western portrayals of the Russian capital as “nonsense.”

Errol will speak at the Future Forum 2050, organised by Malofeev and Putin ideologist and “philosopher” Alexander Dugin.

Meanwhile, Russia appears eager to capitalize on Musk’s estrangement from the US political elite.

Putin crony Dmitry Medvedev cheekily offered to mediate peace talks between “D and E” — Trump and Elon— “for a reasonable fee and to accept Starlink shares as payment.”

Another Kremlin loyalist, ex-space chief Dmitry Rogozin, publicly offered Musk asylum.

“You are respected in Russia. If you encounter insurmountable problems in the US, come to us and become one of us,” Rogozin wrote.

Russia would offer him “reliable comrades and complete freedom of technical creativity”.

It comes after Trump warned that “serious consequences” could come if Elon Musk supports his political rivals.

Speaking to NBC News, Trump warned there would be backlash if Musk financially supported Democrats who opposed his budget bill.

“If he does, he’ll have to pay the consequences for that,” Trump said.

“He’ll have to pay very serious consequences if he does that.”

The SpaceX boss also previously hinted at launching a new political party amid a spectacular public falling-out with Trump.

As the bromance between the tech mogul and the president came to a screeching halt, Musk asked his 220 million followers whether it was “time to create a new political party”.

By Friday, after 80 per cent of 5.6million responders backed the idea, Musk declared: “This is fate.”

Source : https://www.the-sun.com/news/14426030/elon-musk-dad-ptsd-mistake-trump-white-house/

OVER 20 passengers onboard a boat were forced to plunge into the freezing water when their vessel burst into flames.

The group were in the waters off New York City just after 8:30 pm on Saturday when the terrifying explosion took place.

Emergency teams from the Coast Guard, New York Fire Department and New York Police Department all attended the scene near City Island in the Bronx.

Shocking footage of the moment showed the passengers who were all wearing white and apparently partying onboard screaming and shouting as flames licked the back of the boat.

Another angle showed that thick, black smoke was pouring into the sky from the burning vessel.

The FDNY said that three out of 22 people had to be pulled from the water, one in a critical condition.

All remaining passengers desperately swam to a nearby shoreline on Hart Island to escape the flames.

The frozen and terrified survivors were then rescued from there.

“Marine 4 grabbed three people out of the water,” the FDNY said in a statment.

“At that point, they transported them to one of the docks that was close by, where Engine 70 was waiting and EMS was waiting as well to begin CPR on the victims.

“The other 19 folks swam to Hart Island. They were just off the east end of Hart Island, and then they were picked up by the NYPD Coast Guard and FDNY boats and transported back over to the docks at the Yacht Club on City Island.”

In total, 21 people suffered minor injuries and one was more seriously harmed, the police said, per The New York Post.

They noted that the more injured passenger is stable.

Joshua Brito, from the Bronx was driving the boat at the time and has since been arrested.

The 33-year-old has been charged with DWI and reckless endangerment after driving the boat while intoxicated.

He is being arraigned at the Bronx Criminal Court on June 8.

Footage of the arrest shared by The Post showed Brito in shorts and a black t-shirt being cuffed and walked to a cop car later that night.

Victims were also seen being transported to nearby hospitals for medical attention.

An investigation into what caused the fire is ongoing.

“The boat in order to fit that many people on it had to be a pretty decent size boat,” FDNY Assistant Chief Mike Meyers told WABC-TV from the scene.

“Marine 4 did notice them earlier in the evening and they said there was a lot of people on that boat.

Source : https://www.the-sun.com/news/14427893/captain-arrested-boat-explosion-nyc/

AN American Airlines jet was forced to make an emergency landing just minutes after taking off due to a mechanical fault.

It comes just days after a preliminary report by the NTSB revealed that another American Airlines plane had loose and incorrectly-fitted parts.

On Saturday morning 119 passengers were diverted when their aircraft had to make an emergency landing.

Flight 449 heading to Chicago O’Hare International Airport safely landed back at Des Moines International Airport in Iowa.

It had only taken off from there 30 minutes earlier around 6:05 am.

After returning to the tarmac at 6:40 am, passengers were evacuated and re-booked onto another American Airlines flight.

Airport communications manager Sarah Hoodjer told the De Moines Register that the plane had suffered a mechanical issue, forcing its return to the airport.

She reassured travelers that this is not an uncommon occurrence with mechanical problems regularly causing diversions and emergency landings.

Workers immediately started investigating the cause of the issue and the jet was scheduled to take off after it was resolved, she said.

The outlet added that some passengers chose to wait for the repair rather than be re-booked onto a different flight.

It comes just days after the NTSB released an initial report on Thursday about the American Airlines plane that caught fire after an emergency landing on March 13.

Horrified passengers were forced to escape the burning plane by climbing onto the wing at Denver Airport.

American Airlines Flight 1006 from Colorado Springs landed in Denver around 5:15 pm local time after diverting from its planned destination of Dallas.

The crew on Boeing 737-800 reported engine vibrations before it went up in flames, the Federal Aviation Administration said.

All 172 passengers on board, along with six crew members, were evacuated safely after the scary ordeal, the company said with 12 taken to hospital with minor injuries.

Now, investigators say that the plane had incorrectly installed parts and loose fittings in the engines.

One element that was loose “allowing fuel to leak from the fitting.”

Soon after the plane arrived safely at the gate following the route diversion, passengers started yelling “fire” outside as smoke filled the cabin.

Passenger Helen Prager recalled the terrifying moment to CBS News saying: “Everyone was screaming, ‘There’s a fire. There’s a fire,'”

“Literally at the gate and I was screaming, ‘Get the doors open.'”

The exact cause of the fire which was put out in under a minute by ground crews is still being investigated, the report noted.

“The way this is looking is that there was a maintenance issue that led to this fire and we’ve gotta figure out where that error occurred so we can keep that error from happening again,” former NTSB chair Robert Sumwalt, told the outlet.

Source : https://www.the-sun.com/news/14426268/american-airlines-emergency-landing-ntsb-report/

The FAA confirmed that 20 people were on board the aircraft, a de Havilland Canada DHC-6 Twin Otter, which took off from Tullahoma Regional Airport just before the crash.

Four people were injured after a twin-engine skydiving plane carrying 20 people crashed in Coffee County, Tennessee, on Sunday afternoon, according to the Tennessee Highway Patrol and the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). Those with serious injuries were airlifted to nearby hospitals, officials told The New York Times.

The incident occurred around 12:45 PM local time on Old Shelbyville Road, near the Beechcraft Heritage Museum in Tullahoma. The Tennessee Highway Patrol initially reported on social media: “Initial reports suggest 16-20 people were on board. Some have been airlifted to nearby hospitals. This is an active scene. Local officials will update.”

The FAA confirmed that 20 people were aboard the aircraft, a de Havilland Canada DHC-6 Twin Otter, which had taken off from Tullahoma Regional Airport shortly before the crash.

Terry Janiak, a 66-year-old neighbour who lives opposite the airport, witnessed the crash, which appeared to occur near the museum and before the runway. “The cockpit area looked pretty rough on the aeroplane,” he told The New York Times.

Sheila Stone, a 57-year-old resident who has lived opposite the airport for 20 years, was on her back porch with her dogs when the plane flew unusually low overhead, making her fear it might hit the tall trees in her garden.

“How he cleared that tree is a miracle,” Stone said. She added that the plane seemed to be aiming for the airport’s main runway when it clipped a tree. One wing reportedly struck a tree near the museum.

“I’ve never been that scared,” she said. “I have aeroplanes flying over daily, but never that low and close to my house, thinking it’s about to crash in my garden.”

Details about the condition of those on board have not yet been released by the FAA and the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB). Local media reported that the plane was used for skydiving expeditions.

Source : https://www.news18.com/world/four-injured-after-twin-engine-skydiving-plane-carrying-20-people-crashes-in-tennessee-ws-bl-9375199.html

Islamabad has been pushing lies and indulging in propaganda with new reports falsely claiming that Islamabad hit a Sukhoi-30MKI parked at Adampur air base in Punjab.

After successful execution of Operation Sindoor in which India targeted nine terror sites in Pakistan and Pakistan occupied Kashmir (PoK), Pakistan has been living with fantasies and pushing hard to make the world believe that it won during the conflict.

Islamabad has been pushing lies and indulging in propaganda with new reports falsely claiming that Islamabad hit a Sukhoi-30MKI parked at Adampur air base in Punjab and destroyed an S-400 surface-to-air missile unit at Bhuj airfield in Gujarat during the four-day military conflict post Operation Sindoor last month.

However, this latest report was systematically dismantled by Top Open Source Intelligence (OSINT) imagery analyst Damien Symon after closely examining the claims, which left the neighbouring country red-faced again.

With satellite images as proof, Symon exposed how Pakistan attempted to fabricate battlefield success using recycled, manipulated, or misunderstood visuals, including imagery supplied by a Chinese satellite firm.

Here’s a detailed breakdown of Pakistan’s false claims

1. Adampur Airbase: Sukhoi-30MKI ‘Strike’

Fancy visiting an idyllic island in the Java Sea that is home to 1,000 rescue cats?

Indonesia could soon have a “cat island” modelled after the ones in Japan, if Jakarta governor Pramono Anung has his way.

On May 15, Pramono revealed that the city government is considering populating one of the hundreds of islands off the coast of Jakarta with cats in an effort to manage their population and boost tourism.

“The idea about a cat island is not new. Japan has established ones and they have become extraordinary tourist destinations,” the governor told reporters, as quoted by Indonesian news portal Tempo.

On islands such as Aoshima and Tashirojima in Japan, cats vastly outnumber human inhabitants after they were brought in to control the rat population. The presence of these four-legged creatures have put these islands on the map, attracting cat lovers and curious visitors from around the world.

“If we can make it happen, the island can be a source of revenue (for Jakarta),” Pramono said, without providing a timeline.

The governor said ever since he took office in February, keeping Jakarta’s cat population in check has been one of the top demands made by residents. After discussing with several experts, the idea to build a cat island was born.

According to a 2024 estimate by the city government, Jakarta is home to 750,000 stray and 110,000 domesticated cats.

With cats capable of producing three to four litters of kittens a year, experts predict the figure could quadruple in the next five years, heightening the risk of disease transmission, human-animal conflicts and ecological imbalance.

Jakarta has the manpower and budget to only sterilise around 20,000 cats – feral or domesticated – every year, so finding spaces big enough to shelter the rescued animals in a sprawling metropolis of 11 million people is also a challenge.

This is one of the reasons the city is turning its attention to the Thousand Islands, a chain of islands which stretches up to 160km northwest from Jakarta’s mainland.

Contrary to its name, there are around 340 islands and islets in the archipelago.

Many of these islands have been populated by traditional fishermen for generations while others have been turned into popular tourist resorts. Some are uninhabited or manned by only a few people.

“The cats will not be abandoned on this cat island,” Hasudungan Sidabalok, chief of the Jakarta Food Security, Fisheries and Agriculture Agency, which oversees all animal affairs, told CNA.

“We will build a comfortable space for them where they will be well taken care of and groomed. People can visit this island which serves as both a tourism and an educational destination.”

Hasudungan said the island will host primarily rescued strays and abandoned pets. “(The city government) estimated that there will be 1,000 cats on this island and we will take care of them,” he said.

But the idea of relocating cats to an island in the middle of a sometimes inhospitable sea has proved to be controversial among experts and activists, who say the cats may not be able to adapt to the new environment or may upset the Thousand Islands’ delicate habitat and wildlife.

The MSC IRINA, recognised as the world’s largest container ship by TEU (Twenty-foot Equivalent Unit) capacity, is set to dock at the Adani Group’s Vizhinjam International Seaport on Monday and will be berthed till Tuesday.

The monumental arrival marks a significant milestone for the seaport, which was dedicated to the nation by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on May 2.

The MSC IRINA boasts an impressive capacity of 24,346 TEUs, making it a formidable player in global shipping.

With a length of 399.9 metres and a width of 61.3 metres, the vessel is approximately four times longer than a standard FIFA-designated football field.

Designed specifically to facilitate the transportation of large volumes of containers between Asia and Europe, the MSC IRINA is pivotal in enhancing trade routes and logistics efficiency.

This vessel will be making its maiden visit to a South Asian port, highlighting Vizhinjam’s capabilities in handling Ultra-Large Container Vessels (ULCVs).

The port, developed and operated by Adani Ports and SEZ Ltd, has recently welcomed other icon-class vessels, including MSC Turkiye and MSC Michel Cappellini, further establishing its reputation as a key hub in maritime trade.

The MSC IRINA was launched in March 2023 and embarked on its maiden voyage in April of the same year. It sails under the Liberian flag and is engineered to stack containers up to 26 tiers high, offering unparalleled capacity in container stacking.

Notably, the MSC IRINA surpasses its predecessor, OOCL Spain, by a margin of 150 TEUs.

In alignment with contemporary environmental standards, the vessel is equipped with energy-saving features that contribute to a reduction in carbon emissions by up to 4 per cent, significantly lowering its carbon footprint while maintaining operational efficiency.

Source : https://www.freepressjournal.in/business/worlds-largest-container-ship-msc-irina-to-make-historic-dock-at-vizhinjam-port

Some of the most prevalent UFO conspiracy theories — including about aliens being housed at Area 51 in Nevada — were fueled by the Pentagon in an attempt to provide cover for secret weapons programs, according to a bombshell report.

A review by the Department of Defense found that in the 1980s, an Air Force colonel visited a Nevada bar near Area 51 and gave the owner fabricated photos of flying saucers near the secret government base, according to a review of the 2024 report by the Wall Street Journal.

The incident renewed local fervor over UFOs, with the now-retired colonel confessing to Pentagon investigators that he was on an official mission to spread disinformation and hide the true purpose of the site, where the government was testing the first-ever stealth warplane, the F-117 Nighthawk.

The military reasoned that the best way to keep its new technology hidden from the Soviet Union’s prying eye during the Cold War was to bury it amid the trove of conspiracy theories surrounding Area 51, investigators found.

The incident is just one of several where government agencies allegedly played up America’s UFO mythology for the purpose of protecting its military assets, according to the 2024 report.

Other military attempts to obscure secret projects with conspiracy theories were not made public.

Sean Kirkpatrick, the first director of the All-domain Anomaly Resolution Office (AARO), was the man tasked by the government to dissect countless UFO theories in 2022.

As his office probed decades of documents, memos and messages across the Defense Department, he found several conspiracy theories that circled back to the Pentagon itself.

In one instance, Kirkpatrick’s team found that the Air Force hazed members with briefings introducing them to a fake “Yankee Blue” unit that purported investigated alien aircraft.

The briefings came with a direct order never to mention the details to anyone, with many of the targets of the prank never learning it was all a ruse, according to interviews with Kirkpatrick’s team.

The bizarre practice was still taking place during the investigation, with the Pentagon eventually sending an order across the DOD in 2023 to finally put an end to it.

It remains unclear why officials presented subordinates with the fake briefings, with rumors speculating it could have been used as a loyalty test or to spread misinformation.

Kirkpatrick also found that the government deliberately left people in the dark when they witnessed secret military projects, according to the WSJ.

Robert Salas, a former Air Force captain, was one of those people. Salas claims he witnessed a UFO descend over a nuclear missile testing site in Montana in 1967.

During the event, a flashing light was able to disable all 10 nuclear missiles at the bunker, along with all electrical systems.

He was ordered to never discuss what he saw, with Salas maintaining that he witnessed alien visitors chiming in on the Cold War.

Kirkpatrick’s team, however, discovered that Salas was never told that what he actually saw was a test of a fledging electromagnetic pulse test to see if American silos could withstand the radiation of atomic weapons and retaliate if the Soviet Union ever attacked first.

With the test failing, officials decided that it was best no one knew the secret of the vulnerability, so Salas and the other witnesses were intentionally left in the dark to make their own conclusions.

Source : https://nypost.com/2025/06/08/us-news/pentagon-secretly-planted-area-51-ufo-conspiracy-theory-to-hide-secret-weapons-program/

The sun and sky had a much more eerie appearance to it on Saturday evening and Sunday morning.

It was a sign that smoke from wildfires burning more than 4,000 miles (6,400km) away in central Canada had made it across the Atlantic to sit in the skies over the UK.

BBC WeatherWatchers from all corners of the country were out capturing the spectacle.

It was supposed to be the final leg of Amir Ali’s monthslong journey to Europe. But he was nowhere near his destination, with only death in sight.

The 21-year-old Pakistani had been promised a visa and a flight to Spain. Yet six months, four countries and $17,000 later, he found himself crammed in a fishing boat in the Atlantic Ocean alongside 85 others, screaming for their lives as seawater sloshed over the gunwales.

Forty-four fellow Pakistani migrants perished during the 10-day failed crossing in January from Mauritania’s coast toward Spain’s Canary Islands.

The deadly journey cast a spotlight on how globalized and sophisticated smuggling networks on the West African coast — and specifically Mauritania — have become. Interviews with survivors and relatives of migrants who died revealed how smugglers have adapted to tighter border controls and anti-migration policies across the Mediterranean and North Africa, resorting to lengthier, more dangerous routes.

A journey that began 5,000 miles away

Ali’s odyssey began last July. After making an initial deposit of 600,000 Pakistani rupees ($2,127), he went to Karachi airport, where he was told to wait for a shift change before approaching the immigration counter.

“The smugglers had inside help,” he said. He and other migrants were swiftly put on a flight to Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.

From there Ali boarded a second flight to Dakar, Senegal, where he was told someone would be waiting for him.

Instead, when he arrived he was told to go to the Senegal River bordering Mauritania, a seven-hour taxi ride north. He joined other Pakistanis traveling to the Mauritanian capital, Nouakchott. In each country he passed through, bribes were demanded for visas, Ali said.

Imran Iqbal, 42, took a similar journey. Like Ali, he flew from Karachi to Senegal via Ethiopia before reaching Mauritania. Other Pakistanis Iqbal met, he said, traveled through Kenya or Zimbabwe enroute to Mauritania.

A monthslong waiting game

Once in Mauritania, the migrants were taken to cramped safe houses where smugglers took their belongings and deprived them of food. “Our passports, our money — everything,” Iqbal said. “I was essentially held captive,” Ali said.

During the six months Iqbal and Ali were in Mauritania, smugglers moved them repeatedly, beating them to extract more money.

While he managed to get some money sent from Pakistan, Iqbal did not tell his family of his dire situation.

“Our parents, children, siblings … they would’ve been devastated,” he said.

The organisers of a Gaza-bound aid boat carrying Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg and other activists said Israeli forces intercepted the vessel on Monday (Jun 9), after Israel vowed to prevent it from reaching the Palestinian territory.

AFP lost contact with the activists onboard early Monday morning after the organisers said alarms sounded and life jackets were being prepared for a possible interception.

“Connection has been lost on the ‘Madleen’. Israeli army have boarded the vessel”, the Freedom Flotilla Coalition (FFC), the activist group operating the vessel, posted on Telegram.

It added that the passengers had been “kidnapped” by Israeli forces.

The activist group posted a series of pre-recorded videos from those onboard, including one from Thunberg.

“If you see this video, we have been intercepted and kidnapped in international waters,” she said.

Mahmud Abu-Odeh, a Germany-based press officer with the Freedom Flotilla Coalition, told AFP that “the activists seemed to be arrested”.

The British-flagged yacht Madleen, which is operated by FFC, was aiming to deliver a symbolic amount of aid to Gaza later on Monday and raise international awareness of the humanitarian crisis there.

Among the 12-strong crew are Thunberg and Rima Hassan, a French member of the European Parliament.

Defence Minister Israel Katz said he had ordered Israel’s army to stop the ship from reaching Gaza or violating a blockade he described as needed to prevent Palestinian militants from importing weapons.

The Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs said the activists’ boat was instructed to change course as it approached “a restricted area” on early Monday. About an hour later, it said the boat was being towed to Israeli shores.

“The passengers are expected to return to their home countries,” the ministry wrote on social media.

“The tiny amount of aid that was on the yacht and not consumed by the ‘celebrities’ will be transferred to Gaza through real humanitarian channels,” it added.

Israel imposed a naval blockade on the coastal enclave after Hamas took control of Gaza in 2007.

The blockade has remained in place through multiple conflicts, including the current war, which began after a Hamas-led assault on southern Israel on Oct 7, 2023, that killed more than 1,200 people, according to an Israeli tally.

Gaza’s health ministry says over 54,000 Palestinians have been killed since the start of Israel’s military campaign. The United Nations has warned that most of Gaza’s more than 2 million residents are facing famine.

Source : https://www.channelnewsasia.com/world/israel-forces-board-gaza-bound-ship-aid-freedom-flotilla-coalition-greta-thunberg-5170741

NATIONAL Guard troops have clashed with protesters against immigration raids in LA, with US President Donald Trump vowing to “send whatever is needed”.

Some 300 troops in tactical gear armed with long guns descended on the Californian city on the orders of Trump following two days of protests that began on Friday.

The National Guard arrived in LA early Sunday morning as the city braced for violent clashes over ICE immigration raids.

Shocking images show groups of demonstrators facing off with National Guard members and cops.

As the protests continue to unfold, Trump vowed to reporters that his administration would “send whatever we need to make sure there’s law and order”.

He added: “Last night in Los Angeles we watched it very closely, there was a lot of violence there and it could have got much worse.

“We’re going to be watching [the protests] very closely.”

The President later wrote on his Truth Social platform that “violent, insurrectionist mobs are swarming and attacking our Federal Agents to try and stop our deportation operations”.

He explained that he is directing Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, Defence Sec Pete Hegseth, and Attorney General Pam Bondi to “take all such necessary action” to “put an end to these Migrant riots”.

Trump added: “Order will be restored, the Illegals will be expelled, and Los Angeles will be set free.”

The first unit was deployed from San Bernardino County and assembled outside a Downtown LA detention center on Sunday morning.

Tensions escalated between police and protesters after sweeping raids by ICE agents, after more than 100 immigrant arrests in the city over the past week.

Some police patrolled the streets on horseback while others with riot gear lined up behind Guard troops deployed to protect federal facilities including a detention center where some immigrants were taken in recent days.

By midday, hundreds had gathered outside the Metropolitan Detention Center in downtown Los Angeles, where people were detained after earlier immigration raids.

Protesters directed chants of “shame” and “go home” at members of the National Guard, who stood shoulder to shoulder, carrying long guns and riot shields.

After some protesters closely approached the guard members, another set of uniformed officers advanced on the group, shooting smoke-filled canisters into the street.

Minutes later, the Los Angeles Police Department fired rounds of crowd-control munitions to disperse the protesters, who they said were assembled unlawfully.

Much of the group then moved to block traffic on the 101 freeway until California Highway Patrol officers cleared them from the roadway by late afternoon.

“The presence of the Guard was inflaming tensions” in the city, according to a letter sent to Trump by Gov. Gavin Newsom on Sunday afternoon.

He formerly requested Trump remove the guard members, which he called a “serious breach of state sovereignty”.

Los Angeles mayor Karen Bass said the arrival of troops was a “dangerous escalation”.

She said: “We do not want to play in to the [Trump] administration’s hands.”

“What we’re seeing in Los Angeles is chaos provoked by the administration.

“I want the people of LA to know that we stand with all Angelinos, no matter where you were born.”

A prominent SEIU union leader was arrested while protesting and accused of impeding law enforcement.

The Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) has made 29 arrests – most for failing to disperse, according to CBS News.

And, according to the US Northern Command, the California Military Department has “deployed approximately 300 soldiers to three separate locations” in the greater LA area.

Ahead of the planned protest near City Hall, troops were seen moving through the streets of Paramount.

It comes after Trump deployed 2,000 National Guard troops to LA in response to what he called “two days of violence, clashes and unrest”.

The deployment marked the first time in six decades that a state’s National Guard was activated without a request from its governor, according to the Brennan Center for Justice.

California Governor Gavin Newsom opposed Trump’s order, accusing the President of a “complete overreaction” designed to create a spectacle of force.

A statement from the White House Saturday said Trump was allowed to deploy federal service members when there is ”a rebellion or danger of a rebellion against the authority of the Government of the United States.”

The order came after demonstrators tried to block Border Patrol vehicles, with some hurling rocks and chunks of cement.

In response, agents in riot gear unleashed tear gas, flash-bang explosives and pepper balls.

FBI Deputy Director Dan Bongino said in a post on X: “We are not intimidated or apprehensive.

“Illegal immigration operations will continue, and anyone using violence to obstruct or impede these operations will be investigated and prosecuted.”

“Multiple arrests” have already been made after protests in LA and New York, he added.

Bongino issued a stern warning: “It will not end well for you if you choose violence. Choose wisely.”

Trump’s immigration chief, Tom Homan, said on Saturday: “We are going to bring the National Guard in tonight. We are making Los Angeles safer.”

On Truth Social, Trump blasted California’s government as “incompetent”, adding that masks will “no longer be allowed” to be worn at protests.

House Speaker Mike Johnson has backed Trump’s call of deploying National Guard troops to LA.

He told ABC News: “I think the president did exactly what he needed to do. That is real leadership and he has the authority and the responsibility to do it.

“These are federal laws, we need to maintain the rule of law, and that is not what is happening.”

The president’s troop deployment came after some protesters hurled flaming projectiles, set cars ablaze, and swarmed federal vehicles in response to raids on undocumented migrants.

The confrontations mainly took place in the predominantly Latino suburb of Paramount.

The area – which is over 80 per cent Hispanic – has become a flashpoint for opposition to the raids.

Tear gas and flash-bang grenades were used to disperse crowds, particularly outside a Home Depot in Paramount, where agents had established a staging area.

Protesters threw flaming projectiles, blocked roads with shopping carts, and set fires.

Footage showed one demonstrator being knocked to the ground as they tried to stop an ICE vehicle, which then sped off.

“ICE out of Paramount. We see you for what you are,” one woman said through a megaphone.

Elsewhere, trains were halted after protesters jumped on the tracks near an immigration detention centre.

And organisers reportedly called for more protests on Sunday.

Trump’s “border tsar” Homan has warned that someone could “lose their life” if the clashes continue.

He told NBC: “It’s a matter of time before someone gets seriously hurt.

“If this violence continues, someone’s going to lose their life.”

As of early Sunday, clashes between cops and demonstrators were ongoing.

The New York Times reported escalating tensions in Paramount, with fireworks aimed at officers and pepper-spray projectiles used in response.

LAPD said unrest continues downtown, with arrests made for violating dispersal orders and some roads closed.

NBC News reported that protests were winding down, with small groups still in the streets, though the exact location was unclear.

The Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department, meanwhile, told CNN that two deputies were injured during Saturday’s protests and were treated at a local hospital before being released with non-life-threatening injuries.

While the department had no confirmed reports of injuries to protesters, it noted that a Hyundai was burned and a fire at a strip mall was quickly put out.

According to Homeland Security officials, 118 undocumented individuals have been arrested in Los Angeles this week, including 44 on Friday.

Federal authorities claim the arrests include gang members and individuals considered national security risks.

The White House described the demonstrations as violent and accused California officials of failing to maintain order.

“These operations are essential to halting and reversing the invasion of illegal criminals into the United States,” a statement said.

“That is why President Trump has signed a Presidential Memorandum deploying 2,000 National Guardsmen to address the lawlessness that has been allowed to fester.”

The interim US attorney for the Central District of California
Bill Essayli added that the National Guard is needed to “regain order”.

He told the New York Times: “The state has an obligation to maintain order and maintain public safety, and they’re unable to do that right now in Los Angeles.”

California Governor Newsom blasted the move, accusing the federal government of inflaming tensions.

He warned on social media: “This is the wrong mission and will erode public trust.”

But Trump fired back on Truth Social, writing: “If Governor Gavin Newscum, of California, and Mayor Karen Bass, of Los Angeles, can’t do their jobs… then the Federal Government will step in and solve the problem, RIOTS & LOOTERS, the way it should be solved!!!”

Newsom and Trump reportedly spoke for 40 minutes by phone on Saturday, though details of their conversation have not been disclosed.

That same evening, Trump attended the UFC 316 event in Newark, New Jersey.

Under federal law, the president can deploy the National Guard for missions including the “suppression of rebellion”.

Critics argue that such actions, particularly in local jurisdictions, risk escalating tensions rather than calming them.

Mayor Karen Bass also denounced the raids, saying: “These tactics sow terror in our communities.”

Her remarks were sharply rebuked by ICE and DHS officials.

ICE Acting Director Todd Lyons said: “Mayor Bass took the side of chaos and lawlessness over law enforcement.”

Homeland Security accused some Democratic officials of inciting violence against agents, with Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin stating: “This violence against ICE must end.”

Angelica Salas, head of the Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights, said at a rally: “Our community is under attack and is being terrorised. These are workers. These are fathers. These are mothers. And this has to stop.”

Local officials in Paramount expressed frustration with the federal operation.

Mayor Peggy Lemons said she was not informed of the Home Depot raids ahead of time.

“There is no communication and things are done on a whim. And that creates chaos and fear,” she told the Los Angeles Times.

Meanwhile, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth confirmed that “active duty Marines” are also on “high alert”, ready to mobilize if the violence continues.

Threatening to send in the Marines, Hegseth said: “The violent mob assaults on ICE and Federal Law Enforcement are designed to prevent the removal of Criminal Illegal Aliens from our soil… and a huge NATIONAL SECURITY RISK.”

On Saturday night, the Los Angeles Police Department said that most demonstrations had remained peaceful.

“We commend all those who exercised their First Amendment rights responsibly,” the LAPD said.

The department added that it remained “fully prepared” to respond to any civil unrest.

Despite some calm returning to Paramount, federal law enforcement officers maintained a heavy presence in the area.

Source : https://www.the-sun.com/news/14424780/trump-troops-la-protests-ice-raids/

Spanish journalist Tessa Romero was clinically dead for 24 minutes and claims she experienced a peaceful, timeless realm. She described floating above her body and feeling “more alive” than ever, challenging her previous skepticism about life after death. Her recovery marked not just a return to life, but a deep emotional and physical healing.

What happens after we die? This age-old question has fascinated and puzzled humanity for centuries. While science and medicine have made remarkable progress, they still haven’t provided any definitive answers. Now, an astonishing account from Spain is reigniting the conversation around life after death.
Tessa Romero, a 50-year-old sociologist and journalist from Andalusia, Spain, was pronounced clinically dead for 24 minutes after collapsing unexpectedly one morning. As reported by The Sun, she had just dropped off her daughters at school when she suddenly stopped breathing and her heart ceased to beat. Doctors fought for nearly half an hour to revive her—and ultimately succeeded. But what she brought back was more than a pulse; it was a story that would change her life forever.
“I Felt So Alive”: A Glimpse Into the Beyond
During those 24 minutes of clinical death, Tessa says that she experienced something profoundly peaceful and deeply real. According to The Sun, she describes entering a realm “free from pain, sadness, and even the passage of time.” In her own words: “It was like a great weight had been removed from my shoulders.” She recounts floating above a building, observing her own lifeless body below.

“I didn’t know I was dead. I felt so alive just not being seen by anyone around me,” she wrote in her book.
Tessa insists her experience was neither a dream nor a hallucination, but a vivid and conscious encounter with something far greater than herself. She had once dismissed such stories as fantasy—but no longer.

“That world was more real than this one,” she told The Sun. “Time was slower, feelings were deeper, and everything was meaningful.”

Source: https://www.timesnownews.com/viral/dead-for-24-minutes-spanish-woman-returns-to-narrate-shocking-afterlife-experience-article-151811408

The United States believes that Russian President Vladimir Putin’s threatened retaliation against Ukraine over its drone attack last weekend has not happened yet in earnest and is likely to be a significant, multi-pronged strike, U.S. officials told Reuters.
The timing of the full Russian response was unclear, with one source saying it was expected within days. A second U.S. official said the retaliation was likely to include different kinds of air capabilities, including missiles and drones.

The officials spoke on condition of anonymity. They did not detail Russia’s expected targets nor elaborate on intelligence matters. The first official said Moscow’s attack would be “asymmetrical,” meaning that its approach and targeting would not mirror Ukraine’s strike last weekend against Russian warplanes.
Russia launched an intense missile and drone barrage at the Ukrainian capital Kyiv on Friday and Russia’s Defense Ministry said the strike on military and military-related targets was in response to what it called Ukrainian “terrorist acts” against Russia. But the U.S. officials believe the complete Russian response is yet to come.

A Western diplomatic source said that while Russia’s response may have started, it would likely intensify with strikes against symbolic Ukrainian targets like government buildings, in an effort to send a clear message to Kyiv.
Another, senior, Western diplomat anticipated a further devastating assault by Moscow. “It will be huge, vicious and unrelenting,” the diplomat said. “But the Ukrainians are brave people.”
The Russian and Ukrainian embassies in Washington and the White House did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
Michael Kofman, a Russia expert at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, said he expected Moscow might seek to punish Ukraine’s domestic security agency, the SBU, for its role in last weekend’s assault. To send a message, Russia could employ intermediate-range ballistic missiles for the attack, he said.

“Most likely, they will attempt to retaliate against (SBU) headquarters, or other regional intelligence administration buildings,” Kofman said, adding Russia could also target Ukrainian defense manufacturing centers.
Still, Kofman suggested Russia’s options for retaliation may be limited as it is already throwing a lot of its military might at Ukraine.
“In general, Russia’s ability to substantially escalate strikes from what they are already doing – and attempting to do over the past month – is quite constrained,” he said.
OPERATION ‘SPIDER’S WEB’
Kyiv says Sunday’s audacious attack employed 117 unmanned aerial vehicles launched deep from within Russian territory in an operation code-named “Spider’s Web.”
The United States assesses that up to 20 warplanes were hit – around half the number estimated by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy – and around 10 were destroyed.

Source: https://www.reuters.com/business/aerospace-defense/us-believes-russia-response-ukraine-drone-attack-not-over-yet-expects-multi-2025-06-07/

While JD Vance had earlier showed support for the US President amid his spat with the Tesla CEO regarding the ‘big beautiful bill’, the interview marked his first direct comments on Musk since the spat erupted.

US Vice President JD Vance said Tesla CEO Elon Musk is making a ‘huge mistake’ by being at a verbal war with Donald Trump, hoping that he “comes back into the fold” after the public feud went through the roof.

“I’m always going to be loyal to the president and I hope that eventually Elon kind of comes back into the fold,” Vance said, speaking on the “This Past Weekend w/ Theo Von” podcast, which was released on Saturday.

However, Vance worried that a reconciliation might not be possible now because Elon Musk has gone ‘nuclear’.

“Maybe that’s not possible now because he’s gone so nuclear, but I hope it is.”

While Vance had earlier showed support for the US President, the interview marked his first direct comments on Musk since the spat erupted.

Elon Musk making a mistake: JD Vance
Speaking during the podcast interview with comedian Theo Von, JD Vance added that Elon Musk is entitled to his own opinion and he does not have to agree with the bill.

“Elon is entitled to his opinion. I’m not saying he has to agree with the bill or agree with everything that I’m saying.”

He said that the billionaire CEO, who is the world’s richest man, is making a ‘huge mistake’ by feuding with the world’s most powerful man.

“I just think it’s a huge mistake for the world’s wealthiest man — I think one of the most transformational entrepreneurs ever — to be at war with the world’s most powerful man, who I think is doing more to save the country than anybody in my lifetime,” Vance said.

The US Vice President said he did not think that the spat between Musk and Trump is not in national interest.

“I just think you’ve got to have some respect for him and say, ‘yeah, we don’t have to agree on every issue.’ But is this war actually in the interest of the country? I don’t think so.”

“The president doesn’t think that he needs to be in a blood feud with Elon Musk, and I actually think if Elon chilled out a little bit, everything would be fine,” Vance added.

Source: https://www.livemint.com/news/us-news/huge-mistake-amid-donald-trump-vs-elon-musk-spat-jd-vance-says-he-hopes-tesla-ceo-will-come-back-into-fold-11749302841935.html

More than 20 people were arrested Saturday as a mob of nearly 150 protesters cursed at cops and tried to block federal authorities from conducting immigration raids in Lower Manhattan, according to a police source, federal officials and video from the chaotic scene.

The angry, masked demonstrators yelled “motherf–kers” at officers, sat in the roadway, threw objects and even themselves in front of an unmarked white van with tinted windows as it tried to leave 26 Federal Plaza, where the US Immigration Court is housed.

One man’s face was exposed when a cop removed his face mask while he was arrested, the footage shows.
Michael Nigro for NY Post“Back up, back up!” six uniformed Department of Homeland Security officers yelled while shoving the agitators aside, footage of the incident showed.

Demonstrators hauled metal barricades, orange traffic cones and even fished a drawerless dresser from a nearby dumpster to throw into the street in an attempt to block the van, but cops quickly moved it out of the way.

The vehicle was finally able to drive away after about two minutes but the scene later devolved into mayhem as nearly 40 NYPD and federal officers continued to clash with the demonstrators, video shows.

The arrested individuals were issued summonses, according to an NYPD spokesperson, who said cops had responded to a 911 call about a disorderly group, and observed the scofflaws sitting in the roadway to block traffic.

Source: https://nypost.com/2025/06/07/us-news/five-arrested-in-nyc-as-nearly-100-protesters-clash-with-feds/

Justin Bieber revealed a mystery leg injury during his recent trip to the spa.

Photos obtained by Page Six show the “Sorry” hitmaker entering Voda Spa in West Hollywood, Calif., on Friday while wearing a black bandage knee brace on his left leg.

Bieber wore a vibrant red hoodie, a pair of green checkerboard shorts and some blue slides for the casual solo outing. He finished off the look with a blue baseball cap.

Justin Bieber revealed he suffered a mystery injury as he continues to spark concern with his odd behavior.
justinbieber/InstagramThe details of the injury remain unclear as the singer has not yet publicly commented on it.

A rep for Bieber did not immediately respond to Page Six’s request for comment.

Friday’s outing comes after Bieber started showing problematic behavior online with his casual drug use and unanticipated rants.

The “One Less Lonely Girl” singer most recently garnered attention after he shared a slew of summer snaps featuring his baby boy, Jack Blues, whom he shares with wife Hailey Bieber, via Instagram last month.

In the pictures, the pop star, 31, carried his son on his shoulders and sat on a couch while playing with the 9-month-old’s feet.

Among the photos was also a separate picture of him smoking a blunt with a friend on the same couch.

Internet-sleuthing fans quickly noted that the Grammy winner was shirtless and wearing only blue shorts in both pictures, prompting concern for Justin’s baby boy as many called out Justin for outright “smok[ing] in front of [his] kid” and “doing drugs with the baby around.”

While Justin’s rep slammed the “harmful” rumors of drug use in February, the “Peaches” songster has continued to show off his rampant marijuana use in the time since.

Earlier in May, he also admitted to ripping off Hailey with a phone case used to hold blunts modeled after her patented Rhode lip gloss-carrying cases.

In April, several people close to the singer expressed their worry for his mental health, telling the Hollywood Reporter that they feared he was falling apart mentally amid rumors of his financial troubles.

“Seeing him disintegrate like this … it’s watching the embodiment of someone not living their purpose,” a former team member told the outlet.

Source: https://pagesix.com/2025/06/06/celebrity-news/justin-bieber-reveals-mystery-injury-as-he-continues-sparking-concern-with-odd-behavior/

UK doctors are attempting to clear dangerous superbug infections using “poo pills” containing freeze-dried faeces.

The stool samples come from healthy donors and are packed with good bacteria.

Early data suggests superbugs can be flushed out of the dark murky depths of the bowel and replaced with a mix of healthy gut bacteria.

It is a new approach to tackling infections that resist antibiotics, which are thought to kill a million people each year.

The focus is on the bowels which are “the biggest reservoir of antibiotic resistance in humans” says Dr Blair Merrick, who has been testing the pills at Guys and St Thomas’ hospitals.

Drug-resistant superbugs can escape their intestinal home and cause trouble elsewhere in the body – such as urinary tract or bloodstream infections.

“So there’s a lot of interest in ‘can you get rid of them from the gut?’,” says Dr Merrick.

The idea of poo-pills isn’t as far-fetched as it might seem. Faecal transplants – also known as a trans-poo-tion – are already approved for treating severe diarrhoea caused by Clostridium difficile bacteria.

But scientists noticed hints that faecal transplants for C. difficile also seemed to get rid of superbugs.

New research has focused on patients who had an infection caused by drug-resistant bacteria in the past six months.

They were given pills made from faeces which people had donated to a stool bank.

Each stool sample is tested to ensure it does not contain any harmful bugs, undigested food is removed and then it is freeze dried into a powder.

This is stored inside a pill that can pass through the stomach unscathed and reach the intestines where it dissolves to release its poopy powdery payload.

The trial has taken place on 41 patients at Guy’s and St Thomas’ hospitals in London to lay the groundwork for a large-scale study.

It showed patients were up for taking a poo pill and the donated bacteria were still being detected in the bowels at least a month later.

Dr Merrick says there are “really promising signals” that poo pills could help tackle the rising scourge of superbugs and that donor bacteria could be going to microbial war with the superbugs as they compete over food and space on the lining of the gut and either rid the body of them completely or “reduce them down to a level that doesn’t cause problems”.

The study also suggests the array of gut bacteria becomes more varied after the therapy. This is a sign of good health and “may well be promoting colonisation resistance” so it is harder for new infectious bugs to get in.

“It’s very exciting. There’s a real shift from 20 years ago where all bacteria and viruses were assumed to do you harm; to now where we realise they are completely necessary to our overall health,” says Dr Merrick.

Earlier this week scientists showed the good bacteria our bodies meet – in the hours after we are born – seem to halve the risk of young children being admitted to hospital with lung infections.

Source: https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/clyge290l4xo

Meghan Markle is still happy As Ever.

The Duchess of Sussex shared that she’s “so excited for all the good to come” in her brand’s Saturday Instagram post after she and Prince Harry were recently mocked for her “cringe” dance video earlier this week.

The brand’s account posted a photo of Markle dressed in a casual white sleeveless maxi dress as she ran through ocean water on the beach.

“Running into the weekend like 🌊,” reads the rest of the caption.

The post comes after Markle recently faced backlash for sharing a 2021 video of her and her husband awkwardly dropping it low as she prepared to give birth to their daughter, Princess Lilibet.

In the clip, the “Suits” alum, 43, danced to the viral “Baby Momma Dance Song” while holding her still pregnant belly in the hospital room.

The prince, 40, was seen in the video busting a groove alongside his wife as the song sang, “Drop it down, drop it down down low.”

The couple, who tied the knot in 2018, continued to shake it until the video ended.

“Both of our children were a week past their due dates… so when spicy food, all that walking, and acupuncture didn’t work – there was only one thing left to do! 😂,” she captioned the post.

The seemingly “relatable” video apparently did not go over well with some of the former royal family member’s followers as some called it a “cringe” moment in the comments.

“Make it stop. #Cringe,” one person wrote on X, while another described the clip as “fake and cringe.”

A third person said, “Everything they do to be ‘relatable’ is weirdly not relatable. It’s bizarre how they never miss.”

Source: https://pagesix.com/2025/06/07/celebrity-news/meghan-markle-says-she-looks-forward-to-all-the-good-to-come-after-being-mocked-for-cringe-dance-video/

The motive behind the attack remains unknown

A WOMAN has been shot dead by armed cops after attacking people with a knife in a square used for Oktoberfest.

The perpetrator, 30, reportedly stabbed a 56-year-old man before then attacking a 25-year-old woman in Theresienwiese, Munich.

A police car secures the areaCredit: ReutersCops shot the woman – who is said to be Bulgarian – with a service weapon on the corner of St Pauls Square and Bavariang.

She died in the hospital after undergoing emergency surgery, Bild reports.

The area currently remains cordoned off to the public with armed cops alongside Munich’s Criminal Investigation Department at the scene.

Sniffer dogs are also on the hunt for any clues while bandages were harrowingly seen on the ground at the Oktoberfest site.

The motive behind the attack remains unknown.

Joachim Herrman, Bavaria’s Interior Minister, told Bild: “I am very grateful to the Munich police for their swift intervention and stopping the knife attacker.

“Her death is regrettable, but unfortunately, it was probably unavoidable.”

According to cops, the victims suffered “minor injuries”.

Munich Police said in a statement: “On Saturday, June 7, 2025, the Munich police were notified at around 7:45 p.m that a woman had injured a person with a knife in the Theresienwiese area.

“According to current information, she injured a 56-year-old man with a knife in the Westendstraße area. Shortly thereafter, she also injured a 25-year-old woman with a knife near Schwanthaler Höhe.

“When the perpetrator was encountered by officers in the Bavariaring area at St Pauls-Platz and was about to be arrested, police used firearms.

“The woman was injured and subsequently taken to a hospital. She died there shortly thereafter. The woman was a 30-year-old resident of Munich.

“The further investigation was taken over on site by Police Department 11.

“Regarding the police use of firearms, the investigation is being conducted by the Bavarian State Criminal Police Office.

“Further verified information cannot be provided at this time, as the necessary investigations are currently underway by the Criminal Investigation Department.”

Just a few hours prior, at least five people were injured after a car ploughed into a crowd in Germany.

A five-year-old girl is understood to be among the wounded after the horror crash in Passau.

The driver’s wife, 38, was also hurt, according to Bild.

It is unclear if the driver intentionally drove into the crowd, according to reports.

Three people were seriously injured, according to a police spokesperson.

The incident occurred around 3.30pm near the main train station in the Bavarian city.

“At this time, it cannot be ruled out that the man deliberately drove the vehicle into the group of people,” police told local media.

The driver was reported to be a 48-year-old man.

Source: https://www.the-sun.com/news/14424031/woman-shot-dead-cops-knife-attack/

US President Donald Trump is deploying 2,000 National Guard troops in Los Angeles after a second day of protests following ICE immigration raids. DW has more.

The White House’s move to dramatically ratchet up the response came as protests in Los Angeles eas protesters faced off with law enforcement personnelImage: Daniel Cole/REUTERSWhite House slams LA ‘insurrectionists’ as protests grow over immigration raids
US Vice President JD Vance labeled protesters who confronted immigration agents during raids of local businesses “insurrectionists.”

“Insurrectionists carrying foreign flags are attacking immigration enforcement officers, while one-half of America’s political leadership has decided that border enforcement is evil,” Vance wrote on X.

Another top White House official, Stephen Miller, described the protest against the federal immigration raids as an “insurrection” against the United States.

“An insurrection against the laws and sovereignty of the United States,” Miller, an immigration hardliner and White House deputy chief of staff, wrote on X.

The Trump administration has not invoked the Insurrection Act, two US officials told the Reuters news agency on condition of anonymity.

Marines could be sent to LA if violence continues — Hegseth
The US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth has warned that the Pentagon is prepared to send active duty Marines to Los Angeles, where there have been violent clashes between protesters and security forces.

The unrest began on Friday after at least 44 migrants were detained in multiple Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) raids in the city.

Hegseth’s announcement that US Marines could be deployed came shortly after the White House said it was sending 2,000 National Guard troops to LA in response to the violence.

Marines are considered to be among the best trained and most elite in the US Armed Forces. They are known for amphibious landings and unconventional warfare in overseas operations.

“And, if violence continues, active duty Marines at Camp Pendleton will also be mobilized — they are on high alert,” Hegseth said on X.

Source: https://www.dw.com/en/trump-to-send-national-guard-troops-to-quell-la-protests/live-72832870

Abrego Garcia faces smuggling charges his lawyer calls “fantastical,” in a case reflecting tensions between the Trump administration and the courts.

Kilmar Abrego Garcia’s deportation was described by the Trump administration as ‘an administrative error’Image: Alex Wong/GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA/AFP/Getty ImagesDeported in error by President Donald Trump’s administration, Kilmar Abrego Garcia is back in the United States to stand trial on smuggling charges.

He appeared in federal court in Nashville on Friday evening.

The indictment was filed on May 21, US Attorney General Pam Bondi confirmed at a press conference, over two months after Abrego Garcia had been deported to El Salvador.

Garcia’s deportation in March sparked protests in the US amid anger over the Trump administration’s aggressive approach to tackling undocumented migrants in the country.

The US Supreme Court in April ordered Trump to facilitate the 29-year-old’s return after Washington admitted to an “administrative error” that led to his deportation.

Abrego Garcia’s lawyer call case ‘baseless’
After Abrego Garcia had been deported to El Salvador, the White House continued to insist that he was a member of the international criminal gang MS-13 and refused to facilitate his return, until now.

According to the indictment, Abrego Garcia was involved in smuggling undocumented migrants from Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras and other countries into the United States between 2016 and earlier this year.

On Friday, Attorney General Bondi alleged that Abrego Garcia had “played a significant role in an alien smuggling ring” and was a smuggler of “children and women” as well as members of the Salvadoran gang MS-13.

His arraignment is set for June 13, when he will enter a plea, according to local media reports. Until then, he will remain in federal custody.

“The man has a horrible past, and I could see a decision being made, bring him back, show everybody how horrible this guy is,” Trump told reporters on Friday.

Simon Sandoval-Moshenberg, Abrego Garcia’s lawyer, called the criminal charges “fantastical” and a “kitchen sink” of allegations.

“This is all based on the statements of individuals who are currently either facing prosecution or in federal prison,” he said. “I want to know what they offered those people.”

He added the Trump administration had returned him to the US “not to correct their error but to prosecute him.”

“Due process means the chance to defend yourself before you’re punished, not after,” Sandoval-Moshenberg said. “This is an abuse of power, not justice.”

Bondi said if convicted, Abrego Garcia would be deported to El Salvador after completing his sentence in the US.

Tensions between the Trump administration and the judiciary
Abrego Garcia entered the US without permission around 2011 while fleeing gang violence in El Salvador.

He and his wife, a US citizen, are raising three children.

His case has become a symbol of escalating tensions between the Trump administration and the judiciary.

He was deported to his home country amid a Trump administration crackdown on migration despite a 2019 judge’s order that granted him protection from deportation.

He was deported in March and held at the Cecot mega-prison in El Salvador, known for its brutal conditions.

“There was a lot of pressure on the US and US President Donald Trump to bring this man back…if he is [convicted], they will say they ‘we were right in the first place to deport him,'” DW’s US correspondent Benjamin Alvarez Gruber said.

Source: https://www.dw.com/en/kilmar-abrego-garcia-returned-to-us-to-face-charges/a-72828232

Donald Trump ordered 2,000 National Guard troops to the streets of Los Angeles on Saturday (Jun 7) in what the White House said was an effort to quell “lawlessness”, after sometimes-violent protests erupted over immigration enforcement raids.

The US president took federal control of California’s state military to push soldiers into the country’s second-biggest city, where they could face off against demonstrators. It is a rare move that Governor Gavin Newsom said was “purposefully inflammatory”.

The development came after two days of confrontations that had seen federal agents shoot flash-bang grenades and tear gas towards crowds angry at the arrests of dozens of migrants in a city with a large Latino population.

Footage showed a car that had been set alight at a busy intersection, while in a video circulating on social media a man in a motorbike helmet can be seen throwing rocks at speeding federal vehicles.

Protestors could be seen jeering at agents and filming them on their phones.

In other scenes, demonstrators threw fireworks at lines of local law enforcement who had been called in to try to keep the peace.

“President Trump has signed a Presidential Memorandum deploying 2,000 National Guardsmen to address the lawlessness that has been allowed to fester,” White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said late Saturday, blaming what she called California’s “feckless” Democratic leaders.

“The Trump Administration has a zero tolerance policy for criminal behavior and violence, especially when that violence is aimed at law enforcement officers trying to do their jobs.”

The National Guard – a reserve military – is frequently used in natural disasters, like in the aftermath of the LA fires, and rarely in instances of civil unrest. It was deployed in Los Angeles after the 2020 killing of George Floyd.

Newsom, a frequent foil for Trump and a long-time foe of the Republican, took to social media to decry Saturday’s White House order.

“That move is purposefully inflammatory and will only escalate tensions,” he wrote on X, formerly Twitter.

“LA authorities are able to access law enforcement assistance at a moment’s notice. We are in close coordination with the city and county, and there is currently no unmet need.

“This is the wrong mission and will erode public trust.”

Trump’s Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth threatened to ramp up tensions further, warning that nearby regular military forces could get involved.

“If violence continues, active duty Marines at Camp Pendleton will also be mobilised – they are on high alert,” he wrote on social media.

Since taking office in January, Republican Trump has delivered on a promise to crack down hard on the entry and presence of undocumented migrants – who he has likened to “monsters” and “animals”.

Saturday’s standoff took place in the suburb of Paramount, where demonstrators converged on a reported federal facility, which the local mayor said was being used as a staging post by agents.

On Friday, masked and armed immigration agents carried out high-profile workplace raids in separate parts of Los Angeles, attracting angry crowds and setting off hours-long standoffs.

Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass acknowledged that some city residents were “feeling fear” following the federal immigration enforcement actions.

“Everyone has the right to peacefully protest, but let me be clear: violence and destruction are unacceptable, and those responsible will be held accountable,” she said on X.

Source: https://www.channelnewsasia.com/world/trump-deploys-national-guard-over-la-immigration-protests-5170231

Gaza’s civil defence agency said Saturday (Jun 7) that Israeli forces had killed at least 36 Palestinians, six of them in a shooting near a US-backed aid distribution centre.

The Israeli military told AFP that troops had fired “warning shots” at individuals it said were “advancing in a way that endangered the troops”.

The shooting deaths were the latest reported near the aid centre run by the Gaza Humanitarian Fund (GHF) in the southern district of Rafah, and came after it resumed distributions following a brief suspension in the wake of similar deaths earlier this week.

Meanwhile, an aid boat with 12 activists on board, including Swedish climate campaigner Greta Thunberg, was nearing Gaza in a bid to highlight the plight of Palestinians in the face of an Israeli blockade that has only been partially eased.

Civil defence spokesman Mahmud Bassal told AFP that at around 7:00 am (0400 GMT), “six people were killed and several others wounded by the forces of the Israeli occupation near the Al-Alam roundabout”, where they had gathered to seek humanitarian aid from the distribution centre around a kilometre away.

AFP is unable to independently verify the tolls compiled by the civil defence agency or the circumstances of the deaths it reports.

Samir Abu Hadid, who was there early Saturday, told AFP that thousands of people had gathered near the roundabout.

“As soon as some people tried to advance towards the aid centre, the Israeli occupation forces opened fire from armoured vehicles stationed near the centre, firing into the air and then at civilians,” Abu Hadid said.

The GHF said in a statement it had not distributed aid on Saturday because of “direct threats” from Hamas.

Later Saturday, the Israeli army said an operation in Gaza City resulted in the killing of Asaad Abu Sharia, reportedly head of the Mujahideen Brigades.

The armed group is close to Hamas ally Islamic Jihad that Israel has also accused over deaths of hostages seized from Kibbutz Nir Oz near the border.

The army said he had taken part in the bloody attack on Nir Oz when Hamas launched its October 7, 2023 attack on Israel.

It said he was “directly implicated” in the killings of Shiri, Ariel and Kfir Bibas, a family who became a symbol of seized hostages for many in Israel.

ACTIVIST BOATS NEAR GAZA
The GHF, officially a private effort with opaque funding, began operations in late May as Israel partially eased a more than two-month-long aid blockade.

UN agencies and major aid groups have declined to work with it, citing concerns it serves Israeli military goals.

On Saturday, the health ministry in Hamas-run Gaza said that the overall toll for the Gaza war had reached 54,772, the majority civilians. The UN considers these figures reliable.

The war was sparked by Hamas’s October 2023 attack on Israel, which resulted in the deaths of 1,218 people on the Israeli side, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally of official figures.

Israel has come under increasing international criticism over the dire humanitarian situation in Gaza, where the UN warned in May that the entire population was at risk of famine.

The aid boat Madleen, organised by an international activist coalition, was sailing towards Gaza on Saturday, aiming to breach Israel’s naval blockade and deliver aid to the territory, organisers said.

“We are now sailing off the Egyptian coast,” German human rights activist Yasemin Acar told AFP, saying they expected to reach Gaza by Monday.

The Palestinian territory was under Israeli naval blockade even before Hamas’s October 2023 attack and the Israeli military has made clear it intends to enforce it.

A 2010 commando raid on the Turkish ship Mavi Marmara, which was part of a similar attempt to breach Israel’s naval blockade, left 10 civilians dead.

Source: https://www.channelnewsasia.com/world/gaza-rescuers-say-israeli-fire-kills-36-six-near-aid-centre-5170221

The photo of her kid’s name etched into the woodwork is super cute

KYLIE Jenner’s mega-mansion construction project has been revealed in new aerial photos.

Nestled in Los Angeles’ exclusive Hidden Hills neighborhood, it has been under construction for five years, and is still unfinished.

Kylie, 27, who currently lives in a $36 million mansion in the same area, originally purchased the exclusive land once owned by Miley Cyrus for $15 million in 2020.

New pictures of the beauty mogul’s fortress show the multi-acre piece of land is coming along – but there’s still more to be done..

The Hidden Hills mansion is surrounded by green trees and a tall fence to upkeep privacy – you can even see what might be her vineyards in the background.

Recently, in rare images of the construction, Kylie revealed a cute photo of her kid’s Stormi’s name written in green pen alongside a heart.

There is also a sweet image which states: “We love you Kylie. You was here.”

On top of the $15 million spent on the land, Kylie, 27, has poured millions of dollars more into the estate’s construction.

The finished property will feature an underground 12-car garage and a bunker, perhaps to protect Kylie and her kids Stormi, seven, and Aire, three, in case of emergency.

According to reports, the mansion will also feature 15 bedrooms, a sports court and a big swimming pool.

The private property will be surrounded by a large fence and lush green trees and also have a vineyard.

When completed, the home will reportedly be at least twice the size of sister Kim Kardashian’s $60 million mansion in the same neighborhood.

Kylie’s real estate portfolio also includes a $13.5 million mansion in Beverly Hills, which she shares with ex Travis Scott.

She also dropped $3.25 million on a Palm Springs plot, where she plans to build a vacation home.

Kylie also lives part-time in boyfriend Timothee Chalamet’s hometown New York City, though it is unclear if she owns her own apartment in the area.

When construction began on Kylie’s new home, L.A. realtor Tony Mariotti, CEO of RubyHome Luxury Real Estate, told The U.S. Sun that building her home is as intricate as building a hotel.

“They are bigger. I know that’s obvious, but bigger homes just take longer,” Tony said.

“For example, that foundation, with the subterranean garage is some serious business. Not only is it huge, but it is way more complex than a typical foundation.”

He added: “If you run out of something or have difficulty with the materials, that’ll cause a delay.

“They’ve got multiple sub-contractors coming and going, doing all sorts of work, all of which is going to be custom and detailed.

“Laying the stone or carpet in that house could take weeks instead of days.

“The city inspections that happen along the way will take longer.

“If the builders violate or overlook any building codes, it’ll take days or weeks to straighten things out.

“This is a project on the scale of a large restaurant or small hotel.”

Kylie’s new home isn’t the first time the media personality has had a home in Hidden Hills.

In 2016, Kylie purchased a $12 million home in Hidden Hills and according to the Daily Mail, she still has the home.

Source: https://www.the-sun.com/entertainment/14417853/kylie-jenners-mansion-construction-project-revealed-new-aerial-photos/

Why the disgraced music mogul might be better off not accpeting the pardon

SEAN ‘Diddy’ Combs would be a free man within days if Donald Trump decides to pardon him but it would not bode well for his future, a lawyer has warned.

Trump surprised reporters by commenting on Diddy’s court case during a news conference with Elon Musk last week and revealed he would consider whether the rapper’s been “mistreated.”

Combs has been pictured with the President at several events over the years but they had not been in contact leading up to his arrest for alleged sex trafficking and racketeering.

Asked if he would consider pardoning him, Trump said, “Nobody’s asked. But I know people are thinking about it. I think some people have been very close to asking.”

He said he felt the former music mogul used to like him “a lot” but wasn’t his biggest fan after he went into politics.

Despite this, Trump said, “I would certainly look at the facts. If I think somebody was mistreated, whether they like me or don’t like me, it wouldn’t have any impact on me.”

The U.S. Sun spoke to Los Angeles-based trial attorney Tre Lovell for his opinion on a possible pardon and how that would play out.

He said, “The pardoning power is one of the ultimate powers of the President. It’s virtually unchecked, and he can do it.

“He doesn’t even have to wait for the conviction. He can do it at any time after somebody’s charged, even after the crime occurs.

“So the second that President Trump determines that he’s gonna pardon him [Diddy]. It happens immediately.

QUICK RELEASE
“They basically sign the pardon, it would be sent to Diddy, and assuming he accepted, which obviously he would, then that’s that.”

Lovell said if he had already been convicted there would be an administrative process through the Federal Bureau of Prisons to arrange his release and transportation but it wouldn’t be long before he was out.

“There may be a few hours, maybe one or two days sometimes that they can take time just because of the bureaucracy,” he said.

Combs, 55, is currently on trial in New York after pleading not guilty to five counts of sex trafficking, racketeering conspiracy, and transportation to engage in prostitution.

He is facing up to life in prison if convicted.

The jury has heard from several witnesses in the case so far, including Combs’ ex-girlfriend, Cassie Ventura, after a damning video emerged of him beating her during their relationship.

He said it wouldn’t make sense for Trump to pardon him halfway into the prosecution’s case when the jury hasn’t yet heard all of the facts, adding that it would be “premature” to act now.

“I was very surprised that Trump is considering pardoning Diddy, especially in light of the fact the trial is ongoing now,” he said.

“We are hearing witness after witness after witness testify to some horrible things.

“It would be a slap in the face to the witnesses, to the victims, to a lot of people to just pardon him, you know.

People will think he got a free ride and beat the system.”

Attorney Tre Lovell on a possible pardon for Diddy
“It would seem that he would want to wait until the trial is over, and if there’s not a conviction then there’s no need for him to get involved.”

He went on to say, “There’s one thing that Americans stand for … it’s accountability, and if he were pardoned in light of what’s been happening, these allegations and this testimony, there would be a sense of loss and lack of accountability.

“And so I don’t know how that would sit with most Americans with respect to President Trump.”

But Lovell said he doesn’t think anybody would be surprised if Trump pardoned Diddy.

“He’s pardoned a lot of people that people take umbrage [with]. And he’s not worried about a re-election, so I don’t really think it would affect him.

“He may have some more detractors, but I don’t think he really cares, and his conduct thus far shows he’s going to do what he wants to do.”

Lovell feels if Diddy is acquitted it would be a sense of victory and it would be easier to acclimate to society because he will have been vindicated in court.

However, if he’s convicted and pardoned by Trump it would have more of a negative impact on him.

“It’ll be a little tougher because people will think he got a free ride and beat the system,” he said.

But regardless, Lovell feels “Diddy’s reputation has been irreparably harmed” and he will never be the billionaire music mogul he was once admired by millions.

Source: https://www.the-sun.com/entertainment/14390575/diddy-would-be-free-in-days-trump-pardon/

Dead as the Trump-Musk bromance plainly is, neither man — nor the American people, heck even the world as a whole — would benefit from a disruption in federal contracts for at least two Musk companies: Starlink and, especially, SpaceX.

It looked to be headed that way at one point in Thursday’s post-war, with President Trump’s Truth Social blast saying one way to save billions is “to terminate Elon’s Governmental Subsidies and Contracts,” prompting a later Musk tweet about SpaceX “decommissioning its Dragon spacecraft immediately.”

Credit banker Bill Ackman for weighing in on X with a call for the two to “make peace for the benefit of our great country.

Tesla and SpaceX Chief Executive Officer Elon Musk speaks at the SATELLITE Conference and Exhibition in Washington, March 9, 2020.
APWe are much stronger together than apart” — which brought a terse “You’re not wrong” reply from Musk, followed by general radio silence.

Trump has also cooled down, pointedly shrugging off the feud as he chatted with Post reporters Friday.

Which suggests he won’t be taking Steve Bannon’s insane advice to try to deport Musk and have Uncle Sam seize SpaceX.

The Crew Dragon is now the primary vehicle for US astronauts heading to orbit; the Cargo Dragon is now key to supplying the International Space Station.

And SpaceX’s reusable, super-heavy-lift Starship holds huge promise for both public- and private-sector ambitions in space.

And no better alternatives are on the near horizon, though we certainly root for vigorous private-sector competition to keep cutting costs and extending humanity’s off-planet footprint.

Source: https://nypost.com/2025/06/06/opinion/dont-let-the-trump-musk-breakup-harm-kids-nasa-and-spacex/

Congress’ dithering over President Trump’s “Big Beautiful Bill” has the potential to make life difficult in the coming months — by possibly spiking interest rates, On The Money has learned.

Most Americans don’t appreciate all the ways our elected officials have saddled them with trillions upon trillions of dollars in debt.

The national debt stands at around $36 trillion, and needs to go higher to pay for all the stuff the House didn’t cut in passing the buck to the Senate.

Until Congress crafts a budget and amends that annoying law known as the debt ceiling, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent has been tapping something known as the Treasury General Account.

The account, known on Wall Street bond trading desks as the “TGA,” is needed to pay short-term bills and acts like a rainy-day fund. It’s like your checking account, except hundreds of billions of dollars larger.

However, it’s massively underfunded and in need of cash (aka more borrowing) so the government can keep the lights on — which could mean a nasty spike in interest rates sometime this summer when the selling begins since higher yields will be needed to attract more buyers, according to the smart Wall Street folks at the Bear Traps Report.

Bessent has been toying with ways to get banks to hold more treasuries as part of the capital cushion. Foreign buyers are needed, but Trump’s trade war makes it difficult to get saving nations like China and Japan to once again come to our rescue.

“The longer it takes for Congress to pass the bill and raise the ceiling, the more Bessent depletes the government’s checking account, and therefore the more money he has to raise once the ceiling is lifted,” Bear Traps analyst Robbert Van Batenburg tells me.

Biden Treasury Secretary Janet “Yellen in the 2023 debt ceiling crisis drove this checking account down to less than $50 billion, forcing her to raise a whopping $800 billion in the summer of 2023.”

To be sure, the dangerous TGA drawdown comes from overspending, but also from how spending works via the debt ceiling law. The ceiling is supposed to apply the brakes on borrowing so future generations don’t have to pay for government largesse we consume today.

Given our addiction to big government and debt to finance it, the ceiling is a misnomer — it’s constantly flouted and amended higher, though the politics of raising it often gets messy.

Source: https://nypost.com/2025/06/06/business/stalled-beautiful-bill-drains-nations-rainy-day-fund/

Trump also said that Chinese President Xi Jinping had agreed to restart the flow of rare earth minerals and magnets to the US.

Shipping containers are seen at the port of Oakland, as trade tensions continued over US tariffs with China, in Oakland, California, May 12, 2025. (Photo: REUTERS/Carlos Barria)Three of President Donald Trump’s top aides will face their Chinese counterparts in London on Monday (Jun 9) for talks to resolve a trade dispute between the world’s two largest economies that has kept global markets on edge.

US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick and Trade Representative Jamieson Greer will represent Washington in the talks, said Trump, who announced the talks in a post on his Truth Social platform but provided no more details.

It was not immediately clear who would represent China. The Chinese embassy in Washington did not immediately respond to a request for comment. The White House did not immediately respond to a request for more details.

“The meeting should go very well,” Trump wrote.

Trump also said on Friday that Chinese President Xi Jinping had agreed to restart the flow of rare earth minerals and magnets to the US.

Asked directly by a reporter aboard Air Force One whether Xi had agreed to do so, Trump replied: “Yes, he did.”

He added: “We’re very far advanced on the China deal.

The scheduling of the meeting comes a day after Trump spoke to Chinese President Xi Jinping in a rare leader-to-leader call amid weeks of brewing trade tensions and a battle over critical minerals.

Trump and Xi agreed to visit one another and asked their staffs to hold talks in the meantime.

Both countries are under pressure to relieve tensions, with the global economy under pressure over Chinese control over the rare earth mineral exports of which it is the dominant producer and investors more broadly anxious about Trump’s wider effort to impose tariffs on goods from most US trading partners.

China, meanwhile, has seen its own supply of key US imports like chip-design software and nuclear plant parts curtailed. The countries struck a 90-day deal on May 12 in Geneva to roll back some of the triple-digit, tit-for-tat tariffs they had placed on each other since Trump’s January inauguration.

That preliminary deal sparked a global relief rally in stock markets, and US indexes that had been in or near bear market levels have recouped the lion’s share of their losses.

The S&P 500 stock index, which at its lowest point in early April was down nearly 18 percent after Trump unveiled his sweeping “Liberation Day” tariffs on goods from across the globe, is now only about 2 percent below its record high from mid-February. The final third of that rally followed the US-China truce struck in Geneva.

Still, that temporary deal did not address broader concerns that strain the bilateral relationship, from the illicit fentanyl trade to the status of democratically governed Taiwan and US complaints about China’s state-dominated, export-driven economic model.

Since returning to the White House in January, Trump has repeatedly threatened an array of punitive measures on trading partners, only to revoke some of them at the last minute. The on-again, off-again approach has baffled world leaders and spooked business executives.

Source: https://www.channelnewsasia.com/world/us-china-hold-trade-talks-jun-9-london-trump-says-5169571

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has acknowledged that Israel is supporting an armed group in Gaza that opposes Hamas. Meanwhile, four Israeli soldiers died in what the media reported was a Gaza blast.

Palestinians have marked the Muslim Eid al-Adha amid severe destruction and a dire humanitarian crisisImage: Abdel Kareem Hana/AP Photo/picture allianceIsrael faces shortage of over 10,000 soldiers, says army
The Israeli army is short of more than 10,000 troops, including around 6,000 for combat units, its spokesperson has said, nearly 20 months into the war with the Palestinian Islamist group Hamas.

“This is a real operational need, and that is why we are taking all necessary measures,” army spokesperson Effie Defrin told a Friday press briefing via video from the Gaza Strip.

Defrin was responding to a question about the recruitment of ultra-Orthodox Jews, who had been exempt from military service for decades. Israel’s Supreme Court ruled in June last year that the country’s compulsory military service system should apply to ultra-Orthodox men, in a highly controversial decision.

Four Israeli soldiers reportedly killed in Gaza blast
Four Israeli soldiers have been killed and five others injured during an operation in the southern Gaza Strip, the Israeli military says.

The incident took place in the city of Khan Younis. According to consistent reports from Israeli media, the soldiers were inside a building that had been rigged with explosives.

The device detonated, causing the building to collapse.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu extended his condolences “to the families of our four fallen heroes in Gaza in the fight to defeat Hamas and bring back our hostages.”

The deaths bring the number of Israeli soldiers killed since the start of the ground offensive in Gaza to 429, as per a tally by the French AFP news agency.

Netanyahu admits Israel backed Gaza clan opposed to Hamas
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has acknowledged that Israel is supporting an armed group in Gaza that opposes Hamas, following claims by a former defense minister that weapons were supplied to the faction.

Israeli and Palestinian media have identified the group as part of a local Bedouin tribe led by Yasser Abu Shabab. The European Council on Foreign Relations (ECFR) describes him as heading a “criminal gang operating in the Rafah area that is widely accused of looting aid trucks.”

Former defense minister and Knesset member Avigdor Lieberman told public broadcaster Kan that Israel, under Netanyahu’s orders, had been “giving weapons to a group of criminals and felons.”

Netanyahu confirmed the collaboration in a video posted online Thursday, saying: “What did Lieberman leak? That security sources activated a clan in Gaza that opposes Hamas? What is bad about that? It is only good, it is saving [the] lives of Israeli soldiers.”

Source: https://www.dw.com/en/netanyahu-admits-israel-backed-anti-hamas-gaza-clan/live-72810185

The UK has joined other European countries in endorsing Morocco’s position in the Western Sahara conflict. Algeria and the independence-seeking Polisario are losing out.

The UK changed its stance and supports Morocco’s claim on the disputed Western Sahara regionImage: Bernat Armangue/AP Photo/picture allianceThe UK has repositioned its stance in the Western Sahara conflict. According to British Foreign Secretary David Lammy, the Moroccan autonomy plan represents the “most credible” position.

The proposal, which dates back to 2007, is the “most viable and pragmatic basis for a lasting resolution of the dispute,” Lammy said in Morocco’s capital Rabat earlier this week.

These words mark a turnaround from London’s previous support for the UN’s decades-long call for a referendum to determine the future of what it classifies as a ‘non-self-governing territory’. The new position is in line with that of a number of other, predominantly Western countries.

Moroccan Foreign Minister Nasser Bourita welcomed the change of course. According to media reports, the new British position “contributes significantly” to promoting the UN’s path to a “final and mutually acceptable solution”.

In its plan, Morocco outlines an allegedly far-reaching autonomy for the Western Sahara albeit under Moroccan sovereignty.

The change of position is likely to anger Morocco’s regional rival Algeria, which backs the Polisario Front, a movement seeking an independent West Saharan state. In a statement on Sunday, Algeria said Morocco’s proposal was “empty of content and incapable of contributing to a serious and credible settlement of the conflict.”

UK is ‘showing flexibility’
“The British position nevertheless leaves a door open,” Isabelle Werenfels, Maghreb observer at the Berlin-based German Institute for International and Security Affairs, told DW.

“When Foreign Minister Lammy describes the Moroccan proposal as the ‘most credible solution,’ he is not saying that it is the only solution,” Werenfels said. “Unlike France, the UK is holding back in its positioning and is showing flexibility.”

Last summer, French President Emmanuel Macron had called the Moroccan proposal the “only basis” for resolving the conflict.

In doing so, he massively angered Algeria , which is advocating for a complete independence of Western Sahara. Since then, French-Algerian relations have been strained. The move is all the more serious as France is a permanent member of the UN Security Council, political scientist Hasni Abidi from the Geneva-based think tank CERNAM told DW a few weeks ago.

During his first term in office from 2017 to 2021, US President Donald Trump recognized Morocco’s sovereignty over the Western Sahara. This decision ignored the UN’s position on the territory, and paved the way for other countries to follow suit. The recognition also paid tribute to Morocco’s willingness to establish diplomatic relations with Israel.

Then in 2022, Spain, too, started backing the Moroccan autonomy plan, but it’s trying to do so in a similarly balanced manner to the UK.

Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez describes the plan as the “most serious, realistic and credible basis.”

The UK on the other hand is also trying to be diplomatically considerate with regard to the UN, says expert Werenfels.

“London continues to emphasize the relevance of the UN-led political process,” she told DW.

The UN has long been proposing a referendum in which the inhabitants of the region should vote on whether they want to be part of Morocco or independent.

Highly coveted region
Up until 1976, Western Sahara was a Spanish colony. However, when Spain began to vacate its positions, Morocco had already occupied first the northern, then the southern part of Western Sahara.

The Polisario movement, founded in 1973, sees itself as the representative of the Sahrawi people traditionally living in Western Sahara. The movement has been fighting for the independence of Western Sahara with the support of Algeria.

In 1976, it proclaimed the Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic in the interior of the territory, which is recognized by 44 countries. Shortly afterwards, armed clashes with Morocco’s army began. Almost 50 years later, Morocco’s de facto rule over Western Sahara has not yet been recognized under international law.

Western Sahara is a coveted territory due to its mineral resources. Its phosphate deposits are estimated to be the largest in the world.

Since the 2000s, Morocco has been investing in hotels, beach resorts and leisure facilities to attract tourists, particularly around the city of Dakhla in south-western Western Sahara. An airport has also been in operation there since 1993.

Morocco’s rising clout
The British step could be considered another sign of Morocco’s growing global significance.

For Spain, the main issue is migration, Werenfels says. Refugees have repeatedly attempted to enter Spain and the EU irregularly via the Spanish enclaves of Ceuta and Melilla, located on Morocco’s northern coast. For some time now, Morocco has been tightening its border controls on the two enclaves. According to Werenfels, Spain’s support for Morocco’s position on Western Sahara may well be due to that.

The UK, on the other hand, is likely to have economic interests above all, Werenfels said.

“In 2024, [the UK and Morocco] expanded their trade relations enormously,” she added. According to a report by the Moroccan state press agency MAP, London is said to consider “supporting projects in the Sahara.”

In general, Morocco is becoming increasingly successful as gateway to Africa, Werenfels states. It is also becoming more and more attractive as a production location.

Source: https://www.dw.com/en/new-uk-support-boosts-moroccos-claim-on-western-sahara/a-72817371

Terrified parents scrambled to break their fall after watching them plunging from the inflatable

THIS is the terrifying moment a freak wind blew a bouncy castle 40ft into the air sending children plunging to the ground.

The shocking footage shows children falling from the inflatable as onlookers scream in horror.

The incident happened when an unexpected gust blew the castle into the sky at a fundraising day at a school in South Africa.

Instead of dropping back down to earth, the video shows the inflatable continuing to spiral upwards over Laerskool Protearif primary at Krugersdorp.

But the most heart-stopping moment comes when two kids fall off the floating castle.

Terrified parents scramble to break their fall as they drop from the inflatable, no longer able to cling on.

While the onlookers managed to form a human crash mat, the two kids are still reported to have been seriously injured.

One of the children is understood to have suffered a fractured skull, and the other a broken arm.

The bouncy castle later landed around 50ft from where it took off.

It is not known if any other children were on it at the time of the incident.

A statement on the school’s Facebook page confirmed that two kids had been taken to hospital following the incident.

The fundraising event was attended by more than 1,000 parents, pupils and friends last Saturday.

The school’s statement reads: “It is with great gratitude that we are happy to share the very good news with you.

“The two children who sustained injuries during the fracture accident at the Protea festival on Saturday were discharged from hospital on 31/5 and 3/6 respectively.

“The necessary trauma-counselling was given to both children, as well as to their co-learners, who experienced the event and thank you all for standing together.

“We thank you very much for everyone’s positive support, help and prayers.”

The school, which has 620 pupils aged 6 to 13, previously hit headlines in 2017 when a tornado blew off its roof and destroyed its buildings.

An eyewitness of the bouncy castle takeoff said: “When they fell I thought they were dead.

“I was watching from a food stall with my girls when I heard screaming and turned around and just saw this blue, green and red thing shooting up to the heavens.

“Then there was a huge scream when first one child and then another fell out but of all the places they could have landed it was right over a group of parents below.

“They reached up their arms to try to catch the falling children and undoubtedly saved their lives or saved them from much worse injuries by cushioning them.

“It was not a very windy day but it seemed this huge gust just came from nowhere and it was said the bouncy castle had not been secured to the ground.”

It is unclear from the footage if the bouncy castle had been securely tethered ahead of the incident.

Melissa Vere Russel of ABC Jumping Castles, which was not the company used, said: “In high gusts a bouncy castle can act like a parachute and the wind can carry it away.

“All castles are manufactured with mechanisms to secure them to the ground and failing to anchor them properly could end in disaster and could be fatal.”

It comes after an Australian bouncy castle operator was found not guilty of failing to comply with safety laws after the tragic death of six children in Tasmania when strong winds blew an inflatable into the air.

The horror incident happened in 2021 when a bouncy castle was blown three feet into the air and landed in a tree 160ft away.

Six children died and three others were seriously injured.

But owner of operator Taz-Zorb Rosemary Gamble was cleared of breaching work safety laws after the tragedy was ruled to be “due to an unprecedented weather system that was impossible to predict and avoid”.

Angry parents reportedly shouted at the bouncy castle owner after the verdict.

Gamble’s lawyer read a statement on her behalf, saying: “I never meant for something like this to happen. And I am just so sorry that it did.

Source: https://www.the-sun.com/news/14411386/bouncy-castle-takes-off-freak-wind/

If the missile used is what Russia believes it is then it would be seen as ‘unprecedented escalation’ in the conflict

VLADIMIR Putin has been left shell-shocked by a brand new mystery missile he claims Ukraine attacked him with overnight.

A massive strike ripped through an airport in Bryansk and reportedly destroyed a placement of Putin’s Iskander missile system.

Thursday saw one of the most explosive evenings of fighting for some time during the gruelling war.

The night of hell saw Putin exact revenge for Ukraine’s stunning Operation Spiderweb drone blitz last weekend.

The Russia tyrant hammered Ukraine with 407 drones and 44 missiles – unleashing a deadly wave of strikes that killed three and injured dozens.

But a valiant Ukraine hit back with their own set of attacks.

Dramatic footage shows one explosion, believed to be from the mystery weapon, followed by a powerful secondary blast.

A follow up attack also took out a launcher for the Iskander a day earlier, Ukraine claimed.

But the blasts were something never been seen before by the quaking Russians during their illegal invasion.

This led to speculation on pro-Kremlin media channels that Ukraine may have fired a powerful German-supplied Taurus missile.

Putin-loyalists Tsargrad said on Telegram: “Did the first Taurus strike Russia?

“Unprecedented escalation in Bryansk and destruction of Iskander missiles.”

As channel MIG Russia claimed the pinpoint Bryansk strike was carried out with Western-made long-range missiles.

If it was a Taurus, it would mark the first ever time it has been used by Kyiv.

The Russians would also view it as an “unprecedented escalation” in the conflict due to the damage the weapon can cause.

Discourse around German weapons has ramped up in the parts 24 hours ever since Chancellor Friedrich Merz met in the Oval Office with Donald Trump.

German sources have had to deny that any agreement had been reached during the talks to send supplies of long-range Taurus’ to Ukraine.

Merz had announced at the end of May that Ukraine’s key backers – including Germany, France, the UK and the US – had all lifted restrictions on where donated weapons can be used.

And the announcement could even mean that Britain’s state-of-the-art Storm Shadow missiles could soon be used by Ukraine.

Britain’s bunker-busting Storm Shadow rockets are a nightmare for enemies as they are capable of dodging air defences.

The £800,000 missiles – already being fired within Ukraine – use GPS to precisely hit targets, and can travel at 600mph.

The Taurus missile system is widely regarded as Germany’s equivalent to the Storm Shadow.

The tit-for-tat attacks came hours after US President Donald Trump said it might be better to let Ukraine and Russia fight for a while.

The president has been so far unsuccessful on getting the two countries to agree to peace – with Moscow not moving on its demands.

The American was full of praise for Ukraine though as he labelled the daring Operation Spiderweb attack as “strong and badass”.

The daring operation saw a fired up Ukraine wreck 41 Russian planes across the strategic airfields.

Putin’s doomsday bomber fleet was crippled with a third of his most prized aircraft lying in smouldering wrecks.

It comes as a new report accused Putin of plotting a final killer offensive along three fronts to win the war this summer.

The Russian army is nearing one million casualties in its bungled three-year-old invasion as peace talks continue to stall.

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

Over the past fortnight border villages have fallen to Russia as it is may to be preparing the ground for the offensive.

Source: https://www.the-sun.com/news/14415541/ukraine-mystery-missile-blitz-putin/

The suspect posted pictures of an animal skeleton weeks before the murders

THE dad accused of killing his three daughters is believed to be hiding near a popular tourist destination, cops said.

Travis Decker is on the run in Washington state as cops search the woods near the Canadian border and theories swirl about the fugitive’s whereabouts based on his social media posts.

Investigators launched the manhunt after the bodies of Decker’s daughters, Olivia, 5, Evelyn, 8, and Paityn Decker, 9, were tragically found at a campground on Monday.

The girls’ mom reported them missing on Friday after Decker didn’t return them as scheduled after a custody visit.

The siblings were likely suffocated to death, cops said. They were found about 75 to 100 yards away from Decker’s truck, which he was living out of at the time of the killings.

Decker was nowhere to be found at the gruesome crime scene at Rock Island Campground in Leavenworth, Washington, about two hours east of Seattle.

Prosecutors charged Decker with kidnapping and killing his daughters, sparking a massive search for the suspect, who is a veteran with extensive military skills.

Investigators are now searching for Decker on the Pacific Crest Trail, which is a popular tourist hiking spot in the state

The trail spans 2,650 miles from Mexico to Canada and passes through Chelan County, the center of the search area.

On Friday morning, officials closed multiple paths off the Pacific Crest Trail in the ongoing search for Decker, according to the Pacific Crest Trail Association.

“Trails are closed until further notice due to ongoing search operations for a suspect in Chelan County,” the PCTA said.

The US Forest Service also issued an emergency closure of the Icicle River area in the Okanogan-Wenatchee Forest, shutting down multiple trails and parks.

On Thursday, cops urged residents of Okanogan, Chelan, Kittitas, King, and Snohomish counties to lock their doors and to leave their outside lights on as Decker is on the loose.

Investigators zeroed in on the area after executing search warrants on properties and electronic devices, the Chelan County Sheriff’s Office said.

Source: https://www.the-sun.com/news/14417275/travis-decker-search-daughters-killer-pacific-crest-trail/

After a three-year wait, Elon Musk-owned Starlink has finally received the green light to launch its satellite internet services in India – a move that could provide connectivity in rural areas where physical infrastructure remains poor.

Source: https://www.livemint.com/companies/news/elon-musk-starlink-gets-dot-licence-for-satellite-internet-services-satcom-11749216215274.html

Why does Uber make videos where people say, “I’m non-binary or genderqueer”? And why does Lockheed Martin fund floats at Pride parades?

Because companies want to raise their score on the Human Rights Campaign’s Corporate Equality Index.

Equality is a good thing. I support human rights. But the Human Rights Campaign? That’s something else.

“They have nothing to do with actual human rights,” says Robby Starbuck. “They’re an LGBTQ+ advocacy organization that pushes topics about transgenderism into the workplace.”

Starbuck uses his social-media following to criticize the many companies that partner with the Human Rights Campaign.

The campaign “does great harm,” he says, because companies that want a high score must do things like pay for trans employees’ gender reassignment surgery and fund puberty blockers for employees’ kids.

I push back, “I know people who’ve had the surgery, and they seem happier!”

“If you’re an adult and you make a set of decisions I disagree with, that’s your prerogative,” replies Starbuck. “I don’t want to give my money to a company that’s going to use it to fund any sex changes of any child.”

People can debate the age when you’re considered competent to medically change your gender. What surprises me is how many companies suck up to the Human Rights Campaign by paying for it.

Google even brags about providing a “trans liaison” to help people transition.

Even some of your Amtrak tax subsidy goes to pay for this stuff. Amtrak’s “Lead Environmental Specialist” touts “education on personal pronouns.”

To raise their Corporate Equality Index scores, companies are encouraged to donate to LGBTQ+ groups — like the Human Rights Campaign! That helps the campaign collect millions in tax-free money.

The more I looked at the organization, the less it seems to be about human rights, and the more it seems to be about left-wing advocacy.

Its homepage features protesters holding signs saying, “I will aid and abet abortion.”

When I point that out to Starbuck, he says, “Yeah, which humans? Which rights? Apparently, if you’re a small enough human, you don’t have rights.”

The campaign’s president says its Corporate Equality Index is “about partnership with businesses to make workplaces as inclusive as possible for LGBTQ+ people.”

But today, most businesses are inclusive, and in America, LGBT people are more accepted than ever. Twenty years ago, 37% of Americans supported gay marriage; 45% said gay relationships are moral. Today, support for gay marriage is at 69% and 64% consider gay relationships moral.

Yet, as life gets better for LGBT people, the Human Rights Campaign declared a “national state of emergency for LGBTQ+ Americans!”

“This is a crisis right now!” said HRC president Kelley Robinson.

I think I know why she said that. If activists acknowledge that Americans have come to accept LGBT people, the campaign might go out of business. One HRC executive says, “We are never going to reach a destination.”

Of course not. There’s money to be made and leftist propaganda that needs spreading.

Starbuck, by pointing out what the HRC really does, has persuaded some companies to stop sucking up.

Ford, Harley-Davidson, Lowe’s, Molson Coors, Toyota, Tractor Supply, Walmart and others announced that they will no longer participate in the Index.

“We came along and told people the story and they backtracking began,” says Starbuck.

The campaign’s president says, “What we’re seeing from these companies is short-sighted.”

Maybe.

Source: https://nypost.com/2025/06/06/opinion/beware-the-human-rights-campaign-is-just-a-scam-to-push-lefty-issues/

A 12-year-old boy fell to his death at Ireland’s Cliffs of Moher after slipping in a puddle close to the edge, an inquest has heard.

Zhihan Zhao and his mother, both Chinese nationals, were with her friends at the beauty spot on the County Clare coast on 23 July last year when he walked ahead of the group.

The coroner embraced Zhihan’s distraught mother after recording a verdict of accidental death.

The accident was the second fatal fall at the Cliffs of Moher within a three-month period last year.

Warning: this story contains details some may find distressing.

Zhihan and his mother, Xianhong Huang, had arrived in Ireland 12 days before his fatal fall.

In her deposition, Ms Huang said that Zhihan was walking ahead of her on the Cliffs of Moher trail when she lost sight of him.

“My son walked very fast and was ahead of us by 50 metres,” she said.

“As there was only one path, I thought we would meet him along the way.

“When I didn’t, I walked to the visitor centre and I checked the visitor centre.”

Unable to find him at the visitor centre, she returned to the path to search for him and when there was no sign of him, she reported him missing.

Ms Huang said she had last seen Zhihan at 13:00 that day and the court heard she had provided gardaí (Irish police) with a photo of him she had taken earlier on the trail.

Speaking through an interpreter at the inquest in Kilrush, County Clare, Ms Huang, wiping away tears, asked: “What exactly caused Zhihan to fall from the cliffs?”

Clare County Coroner Isobel O’Dea told the grieving mother that the evidence of an eyewitness would help answer that question.

A French tourist who witnessed him fall told Clare Coroner’s Court she had seen him slip and try to pull himself up by grasping at grass, before he disappeared over the edge.

French tourist Marion Tourgon told the inquest she had witnessed the fall at about 13:45 that day.

Ms Tourgon explained she had been at the edge of the cliffs with her husband and two children, taking a selfie at the time.

She describing seeing a young Asian boy, who was alone, come into view.

“I saw him slipping in the puddle that appears in the photo that my husband sent to the police,” the witness said.

“His right foot slipped into the puddle, with him trying to stop himself from falling with his left foot but his left foot ended up in the air.”

Ms Tourgon added: “It was very quick – he found himself in an awkward position with his left foot in a void over the cliff and his right knee on the edge of the cliff.”

She continued: “His right knee eventually fell into the void over the cliff and he was trying to grasp the grass with his hands to pull himself up.

“He didn’t shout and there was no noise.”

The Tourgon family then phoned the emergency services.

An air, land and sea search operation began involving the Irish Coast Guard, gardaí and Irish civil defence volunteers who used boats, drones, divers and a helicopter.

Five day search for missing boy

A police witness, Garda Colm Collins, told the inquest he had received a call at 14:00 that day after a male was seen falling off the edge of the Cliffs of Moher.

He said that the Irish Coast Guard had spotted a body floating in the water at the base of the cliffs.

The court heard a lifeboat had been launched but had not been able to access the site where the body was spotted because of the sea conditions.

It was another five days before Zhihan’s body was eventually recovered from the sea.

The boy was found by a fisherman, Matthew O’Halloran, from Corofin, County Clare.

He spotted a body face down with arms extended in the water between Doolin and the Aran Islands shortly after 10:00 on 28 July.

Mr O’Halloran alerted the Irish Coast Guard and its members retrieved Zhihan’s body and brought it ashore at Doolin.

Source: https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cwy30nqwy99o

They rumble down the highway between Beijing and Tianjin port: big lorries, loaded up and fully able to navigate themselves.

Sure, there is a safety driver in the seat, as per government regulations, but these lorries don’t require them, and many analysts say it won’t take long before they are gone.

When “safety driver” Huo Kangtian, 32, first takes his hands off the wheel, and lets the lorry drive itself, it is somehow impressive and disconcerting in equal measures.

For the initial stages of the journey, he is in full control. Then – at a certain point – he hits a few buttons, and the powerful, heavy machine is driving itself, moving at speed along a public road to Tianjin.

“Of course, I felt a bit scared the first time I drove an autonomous truck,” says Mr Huo. “But, after spending a lot of time observing and testing these machines, I think they are actually pretty good and safe.”

As the lorry veers off the freeway and up a ramp towards the toll gates, the machine is still driving itself. On the other side of the tollgate, Mr Huo again presses a few buttons, and he is back in charge.

“My job as a safety driver is to act as the last line of defence. For example, in the case of an emergency, I would have to take back control of the vehicle immediately to ensure everyone’s safety,” he explains.

In terms of the upsides for a driver, he says that switching to autonomous mode can help combat stress and fatigue, as well as freeing up hands and feet for other tasks. He says it doesn’t make his job boring, but rather more interesting.

When asked if he is worried that this technology may one day render his job obsolete, he says he doesn’t know too much about this.

It’s the diplomatic answer.

Pony AI’s fleet of driverless lorries, currently operating on these test routes, is only the start of what is to come, the company’s vice-president Li Hengyu tells the BBC.

“In the future, with driverless operations, our transportation efficiency will definitely be greatly improved,” he says. “For example, labour costs will be reduced but, more importantly, we can deal better with harsh environments and long hours driving.”

What this all boils down to is saving money, says industry expert Yang Ruigang, a technology professor from Shanghai Jiaotong University, who has extensive experience working on driverless technology in both China and the US.

“Anything that can reduce operating costs is something a company would like to have, so it’s fairly easy to justify the investment in having a fully autonomous, driverless truck,” he tells the BBC.

In short, he says, the goal is simple: “Reduce the driver cost close to zero.”

However, significant hurdles remain before lorries will be allowed to drive themselves on roads around the world – not the least of which is public concern.

In China, self-driving technology suffered a major setback following an accident which killed three university students after their vehicle had been in “auto pilot” mode.

Economist Intelligence Unit analyst Chim Lee says the Chinese public still has quite a way to go before it is won over.

“We know that recent accidents involving passenger cars have caused a huge uproar in China. So, for driverless trucks – even though they tend to be more specific to certain locations for the time being – the public’s image of them is going to be absolutely critical for policy makers, and for the market as well, compared to passenger vehicles.”

Professor Yang agrees that lorry drivers are unlikely to lose their jobs in large numbers just yet.

“We have to discuss the context. Open environment? Probably not. High speed? Definitely no. But, if it is a low-speed situation, like with the last mile delivery trucks, it’s here already.”

In Eastern China’s Anhui Province, hundreds of driverless delivery vans navigate their way through the suburban streets of Hefei – a city with an official population of eight million – as human-driven scooters and cars whizz around them.

It was once one of country’s poorest cities, but these days its government wants it to be known as a place of the future, prepared to give new technology a chance.

Gary Huang, president of autonomous vehicle company, Rino.ai, says they discovered a market niche where driverless delivery vans could send parcels from big distribution hubs run by courier companies to local neighbourhood stations. At that point, scooter drivers take over, dropping off the packages to people’s front doors.

“We’re allowing couriers to stay within community areas to do pickup and drop off while the autonomous vans handle the repetitive, longer-distance trips. This boosts the entire system’s efficiency,” he tells us.

Rino has also been talking to other countries, and the company says the quickest uptake of its vehicles will be in Australia later this year, when a supermarket chain will start using their driverless delivery vehicles.

Meanwhile, in China, they say they’re now running more than 500 vans with road access in over 50 cities.

However, Hefei remains the most advanced.

Apart from Rino, the city has also now given permission for other driverless delivery van companies to operate.

Gary Huang says this is due to a combination of factors.

“Encouragement came from the government, followed by local experimentation, the gaining of experience, the refinement of regulations and eventually allowing a broad implementation.”

And you can see them on the roads, changing lanes, indicating before they turn, pulling up at red lights and avoiding other traffic.

For the courier companies, the numbers tell the story.

Source: https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c5ykel5dr62o

The mystery of a maritime disaster has been solved after experts found a vessel that sank almost 140 years ago.

Diver and explorer Dom Robinson identified the SS Nantes, off Plymouth, after examining the wreck site and finding crockery.

Dr Harry Bennett, an expert in maritime history, said the dive team had found “the underwater archaeological equivalent of a needle in a haystack”.

Mr Robinson said solving the mystery ensured those who died were not forgotten.

In November 1888, the SS Nantes, which was operated by the Cunard Steamship Company, collided with a German sailing vessel, the Theodor Ruger, said Dr Bennett.

The crew spent “several hours” trying to save their ship, the honorary associate professor in history at the University of Plymouth said.

“They used mattresses to plug the gap which had opened up in the hull of the SS Nantes,” he said.

“[The ship sank] with the loss of a substantial number of the crew. There were some 23-odd fatalities. There were three survivors.”

Bodies from the wreckage washed ashore at Talland Bay and Looe, in Cornwall, and “locals were confronted by this picture of horror, pieces of ship together with bodies,” he said.

Afterwards the “wreck was essentially lost, obviously you’re dealing in a period with no satellite navigation,” said Dr Bennett.

He added while the crew tried to save the ship it “drifted for several hours, before it finally made its way to the bottom, sadly, with many of its crewmen on board”.

He said the wreck was lost until a local dive team identified it in 2024.

Mr Robinson, who has been diving for about 35 years, said he heard about the unidentified wreck from the UK Hydrographic Office.

‘Bingo, we’ve found it’
He said the wreck “was clearly an early steamship when we got down there” but “at the end of my dive I found a broken piece of plate… I decided to bring it up to the surface [and] we found that had the Cunard Steamship crest on it”.

“It was then bingo, we’ve found it,” he said.

Dr Bennett said it was identified by the build and dimensions of the wreck, the technology on board, the cargo and “lastly and most telling, they find a plate on the back of which is stamped Cunard – this is a Cunard ship”.

“[It was] very methodical, very, very dedicated detective work,” he said.

Source: https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/czel8y3dxp5o

Kilmar Abrego Garcia, whose mistaken deportation to El Salvador became a political flashpoint in the Trump administration’s stepped-up immigration enforcement, was returned to the United States on Friday to face criminal charges related to what the Trump administration said was a large human smuggling operation that brought immigrants into the country illegally.

His abrupt release from El Salvador closes one chapter and opens another in a saga that yielded a remarkable, months-long standoff between Trump officials and the courts over a deportation that officials initially acknowledged was done in error but then continued to stand behind in apparent defiance of orders by judges to facilitate his return to the U.S.

The development occurred after U.S. officials presented El Salvador President Nayib Bukele with an arrest warrant for federal charges in Tennessee accusing Abrego Garcia of playing a key role in smuggling immigrants into the country for money. He is expected to be prosecuted in the U.S. and, if convicted, will be returned to his home country of El Salvador at the conclusion of the case, officials said Friday.

“This is what American justice looks like,” Attorney General Pam Bondi said in announcing Abrego Garcia’s return and the unsealing of a grand jury indictment.

Abrego Garcia’s attorneys called the case “baseless.”

“There’s no way a jury is going to see the evidence and agree that this sheet metal worker is the leader of an international MS-13 smuggling conspiracy,” attorney Simon Sandoval-Moshenberg said.Federal Magistrate Judge Barbara Holmes in Nashville, Tennessee, determined that Abrego Garcia will be held in custody until at least next Friday, when there will be an arraignment and detention hearing.

Abrego Garcia appeared in court wearing a short-sleeved, white, button-down shirt. When asked if he understood the charges, he told the judge: “Sí. Lo entiendo.” An interpreter then said: “Yes. I understand.”

Democrats and immigrant rights group had pressed for Abrego Garcia’s release, with several lawmakers — including Sen. Chris Van Hollen of Maryland, where Abrego Garcia had lived for years — even traveling to El Salvador to visit him. A federal judge had ordered him to be returned in April and the Supreme Court rejected an emergency appeal by directing the government to work to bring him back.

But the news that Abrego Garcia, who had an immigration court order preventing his deportation to his native country over fears he would face persecution from local gangs, was being brought back for the purpose of prosecution was greeted with dismay by his lawyers.

The case also prompted the resignation of a top supervisor in the U.S. attorney’s office in Nashville, according to a person familiar with the matter who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss a personnel matter.

Ben Schrader, who was chief of the office’s criminal division, did not explain the reason for his resignation but posted to social media around the time the indictment was being handed down, saying: “It has been an incredible privilege to serve as a prosecutor with the Department of Justice, where the only job description I’ve ever known is to do the right thing, in the right way, for the right reasons.”

He declined to comment when reached by The Associated Press on Friday.

Abrego Garcia’s lawyer calls charges ‘preposterous’
“This administration … instead of simply admitting their mistake, they’ll stop at nothing at all, including some of the most preposterous charges imageable,” Sandoval-Moshenberg said.

Ama Frimpong, legal director with the group CASA, said Abrego Garcia’s family has mixed emotions about his return to the U.S.

“Let him talk to his wife. Let him talk to his children. This family has suffered enough,” she said.

Sandoval-Moshenberg said Abrego Garcia is one of the first, if not the first, person released from a notorious prison in El Salvador, though he was later imprisoned at another facility.

“So it’s going to be very interesting to hear what he has to say about the way in which he was treated,” the attorney said.

The indictment, filed last month and unsealed Friday, lays out a string of allegations that date back to 2016 but are only being disclosed now, nearly three months after Abrego Garcia was mistakenly deported and following the Trump administration’s repeated claims that he is a criminal.

It accuses him of smuggling throughout the U.S. thousands of people living in the country illegally, including children and members of the violent MS-13 gang, from Central America and abusing women he was transporting. A co-conspirator also alleged that he participated in the killing of a gang member’s mother in El Salvador, prosecutors wrote in papers urging the judge to keep him behind bars while he awaits trial.

The indictment does not charge him in connection with that allegation.

“Later, as part of his immigration proceedings in the United States, the defendant claimed he could not return to El Salvador because he was in fear of retribution from the 18th Street gang,” the detention memo states.

“While partially true — the defendant, according to the information received by the Government, was in fear of retaliation by the 18th Street gang — the underlying reason for the retaliation was the defendant’s own actions in participating in the murder of a rival 18th Street gang member’s mother,” prosecutors wrote.

The charges stem from a 2022 vehicle stop in which the Tennessee Highway Patrol suspected him of human trafficking. A report released by the Department of Homeland Security in April states that none of the people in the vehicle had luggage, while they listed the same address as Abrego Garcia.

Abrego Garcia was never charged with a crime, while the officers allowed him to drive on with only a warning about an expired driver’s license, according to the DHS report. The report said he was traveling from Texas to Maryland, via Missouri, to bring in people to perform construction work.

In response to the report’s release in April, Abrego Garcia’s wife said in a statement that he sometimes transported groups of workers between job sites, “so it’s entirely plausible he would have been pulled over while driving with others in the vehicle. He was not charged with any crime or cited for any wrongdoing.”

Immigrant rights advocates vs. the Trump administration
Abrego Garcia’s background and personal life have been a source of dispute and contested facts. Immigrant rights advocates have cast his arrest as emblematic of an administration whose deportation policy is haphazard and error-prone, while Trump officials have pointed to prior interactions with police and described him as a gang member who fits the mold they are determined to expel from the country.

Abrego Garcia lived in the U.S. for roughly 14 years, during which he worked construction, got married and was raising three children with disabilities, according to court records. Trump administration officials said he was deported based on a 2019 accusation from Maryland police that he was an MS-13 gang member. Abrego Garcia denied the allegation and was never charged with a crime, his attorneys said.

A U.S. immigration judge subsequently shielded Abrego Garcia from deportation to El Salvador because he likely faced persecution there by local gangs. The Trump administration deported him there in March, later describing the mistake as “an administrative error” but insisting he was in MS-13.

Source: https://apnews.com/article/abrego-garcia-justice-department-el-salvador-a547f3a228c92d4e69be799354037c7f

ARussian official said that the nation could offer American billionaire Elon Musk political asylum over his fierce dispute with U.S. President Donald Trump.

Why It Matters
The U.S. president and the world’s richest man have had a dramatic fallout, leaving many wondering what will come of the relationship.

The comments come as tensions between Washington and Moscow remain high as ceasefire talks for the Russia-Ukraine war have stalled, with the last round of negotiations lasting just 90 minutes with little progress outside of an agreement to release prisoners on both sides.

Last month, Trump said about Russian President Vladimir Putin, “I’ve always had a very good relationship with Vladimir Putin of Russia, but something has happened to him.”

What To Know
Dmitry Novikov, first deputy chairman of the State Duma Committee on International Affairs, made the comments to Russian state news outlet TASS.

“I think that Musk has a completely different game, [so] he will not need any political asylum, although if he did, Russia, of course, could provide it,” Novikov said, in remarks translated from Russian.

Musk and Trump, who had been political allies over desired cuts to federal spending, have publicly clashed recently with the feud escalating on June 5 in a series of exchanges across social media and in comments to reporters.

The spat began over Trump’s “One Big Beautiful Bill,” which includes an extension of his signature tax cuts and spending for other priorities, such as border security. Musk has expressed worries about the impact this bill will have on national debt.

Trump has claimed that Musk is upset that the president has taken away mandates for electric vehicles (EVs).

“Elon was ‘wearing thin,’ I asked him to leave, I took away his EV Mandate that forced everyone to buy Electric Cars that nobody else wanted (that he knew for months I was going to do!), and he just went CRAZY!” he wrote in a post on Truth Social.

Musk wrote later on X on Thursday: “Time to drop the really big bomb:@realDonaldTrump is in the Epstein files. That is the real reason they have not been made public. Have a nice day, DJT!”

In another post, he added: “Mark this post for the future. The truth will come out.”

The Tesla CEO also suggested that Trump should be impeached.

What People Are Saying
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt told Newsweek on Thursday: “This is an unfortunate episode from Elon, who is unhappy with the One Big Beautiful Bill because it does not include the policies he wanted. The President is focused on passing this historic piece of legislation and making our country great again.”

Elon Musk, on X: “Without me, Trump would have lost the election, Dems would control the House and the Republicans would be 51-49 in the Senate. Such ingratitude.”

Source: https://www.newsweek.com/russia-offers-political-asylum-elon-musk-over-trump-feud-2081887

The argument over the “One Big Beautiful Bill” intensified in several posts on social media, leaving netizens as mere spectators, with some wanting to grab a popcorn and watch what’s happening.

The internet is buzzing after corporate lawyer and general counsel Matt Margolis summed up the chaos of a recent Trump-Musk online faceoff with one viral post: “We’re like four or five tweets away from national secrets.”

Shared on X (formerly Twitter), Margolis’s remark has already racked up over a million views — and an avalanche of reactions and memes.

The comment came in the wake of a heated digital clash between former U.S. President Donald Trump and tech mogul Elon Musk. The exchange, which unfolded publicly on social media, felt like an episode of a chaotic discussion rather than political commentary to people.

It all kicked off when Trump, speaking from the Oval Office, slammed Musk for criticising a Republican-backed spending bill. The argument over the “One Big Beautiful Bill” intensified in several posts on social media, leaving netizens as mere spectators, with some wanting to grab a popcorn and watch what’s happening.

Netizens react

As Musk fired back with a series of posts, a tweetstorm quickly spiraled.

Source: https://www.freepressjournal.in/viral/us-lawyer-reacts-to-trump-musk-feud-suggests-were-4-5-tweets-away-from-national-secrets-memes-follow

“More love and power to you, Rafif and everyone fighting for their everyday life,” one user wrote.

A viral post from war-torn Gaza has left many online heartbroken, especially in India, after a resident shared how much it took to get his daughter her favourite treat — a pack of Parle-G biscuits.

Mohammad Jawad, a Gaza-based X user, posted a touching video of himself with his daughter sitting on his lap as she carefully opened a biscuit wrapper and began to eat.

“After a long wait, I finally got Ravif her favourite biscuits today,” he wrote, adding that the price had skyrocketed from €1.5 to over €24 — roughly ₹2,342. In India, the same pack (single) of Parle-G sells for just ₹5. However, it was unclear whether the Gaza man mentioned the price of a single packet or a multiple set for the hefty price.

Take a look at the X post

The post quickly went viral, not just for the emotional moment it captured, but also for highlighting the alarming food crisis in Gaza.

Muhammad Yunus, head of the Bangladesh interim government, has announced elections in the first half of April 2026. This improves the situation of prevailing uncertainty even if just marginally. Parties are pitted in a reform-vs-election fight, and the announcement seems to be an attempt by Yunus to buy time amid pressure from parties and the Army.

Muhammad Yunus, the chief adviser to the interim government in Bangladesh, on Friday addressed the nation and declared that elections would be held in the first half of April 2026. The announcement runs counter to the demands of polls in December by a host of parties, including the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP), which is the frontrunner to win the election. The situation of uncertainty in Bangladesh improves just marginally with Yunus’ announcement.

While the Communist Party of Bangladesh insisted on polls in December, the student-led National Citizens Party (NCP) said it was fine with polls in April if effective steps were taken to implement the July Charter, July Declaration and reforms by then, according to reports by Dhaka-based Prothom Alo.

While declaring that the election would be held in April, Yunus didn’t provide any specific dates. Revealing that he wasn’t really prepared, no details or schedule were provided as to how the administration plans to utilise the months in the run-up to the election in April.

“There is a possibility that Yunus might not be able to conduct the election in a very free and fair way due to the given political circumstances, inherent flawed electoral laws and political uncertainty,” Dhaka-based activist academic Rezaur Rahman Lenin told India Today Digital.

Since he took over as the Chief Adviser to the interim government in Bangladesh in August 2024 after protesters forced PM Sheikh Hasina into a self-imposed exile, Yunus has ruled in confusion, chaos and uncertainty.

The announcement reveals that he plans to continue in that same way.

Muhammad Yunus and advisers on his council had earlier said that elections would be held between December 2025 and June 2026.

With the announcement, Yunus and his team, including the student advisers, have around nine months to prepare for the election. While governments have conducted elections in such a timeframe, this might be a difficult task because the entire machinery has been shaken up and those in power are talking about reforms.

The student-founded NCP is also demanding a revamp of the election commission to purge it of “BNP loyalists”.

While Yunus and the NCP have been prioritising reforms, the BNP wants elections held first. It knows that with Hasina’s Awami League becoming infamous and banned, it has the momentum with it now, which might fizzle out for some time.

Also, there is a genuine fear of the NCP becoming the “king’s party” with student advisers still part of the Yunus government. The lines between the NCP and the interim government have blurred.

BNP leader Ruhul Kabir Rizvi had just on June 5 accused the interim government of “resorting to tactics” to delay the election. Not just the BNP, around 50 other parties have been demanding that the polls be held in December, according to a report by the Dhaka-based Daily Jugantar.

Bangladesh Army Chief General Waker-Uz-Zaman also called for elections by December, saying that an elected government should take policy decisions for the country.

Under pressure, Yunus told the advisory council and NCP leader Nahid Islam that he planned to resign as the Chief Advisor. This saw a flurry of activity, and leaders said they had persuaded Yunus to stay on.

That the road ahead isn’t going to be smooth and without major arguments was hinted by the NCP on Friday, right after Yunus announced that the election would be held in April.

“If effective steps are taken to implement the July Charter, July Declaration and reforms within this period, then we have no objection to holding the elections on the announced date,” NCP member secretary Akhtar Hossain told Prothom Alo.

The NCP is trying to project itself as a rising force to take on the established BNP, which has seen frequent clashes.

Source: https://www.indiatoday.in/world/story/bangladesh-election-muhammad-yunus-april-2026-controversy-bnp-awami-league-political-pressure-explained-2736984-2025-06-06

An effort by Chilean President Gabriel Boric to expand abortion rights in the final months of his administration could finally give him a progressive legacy after three years in office but it is an uphill task that Latin American conservatives are hoping will fail as they seek to reverse gains for the abortion rights movement in the region.
Leftist Boric set off a fierce debate in Congress this week with a bill to ease restrictions on abortion.

The attempt to fulfill a campaign promise comes at the tail end of an administration that has failed to deliver on progressive proposals such as wideranging tax reforms and a liberal new constitution, which was rejected at a referendum in 2022.
Chile’s proposed law would decriminalize abortion and allow for the termination of pregnancies up to 14 weeks under any circumstance, putting the country on par with neighboring Argentina.
Recent expansions in Colombia and Mexico have cemented even broader abortion rights. But Boric’s proposal does not appear to have the support in Congress to pass, potentially making the issue a central part of campaigns ahead of a November vote to replace him as president and elect most of the legislature.

Reproductive rights may also face push back in neighboring Argentina where abortion was decriminalized in 2020.
Argentine President Javier Milei, an ally of U.S. President Donald Trump, has cut some federal funding for contraceptives and emergency contraception, commonly known as the ‘morning after pill.’
“Demographic policies should be rethought beyond the atrocity of killing human beings developing in their mother’s womb,” Milei wrote in a recent op-ed.
Milei has focused on taming runaway inflation, but mid-term elections later this year are likely to broaden his support, based on his strength in a recent Buenos Aires vote. That could test his readiness to push through a socially conservative agenda.
Constanza Schonhaut, a lawyer and executive director of human rights organization Corporacion Humanas, noted that the abortion debate has increasingly transcended borders as both far right groups and feminist organizations form alliances online.

“What happens in Chile can influence other countries and vice versa,” Schonhaut said. “In an increasingly connected world, it is not only feminist organizations that are coordinating internationally.”
When Boric announced the legislation during his last annual address to the nation on Sunday, legislators waving green and purple bandanas that represent abortion rights cheered.
“Generations of women have lived and fought for this,” Boric said. “Don’t deny them at least the democratic debate as citizens capable of deciding for themselves.”
Members of the conservative bench jeered and shouted, “No abortion!” and several walked out.
“Why does (Boric) insist knowing he doesn’t have the votes? Why? To insult us,” Johannes Kaiser, a far-right firebrand legislator and among the leading presidential contenders, told reporters after leaving the room.

Source: https://www.reuters.com/business/healthcare-pharmaceuticals/chile-abortion-rights-bill-could-shape-boric-legacy-latin-american-neighbors-2025-06-05/

Tokyo-based ispace Inc. said it’s trying to make contact with its lunar lander after attempting to become the first non-US company to reach the moon’s surface intact.

Ispace’s Resilience lander was expected to touch down on the moon after 4 a.m. Japan time on Friday, but the company ended its live stream of the landing attempt without confirming the status of the mission.

A press conference is scheduled for 9 a.m., the company said.

The mission follows a failed attempt in 2023 when a programming error led to a crash of the spacecraft. Success today would make ispace the third company to park a spacecraft safely on the moon after Texas-based rivals Intuitive Machines Inc. and Firefly Aerospace Inc., as countries race to explore the moon.

The Japanese lander launched into space aboard one of Elon Musk-led SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rockets in January. The rocket also launched a lander from Firefly that touched down on the lunar surface in March.

Resilience was expected to dispatch its rover, named Tenacious, which is equipped with a high-definition camera and a shovel to collect lunar regolith and transmit data back to the lander. Ispace signed a contract in 2020 with NASA to provide the US agency with regolith collected on the moon’s surface.

Aboard the lander are customer payloads with varying purposes including a commemorative plate from Bandai Namco Research Institute Inc. — an affiliate of the entertainment company behind game brands like Pac Man and Gundam — and experimental equipment such as a device to extract hydrogen from water.

PORNHUB has pulled out of France as a stringent clampdown on adult sites makes its way to Europe.

A furious backlash over the country’s new age verification rules has prompted the site to block access.

It comes over objections to a new law requiring porn sites to verify the age of users.

Aylo, the adult entertainment company that owns Pornhub, has announced it will block access to the site in France as a result.

The company claims the French law poses a privacy risk to users.

The law could see users required to enter credit card details or other forms of official ID to verify their age.

Aylo also runs other popular porn sites such as Youporn and RedTube – which will also now be unavailable in France.

The company argues that device-based age verification is a better solution than requiring porn sites to police the age of users.

Aylo’s VP for Brand and Community Alex Kekesi said: “All it requires is that the government enforce regulations on three companies – Apple, Google and Microsoft – the three operating system manufacturers requiring age verification at the device level prior to accessing adult content.

“The French government refuses to take this simple step and instead are focused on futile and entirely symbolic regulatory actions which are unenforceable, do not protect children and expose your private data.”

Pornhub is the world’s most visited porn site, with France being one of its biggest markets.

The website claims that France was its second biggest audience in 2024 after the United States.

Kekesi added: “We’ve made the difficult decision to suspend access to our sites in France and instead use our platforms to speak directly to the French people.

“French citizens deserve a government and a regulator who are serious about preventing children from accessing adult content.

“They also deserve laws which protect their privacy and safeguard their sensitive data.”

French Gender Equality Minister Aurore Bergé posted on X that Aylo’s decision meant there would be “less violent, degrading and humiliating content accessible to minors in France”.

She added: “Pornhub, Youporn, and RedTube refuse to comply with our legal framework and decide to leave. Good!”

It comes after Aylo made similar moves to block access to its porn sites in several US states over age verification laws.

So far, 19 US states have passed laws requiring porn sites to verify users’ ages.

Source: https://www.the-sun.com/news/14401975/pornhub-ban-europe-major-sites/

The military alliance looks set to satisfy US President Donald Trump’s demands to commit to a massive increase in defense spending. Some creative counting proposed by NATO head Mark Rutte could soften the financial blow.

A NATO defense ministers’ meeting in Brussels on Thursday showed “broad support” for signing off a historic hike in defense spending at a crunch summit later this month. This was their response to the growing threat from Russia and a “more dangerous world” in general, the military alliance’s Secretary General Mark Rutte told reporters.

“I will propose an overall investment plan that would total 5% of gross domestic product in defense investment,” Rutte announced, following months of pressure from US President Donald Trump for allies to more than double the present target.

Current NATO guidelines encourage states to spend 2% of their economic output on their militaries. But not all of the alliance’s members meet this target, raising questions of how they will reach an even higher spending goal.

Splitting the bill
In response, NATO chief Rutte has specified a division of the new spending goal that could allow Trump to claim a headline figure, while giving the other 31 nations room to maneuver their national budgets. Thus, of the 5%, 3.5% of national GDP could be allotted to “core defence spending”, while the remaining 1.5% could be diverted to “defense- and security-related investment like infrastructure and industry,” he said.

Trump has long criticized NATO allies for relying on the US’ large military might as a strategy to defend the European continent. In 2023, more than two thirds of the 32 NATO countries’ collective $1.3 trillion (€1.14 trillion) military spending came from Washington, according to data compiled by the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI).

On Thursday, US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth drove home the message to the rest of the alliance once again. “Every shoulder has to be to the plough. Every country has to contribute at that level of 5% as a recognition of the nature of threat,” he said.

Leaders of the world’s most powerful defense alliance are set to gather in three weeks in the Dutch city The Hague. Topping the agenda will be discussions on the ongoing war in Ukraine, and Russia’s resulting massive rearmament drive. It seems likely that NATO members will officially commit to the 5% goal at these upcoming talks.

Giving in to pressure
Under US pressure, and with Europeans alarmed by Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, NATO military spending has already burgeoned in recent years. Most countries now meet the 2% threshold, which was agreed upon 11 years ago. But around one third of the alliance still doesn’t, including Portugal, Italy, Canada, Belgium, and Spain.

Most NATO states had indicated willingness to spend more, but the 5% goal was considered far-fetched when Trump floated the idea earlier this year. Almost half a year on, the message seems to be resonating with many in the alliance.

Earlier this week, 14 NATO states, including the Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland and the five Nordic states, published a joint statement in which they said they were “moving towards reaching at least 5% of GDP on defense and defense-related investments.”

Last month, German Foreign Minister Johann Wadepuhl also indicated Germany could get on board with the goal.

Several NATO countries, including Poland, Estonia and Lithuania, have already committed to spending 5% or more in the future. All are former Soviet states, and two of them share a border with Russia.

Since taking office in January, the “America-first” president has strained the NATO alliance with threats not to help defend alliance members that didn’t meet spending targets should they be attacked. His designs on the semi-autonomous Danish territory Greenland have also alienated allies, as have his attempts at bilateral talks to find an end to Russia’s war in Ukraine, which sidelined European partners and left Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy largely marginalized.

Questions remain
There are still many open questions to be answered, one of them being the timeline.

On Thursday, Estonian Defense Minister Hanno Pevkur spoke of committing to reaching 5% within five years. “We don’t have time for ten years, we don’t even have time for seven years, to be honest,” he said.

But the official focus at this week’s meeting was on working out what exact capabilities NATO would need and may currently be missing to defend itself if a member of the alliance were attacked. After the talks, Rutte spoke of the need to upgrade air defense systems and long-range missiles, among other things.

German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius said Germany might need as many as 50,000 – 60,000 more troops in its standing forces to meet defense needs in the coming years.

Increased spending amid economic downturn
While consensus appears to be forming, it is also clear that increasing military spending to 5% of GDP would be an enormous strain on public finances, particularly as Europe’s two major economies, Germany and France, face tough times.

Paris and Berlin are touting increased defense spending as a chance to fuel economic growth in Europe, but there is a risk of public backlash. In April in Rome, the opposition Five Star Movement led a protest against an EU drive to rearm the bloc — a move supported by the government of far-right Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni — reportedly drawing tens of thousands of people.

According to Cullen Hendrix, an expert from the Peterson Institute for International Economics, a US think tank, a 5% spending target would essentially put NATO countries on “war footing.”

Source: https://www.dw.com/en/nato-likely-to-hike-defense-spending-amid-economic-concerns/a-72809085

Germany’s chancellor held a friendly meeting with US President Donald Trump at the White House, and said he hopes for progress on trade talks and putting pressure on Russia. More on DW.

Merz blames antisemitism in Germany on migration
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz has called the sharp rise in antisemitism in Germany a “terrible challenge” for the country.

“We are doing everything we can to bring these numbers down,” he said during an interview on US broadcaster Fox News.

The number of antisemitic incidents in Germany almost doubled in 2024, a report released on Wednesday found.

It registered 8,627 incidents of violence, vandalism and threats against Jews in Germany.

In the Fox News interview, Merz blamed the increasing antisemitism on migrants.

“Frankly, we have imported antisemitism with the big numbers of migrants we have within the last 10 years,” he said.

According to Wednesday’s report, antisemitic attacks came from all parts of society — from the radical left, Muslim communities and the far right.

The report found that antisemitic incidents with a right-wing extremist background reached their highest level since it started colleting data in 2020.

Merz has used the rhetoric of “imported antisemitism” before, something critics say fuels Islamaphobia and enables Germany to ignore the growing problem of antisemitism within its society.

Source: https://www.dw.com/en/germanys-merz-extremely-satisfied-with-trump-talks/live-72794062

Ukraine launched drones out of trucks to destroy Russian bomber planes far from the frontlines. It is a classic example of how technology has rewritten the playbook of war, says defence writer Mike Yeo.

Ukraine has held out against a stronger adversary for more than three years, thanks to its ability to wage asymmetric warfare. Even so, the drone attack deep inside Russia on Sunday (Jun 1) was particularly audacious.

Multiple drone swarms launched from container trucks hit four airbases thousands of kilometres from the frontlines and destroyed several Russian long-range bombers. For some, it was a “genius” move; for others, it confirms a nightmare scenario.

Ukraine’s Operation Spider’s Web is a classic example of how technology has rewritten the playbook of war, and how long-range strikes into enemy territory can be conducted cheaply and quietly with disproportionate results.

Beyond Russia, the attack would have sent reverberations among defence planners around the world.

For some time now, even though some analysts have warned that something like this was not beyond the realm of possibility given the technology already available, it would have undoubtedly been a shock to see it put into practice so successfully and on such a scale. Everyone and their valuable military assets can be vulnerable to such threats.

WHAT WENT DOWN IN OPERATION SPIDER’S WEB
Hundreds of drones, each carrying an explosive munition, struck bases deep inside Russia – with the farthest one, Belaya, located in Siberia, just north of Russia’s border with Mongolia and more than 4,000km from the Ukraine.

These bases were likely chosen due to their housing of long-range, high-value Russian air assets such as bombers and surveillance aircraft. The former have been lobbing cruise missiles at Ukraine with impunity since the start of the Russian invasion in February 2022.

Ukraine’s intelligence service revealed the drones were smuggled into Russia on specially designed racks housed inside modified standard shipping containers. They were driven to spots near the air bases by unwitting Russian truck drivers.

The Ukrainians added that the drones were mostly flown autonomously, with video feeds and some operator input sent via the Russian mobile phone network. One of their videos appears to suggest this was the case, with the drone hovering above the wing of a Russian Tu-95MS bomber and gingerly adjusting its position before plunging down near where the plane’s wing met its fuselage.

This is one of its most vulnerable spots – the location of its fuel tanks. Another video released by Ukraine that has been geolocated by open-source intelligence (OSINT) investigators to Olenya air base in northern Russia showed three more Tu-95MS bombers and a transport aircraft burning fiercely.

UNCONVENTIONAL MEANS, DEVASTATING RESULTS
The attack is the latest demonstration of Ukraine’s ingenuity and ability to harness technology and use unconventional methods to exploit a stronger adversary’s vulnerabilities.

The Ukrainians claimed to have hit 41 Russian aircraft, though a United States assessment put the number closer to 20, of which about 10 were destroyed. Given that Russia’s long-range bomber fleet has been estimated to be about 80 aircraft, the loss of almost 13 per cent of the force represents a significant blow to this area of Russian military capabilities.

This was not the first time Ukraine has used drones to strike Russian bases far from the frontlines.

Previous occasions have utilised larger, longer-ranged drones launched from Ukraine. But these attacks have lower rates of successes against defended targets as the drones are bigger and more easily detected and targeted by air defences.

Still, these have had some success, particularly with attacks on Russian ammunition storages that have triggered spectacular explosions and fires and deprived their enemy of bombs and other explosives.

They have also forced the Russians to base their aircraft further from Ukraine, which imposes a cost: increased transit times to and from operating areas, increased strain on aircraft and crews, which reduced the number of missions that can be flown.

HEADACHE TO DEFEND AGAINST
So what are the options for militaries seeking to protect valuable assets if conventional air defences would struggle to detect and destroy such drones?

There are a range of anti-drone systems (or Counter Unmanned Aircraft Systems, C-UAS) available, ranging from guns and missiles to electronic jammers that disrupt the signals between the drone and its operator. Other solutions are also being developed, such as the use of laser (directed energy) weapons to destroy the drone.

Each has its downsides, however.

Source: https://www.channelnewsasia.com/commentary/ukraine-drone-attack-russia-war-defence-military-5167321

United States President Donald Trump threatened on Thursday (Jun 5) to cut off government contracts with billionaire Elon Musk’s companies, while Musk suggested Trump should be impeached, turning their bromance into an all-out brawl on social media.

The hostilities began when Trump criticised Tesla CEO Musk in the Oval Office. Within hours, the once-close relationship had disintegrated in full public view, as the world’s most powerful man and its richest launched personal barbs at one another on Trump’s Truth Social and Musk’s X platforms.

“The easiest way to save money in our Budget, Billions and Billions of Dollars, is to terminate Elon’s Governmental Subsidies and Contracts,” Trump posted on Truth Social.

Wall Street traders dumped shares of Musk’s electric vehicle maker, and Tesla closed down 14.3 per cent, losing about US$150 billion in market value. It was Tesla’s largest single-day decline in value in its history.

Minutes after the closing bell, Musk replied “yes” to a post on X saying Trump should be impeached. Trump’s Republicans hold majorities in both chambers of Congress and are highly unlikely to impeach him.

The trouble between the two started brewing on Tuesday, when Musk denounced Trump’s sweeping tax-cut and spending Bill. The president initially held his tongue while Musk campaigned to torpedo the Bill, saying it would add too much to the nation’s US$36.2 trillion in debt.

Trump broke his silence on Thursday, telling reporters in the Oval Office he was “very disappointed” in Musk.

“Look, Elon and I had a great relationship. I don’t know if we will anymore,” Trump said.

As Trump spoke, Musk responded in real time with increasingly acerbic posts on X.

“Without me, Trump would have lost the election,” wrote Musk, who spent nearly US$300 million backing Trump and other Republicans in last year’s election. “Such ingratitude.”

In another post, Musk asserted that Trump’s signature tariffs would push the US into a recession later this year.

Besides Tesla, Musk’s businesses include rocket company and government contractor SpaceX and its satellite unit Starlink.

Musk, whose space business plays a critical role in the US government’s space programme, said that as a result of Trump’s threats, he would begin decommissioning SpaceX’s Dragon spacecraft.

Dragon is the only US spacecraft capable of sending astronauts to the International Space Station.

PUGILISTIC PAIR
The feud was not entirely unexpected, with many observers predicting an eventual falling out.

Even before Musk’s departure from the Trump administration last week, his influence had waned following a series of clashes with Cabinet members over his cuts to their agencies.

For Trump, the fight was the first major rift he has had with a top adviser since taking office for a second time, after his first term was marked by numerous blow-ups.

Trump parted ways with multiple chiefs of staff, national security advisers and political strategists during his 2017 to 2021 White House tenure. A few, like Steve Bannon, remained in his good graces, while many others, like former ambassador John Bolton, became loud and vocal critics.

After serving as the biggest Republican donor in the 2024 campaign season, Musk became one of Trump’s most visible advisers as head of the Department of Government Efficiency, which mounted a sweeping and controversial effort to downsize the federal workforce and slash spending.

Musk was frequently present at the White House and made multiple appearances on Capitol Hill, sometimes carrying his young son.

Source: https://www.channelnewsasia.com/world/trump-musk-feud-explodes-threats-cutting-contracts-backing-impeachment-5168076

WEF CEO Borge Brende said India is the world’s bright spot but added that to stay ahead, it must double down on reforms, infrastructure, and coordination across states.

Even as trade tensions escalate, global growth slows, and geopolitical risks mount, the President and CEO of the World Economic Forum, Brge Brende, says India is emerging as the world’s most resilient major economy.

Speaking to Business Today’s Siddharth Zarabi and India Today Consulting Editor Rajdeep Sardesai, Brende said that among all large economies, India is currently outperforming expectations and may soon leapfrog Japan to become the world’s fourth-largest economy.

“Of the largest economies of the world, India is the bright spot. It is really doing well. In the last quarter, it even did better than expected—7.5% growth,” Brende said. “If it continues like this, India will be the fourth-largest economy in the world—$5 trillion—maybe already this year, and take over the fourth place from Japan.”

His comments come as the WEF’s 2025 global outlook warns of serious headwinds, including rising trade barriers, record-high debt levels, and a fragmented geopolitical order. Brende noted that global growth is now “far below trend,” with trade slowing to levels not seen in decades. But India, he said, has managed to buck the trend.

Brende also praised India’s positioning in a rapidly changing global trade order.

“There is a change in trade that is more structural. Trade in services and digital trade are growing three times faster than trade in manufacturing,” he said. “I think this is one of the reasons why India is doing relatively well—because India is very strong on services and digital trade.”

India’s rising influence isn’t just economic—it is becoming more strategic, Brende noted, especially as companies and countries reconfigure supply chains after the pandemic and amid ongoing US-China tensions.

“Just in time is not good enough anymore. You have to have just in case,” he said. “We are seeing friend-shoring, home-shoring, and near-shoring. That complicates things, but India is well-positioned to benefit.”

He pointed to the rapid rise of India’s manufacturing ecosystem as a case in point.

“A few years ago, there were no iPhones produced in India. Now, 25% of the production comes from India,” he said. “And the US administration is already saying iPhones should be produced in the US. So there are first questions there. But India has a huge opportunity.”

He also highlighted India’s demographic advantage and its role in the digital economy.

“The median age in India is 28 years. The workforce is growing every year, and there is a lot of tech-savvy talent. That helps when it comes to the digital revolution,” Brende said.

Source: https://www.indiatoday.in/business/story/india-is-the-global-bright-spot-set-to-overtake-japan-wef-ceo-borge-brende-2736441-2025-06-05

Sean “Diddy” Combs’ last girlfriend, a “Jane Doe” who dated him up until his arrest in September 2024 and says he brutally beat her and forced her to have unprotected sex with strangers, took the stand Thursday in the bombshell sex-trafficking case against him.

The disgraced mogul’s anonymous abuse accuser told the jury that 90% of their three-year relationship was spent in the drugged-up “freak-offs” Diddy orchestrated, filmed and pleasured himself to.

Combs, 55, is accused of using his fame, fortune and many businesses to run a decade-long scheme in which he controlled and manipulated his longtime girlfriend, R&B singer Cassie Ventura, 38, using violence and threats, forcing her and others — including several male escorts — into the sex marathons that went on for days.

The rapper has pleaded not guilty to sex trafficking, racketeering, and transportation to engage in prostitution. He faces life in prison if convicted.

The trial is not televised because cameras are prohibited inside the federal courthouse, but we’re there following all the action — so watch this space for the latest updates.

Sean “Diddy” Combs’ and his girlfriend, “Jane” regularly used “two dozen or more” bottles of baby oil during “freak-off” sex-sessions.

Jane — who referred to “freak-offs” as “hotel nights” — said they had to cover “everything” in the hotel rooms with bedsheets, blankets and towels “for the excessive use of baby oil everywhere.”

She says they always used baby oil for “hotel nights” and would go through “two dozen or more” bottles of the lubricating product during a single sex session.

“He really enjoyed watching me pour oil all over myself, all over the man,” Jane said.

Sean “Diddy” Combs talked his ex-lover “Jane” out of starting an OnlyFans account where she considered posting photos of herself in bikinis and lingerie, she testified.

“I told Sean that one of my model girlfriends had been really lucrative on this website. Once I started saying OnlyFans, I remember he was giving me this energy that was hesitant, like ‘uhmm no,” the woman told jurors.

The accuser, who is testifying under an alias, said her girlfriend had reported making $4 million on the risqué website in just one year. Jane testified Thursday that “if I joined at that time, it would have been lucrative for me.”

But Combs talked her out of it and “would say ‘let’s just give it time,'” Jane testified.

Prosecutors allege that Combs coerced Jane into fulfilling his sexual desires in part by keeping her financially dependent on him.

Sean “Diddy” Combs threatened to stop paying the rent of his one-time girlfriend “Jane” if she refused to take part in “freak-offs,” according to her testimony.

Jane testified that she repeatedly told Combs throughout their relationship that she didn’t want to keep having sex with other men.

“He would just say things like, ‘If you want to break up, that’s fine. You have three months left on the house because I’m not about to be paying rent,'” Jane recalled Combs saying.

Jane said Combs paid for the rent on her home.

Sean “Diddy” Combs and his ex-girlfriend and alleged victim “Jane” referred to “freak-offs” by two other euphemisms, she told the jury.

As President Donald Trump and Elon Musk argued on social media on Thursday, the world’s richest man threatened to decommission a space capsule used to take astronauts and supplies to the International Space Station.

After Trump threatened to cut government contracts given to Musk’s SpaceX rocket company and his Starlink internet satellite services, Musk responded via X that SpaceX “will begin decommissioning its Dragon spacecraft immediately.”

It’s unclear how serious Musk’s threat was. But the capsule, developed with the help of government contracts, is an important part of keeping the space station running. NASA also relies heavily on SpaceX for other programs including launching science missions and, later this decade, returning astronauts to the surface of the moon.

The Dragon capsule
SpaceX is the only U.S. company capable right now of transporting crews to and from the space station, using its four-person Dragon capsules.

Boeing’s Starliner capsule has flown astronauts only once; last year’s test flight went so badly that the two NASA astronauts had to hitch a ride back to Earth via SpaceX in March, more than nine months after launching last June.

Starliner remains grounded as NASA decides whether to go with another test flight with cargo, rather than a crew.

SpaceX also uses a Dragon capsule for its own privately run missions. The next one of those is due to fly next week on a trip chartered by Axiom Space, a Houston company.

Cargo versions of the Dragon capsule are also used to ferry food and other supplies to the orbiting lab.

NASA’s other option: Russia
Russia’s Soyuz capsules are the only other means of getting crews to the space station right now.

The Soyuz capsules hold three people at a time. For now, each Soyuz launch carries two Russians and one NASA astronaut, and each SpaceX launch has one Russian on board under a barter system. That way, in an emergency requiring a capsule to return, there is always someone from the U.S. and Russian on board.

With its first crew launch for NASA in 2020 — the first orbital flight of a crew by a private company — SpaceX enabled NASA to reduce its reliance on Russia for crew transport. The Russian flights had been costing the U.S. tens of millions of dollars per seat, for years.

NASA has also used Russian spacecraft for cargo, along with U.S. contractor Northrup Grumman.

SpaceX’s other government launches

The company has used its rockets to launch several science missions for NASA as well as military equipment.

Last year, SpaceX also won a NASA contract to help bring the space station out of orbit when it is no longer usable.

Source: https://apnews.com/article/musk-trump-spacex-dragon-capsule-e1fa0607a8e69bc2ad1677f5920b5f56

US President Donald Trump on Wednesday (Jun 4) suspended for an initial six months the entry into the United States of foreign nationals seeking to study or participate in exchange programs at Harvard University, amid an escalating dispute with the Ivy League school.

Trump’s proclamation cited national security concerns as a justification for barring international students from entering the United States to pursue studies at the Cambridge, Massachusetts-based university.

Harvard in a statement called Trump’s proclamation “yet another illegal retaliatory step taken by the Administration in violation of Harvard’s First Amendment rights”.

“Harvard will continue to protect its international students,” it added.

The suspension can be extended beyond six months. Trump’s proclamation also directs the US State Department to consider revoking academic or exchange visas of any current Harvard students who meet his proclamation’s criteria.

The directive on Wednesday came a week after a federal judge in Boston announced she would issue a broad injunction blocking the administration from revoking Harvard’s ability to enrol international students, who make up about a quarter of its student body.

The administration has launched a multifront attack on the nation’s oldest and wealthiest university, freezing billions of dollars in grants and other funding and proposing to end its tax-exempt status, prompting a series of legal challenges.

Harvard argues the administration is retaliating against it for refusing to accede to its demands to control the school’s governance, curriculum and the ideology of its faculty and students.

Harvard sued after Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem on May 22 announced her department was immediately revoking Harvard’s Student and Exchange Visitor Program certification, which allows it to enrol foreign students.

Her action was almost immediately temporarily blocked by US District Judge Allison Burroughs. On the eve of a hearing before her last week, the department changed course and said it would instead challenge Harvard’s certification through a lengthier administrative process.

Nonetheless, Burroughs said she planned to issue a longer-term preliminary injunction at Harvard’s urging, saying one was necessary to give some protection to Harvard’s international students.

Last month, the State Department ordered all its consular missions overseas to begin additional vetting of visa applicants looking to travel to Harvard University for any purpose, according to an internal cable seen by Reuters.

Accusing Harvard of “extensive entanglements with foreign adversaries,” the proclamation said Harvard received more than US$150 million from China alone. It said many agitators behind antisemitic incidents on campus were “found to be foreign students”.

The FBI has “long warned that foreign adversaries take advantage of easy access to American higher education to steal information, exploit research and development and spread false information”, the proclamation said.

Source : https://www.channelnewsasia.com/world/trump-harvard-restrict-student-visas-sign-proclamation-5166696

The English pop singer Jessie J says she has been diagnosed with breast cancer and will undergo surgery after her performance at the London music festival Capital’s Summertime Ball next weekend.

Jessie J, 37, shared the news in an Instagram video on Wednesday (Jun 4). “I was diagnosed with early breast cancer,” she said in the clip. “Cancer sucks in any form, but I’m holding onto the word ‘early’.”

“It’s a very dramatic way to get a boob job. I am going to disappear for a bit after Summertime Ball to have my surgery, and I will come back with massive (expletive) and more music.”

The annual Summertime Ball will be held at Wembley Stadium on Sunday, Jun 15.

She told her social media audience that she felt compelled to share her diagnosis.

“I just wanted to be open and share it,” she said. “One, because, selfishly, I do not talk about it enough. I’m not processing it because I’m working so hard. I also know how much sharing in the past has helped me with other people giving me their love and support and also their own stories. I’m an open book. It breaks my heart that so many people are going through so much similar and worse – that’s the bit that kills me.”

The Grammy-nominated Jessie J has long been celebrated for her robust soprano and R&B-informed pop hits, like the 2014 collaboration with Nicki Minaj and Ariana Grande, Bang Bang, and 2011’s Domino.

Source : https://cnalifestyle.channelnewsasia.com/entertainment/jessie-j-diagnosed-early-breast-cancer-466041

At least 98 people are still missing in addition to 160 confirmed dead a week after floods ripped through a town in central Nigeria, the national emergency agency said on Wednesday, as hopes of finding survivors fade.
Heavy rainfall unleashed waters that destroyed homes and overwhelmed local drainage systems in Mokwa, about 270 km (168 miles) west of Abuja, in one of the deadliest floods to hit Africa’s most populous country.

Although search and rescue operations continue, damage to roads and bridges was hampering access, said the National Emergency Management Authority (NEMA), which has enlisted the help of Nigeria Red Cross, police and army.
“Teams are working to locate missing persons. There is heightened risk of disease outbreaks due to overcrowding and contaminated water sources,” NEMA said in a statement.
Habiba Abdulahi, a 27-year-old resident, said four of her five children had been washed away by the floods, and that like other victims’ relatives she was still hoping that the bodies would be found.
“Just like that, my children were gone. Even now, we haven’t found them, but we are still hoping to recover their bodies,” she told Reuters by phone.

Source : https://www.reuters.com/sustainability/climate-energy/nearly-100-missing-week-after-floods-tore-through-nigerian-town-2025-06-04/

The number of people who have fled Sudan since the beginning of its civil war in 2023 has surpassed four million, U.N. refugee agency officials said on Tuesday, adding that many survivors faced inadequate shelter due to funding shortages.
“Now in its third year, the 4 million people is a devastating milestone in what is the world’s most damaging displacement crisis at the moment,” U.N. refugee agency spokesperson Eujin Byun told a Geneva press briefing.

“If the conflict continues in Sudan, thousands more people, we expect thousands more people will continue to flee, putting regional and global stability at stake,” she said.
Sudan, which erupted in violence in April 2023, shares borders with seven countries: Chad, South Sudan, Egypt, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Central African Republic and Libya.

More than 800,000 of the refugees have arrived in Chad, where their shelter conditions are dire due to funding shortages, with only 14% of funding appeals met, UNHCR’s Dossou Patrice Ahouansou told the same briefing.
“This is an unprecedented crisis that we are facing. This is a crisis of humanity. This is a crisis of … protection based on the violence that refugees are reporting,” he said.

Many of those fleeing reported surviving terror and violence, he added, describing meeting a seven-year-old girl in Chad who was hurt in an attack on her home in Sudan’s Zamzam displacement camp that killed her father and two brothers and had to have her leg amputated during her escape. Her mother had been killed in an earlier attack, he said.

Source : https://www.reuters.com/world/africa/more-than-4-million-refugees-have-fled-sudan-since-war-began-un-says-2025-06-03/