Category: World

Prince Di has a nice ring to it.

Princess Diana once went undercover in male drag to sneak into a gay bar in London with late Queen frontman Freddie Mercury, according to a forthcoming biography.

In “Dianaworld: An Obsession,” out Tuesday, author Edward White recalls the legendary night, writing in an excerpt obtained by People that “furtive nocturnal activity plays an important role as moments when she secretly revealed hidden aspects of her true self.”

Per White, the “best-­known example” of this is “when Diana took a trip to one of London’s most famous gay bars.”

White cites comedy actress Cleo Rocos, who befriended Diana in the late ’80s and was present for the night in question, as was late radio personality Kenny Everett, the first DJ to play “Bohemian Rhapsody.”

“At some point in the evening, Rocos claims, Diana persuaded them to take her to the Royal Vauxhall Tavern, a place that Everett warned was ‘not for you  … full of hairy gay men,’” White pens.

“Diana was insistent, however, so Everett helped her disguise herself in male drag: ‘a camouflage army jacket, hair tucked up into a leather cap and dark aviator sunglasses. Scrutinizing her in the half-­light, we decided that the most famous icon of the modern world might just …JUST, pass for a rather eccentrically dressed gay male model.’”

He claims the plan “seemed to work,” as he quotes Rocos in saying, “It was fabulously outrageous and so bizarrely exciting …no one, absolutely no one, recognized Diana.”

According to White, the group “stayed for one drink and left. Diana returned to Kensington Palace and sent back Everett’s clothes the following day.”

Though he acknowledges that the “story sounds far-fetched,” White notes that “there are other, slightly less fantastical tales about Diana disguising herself on nights out, such as when she accompanied Hasnat Khan to Ronnie Scott’s jazz bar in Soho, the princess obscuring her true self beneath a wig and glasses.”

The biographer points out that “the story of Diana in drag at the Royal Vauxhall Tavern has been taken up as an illustration of her connection with the gay community and a metaphor for her own search for a family in which she felt truly accepted.”

In an interview published earlier this month, Rocos — who was particularly close with Everett — detailed what led to that night at Royal Vauxhall Tavern.

“We’d had a jolly lunch at the Bombay Brasserie in London. Diana always wanted to know what was going on in the world of showbiz, and we always wanted to know what was going on at her house. We all used to shriek with laughter,” Rocos, 62, told the Mirror UK.

“Usually, Diana would go home after lunch. But on this day, she came back to Kenny’s house. I went into the kitchen to make some more cocktails. Diana had kicked her shoes off, and she and Kenny were dancing to the Gypsy Kings. Kenny called Freddie Mercury and said, ‘Di’s here. Come over! We are watching ‘The Golden Girls.’”

Per Rocos, Diana soon inquired about what the group had planned for later that night — and what they were going to wear.

“My brother was a war photographer in El Salvador at the time. He had given me his camouflage jacket, and Kenny was going to borrow that. But Diana put on the jacket, and it looked great on her,” she remembered, adding that Everett “got out a leather cap” before Mercury “gave her some aviator sunglasses.”

Source : https://pagesix.com/2025/04/28/royal-family/princess-diana-wore-male-drag-to-sneak-into-gay-bar-with-freddie-mercury/

Ivanka Trump and her daughter, Arabella Rose, twinned in blue as President Donald Trump celebrated the Philadelphia Eagles’ 2025 Super Bowl win at the White House.

The socialite was photographed walking on the South Lawn with her 13-year-old daughter and 10-year-old son, Joseph Frederick, in Washington, DC, Monday.

Ivanka looked chic in a double-breasted blazer, a midi skirt and white pumps.

She styled her blond locks straight for the special occasion.

For Arabella’s part, she wore a sleeveless minidress with a flared skirt and white ballet flats.

She appeared to be wearing star-shaped earrings and also wore her brunette hair down.

Joseph, meanwhile, was dressed in an off-white suit.

The three appeared in good spirits as President Trump, 78, welcomed the Super Bowl winners.

The commander-in-chief was seen posing with Eagles head coach Nick Sirianni and offensive tackle Lane Johnson while holding a signed helmet.

Ivanka’s 8-year-old son, Theodore James, did not appear to be present.

The businesswoman shares her three kids with her husband, Jared Kushner, who also was not in attendance.

The family recently returned from a tropical getaway to Costa Rica.

Earlier this month, Ivanka was photographed surfing the waves in a black bikini while Kushner watched from the shore.

On another day, she sported an orange two-piece while surfing solo, as her sister-in-law Karlie Kloss remained on the sand with Kloss’ husband, Joshua Kushner, who is Jared’s younger brother.

Source : https://pagesix.com/2025/04/28/style/ivanka-and-arabella-trump-match-in-blue-for-eagles-white-house-visit/

Canadian prosecutors have charged a 30-year-old Vancouver resident with murder for killing at least 11 people aged between 5 and 65 and injuring dozens after he rammed an SUV through a crowd at a Filipino community festival in the western Canadian city, police said on Sunday.
The man, Kai-Ji Adam Lo, was charged with eight counts of second-degree murder by prosecutors in British Columbia and “further charges are anticipated,” according to a post on X by the Vancouver Police.

Lo appeared in court on Sunday, hours after police arrested him at the scene of the incident on Saturday evening. Court documents seen by Reuters did not show a plea.
Authorities described Lo as having had a “significant history” of interactions with authorities involving mental health. They said there was no evidence of terrorism.
“This is the darkest day in our city’s history,” Vancouver Interim Chief Constable Steve Rai told reporters at a Sunday press conference.
Police said two dozen people were injured, some critically, and warned that the death toll could rise in coming days and weeks. As of Sunday afternoon, Rai said he did not believe there were any ongoing threats to the community.

More than 100 police officers joined the investigation, as local officials worked with provincial and federal authorities to provide support services. Messages of condolence and support came from across the globe.
“The community will feel this for a long time,” RJ Aquino, chair of the community advocacy group Filipino BC, told reporters. “We want to tell everybody that we’re grieving. We want to tell everybody that we see and hear the support from around the world at this point.”
The attack on Saturday evening took place two days before Canada’s federal election on Monday.
Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney interrupted his campaigning and traveled to Vancouver on Sunday, where he knelt in front of candles and flowers laid at the scene of the car ramming to pay his respects to the victims. He also attended a church where he lit a candle and observed a moment of silence.

Carney earlier released a statement in which he expressed his condolences to the country’s Filipino community.
“Last night, families lost a sister, a brother, a mother, a father, a son or a daughter. Those families are living every family’s nightmare,” he told reporters in Hamilton, Ontario.
“I join all Canadians in mourning with you. I know that Canadians are united with you,” he said.
British Columbia Premier David Eby said at a press conference near the site of the attack on Sunday afternoon that it was hard not to feel rage towards the man who “murdered innocent people” for reasons that were not yet known.
“I want to turn the rage that I feel into ensuring that we stand with the Filipino community, that we deliver what they need, that we stand with those families who have lost loved ones,” he told reporters.
“I know it’s hard to believe it in this moment, but I know we will come back stronger.”
More than 12 hours after the incident, police still did not have a motive for the attack at the festival, which took place without a dedicated police presence or heavy vehicle barriers.

“There were no known threats to the event or to the Filipino community,” Rai said.
The suspect was initially chased down and held by festival-goers until police arrived, witnesses said. The injured were taken to multiple hospitals, police said.
The incident happened shortly after 8 p.m. (0300 GMT) in Vancouver’s Sunset neighborhood, an area known for its large Asian population, where the Lapu-Lapu Day Block Party, celebrating a Philippine national hero, was taking place.
One witness told CTV News he saw a black vehicle driving erratically in the area of the festival just before the crowd was struck. A photo of the aftermath posted online showed a dark Audi SUV with both front fenders crumpled and the hood pushed up toward the vehicle’s windshield.
While mass casualty attacks are far less common in Canada than in the United States, such incidents have occurred with some regularity north of the border.
At least two of those attacks involved motor vehicles. In 2021, a man killed four members of a Muslim family by running them over with a pickup truck. In 2018, a man drove a rented van into a lunch-hour crowd in Toronto, killing 10 people and injuring 15 along a sidewalk thronged with pedestrians.

‘HORRIFIC’

Online images from the scene in Vancouver showed the bodies of victims on the pavement alongside a row of colorful food trucks as others attended to them on a roadway littered with debris including what appeared to be a motorized scooter.
A witness who did not wish to be identified said he had seen about 15 people lying on the ground after the SUV plowed into the crowd. The witness said the driver tried to run but was chased down and held against a fence for about 10 minutes until police arrived.
“I didn’t get to see the driver, all I heard was an engine rev,” Yoseb Vardeh, co-owner of food truck Bao Buns, said in an interview with Postmedia.
“I got outside my food truck, I looked down the road and there’s just bodies everywhere,” said Vardeh, his voice breaking with emotion. “He went through the whole block, he went straight down the middle.”
The attack came at the end of the festival, following a concert headlined by Filipino-American rapper Apl.de.ap of the Black Eyed Peas, according to Mable Elmore, a member of the British Columbia Legislative Assembly, who attended the event.
“Everybody was happy and getting ready to go. And that’s when, that’s when the incident happened,” Elmore told reporters through tears.
“We are in incredible pain,” she said. “We will come together out of this catastrophe through the support and the love from the broad community.”
The festival, celebrated especially in the central Philippines, honors Datu Lapu-Lapu, a Filipino chieftain who defeated Spanish forces led by Ferdinand Magellan in the Battle of Mactan in 1521.
The government of British Columbia officially recognized April 27 as Lapu-Lapu Day in 2023, acknowledging the cultural contributions of the Filipino-Canadian community, one of the largest immigrant groups in the province.

Source : https://www.reuters.com/world/americas/multiple-dead-after-vehicle-drives-into-crowd-vancouver-street-festival-police-2025-04-27/

The death toll from a powerful explosion at Iran’s biggest port of Bandar Abbas has risen to at least 40, with more than 1,200 people injured, state media reported on Sunday, as firefighters worked to fully extinguish the fire.
Saturday’s blast took place in the Shahid Rajaee section of the port, Iran’s biggest container hub, shattering windows for several kilometres around, tearing metal strips off shipping containers and badly damaging goods inside, state media said.

The incident occurred as Iran held a third round of nuclear talks with the United States in Oman.
Fires kept breaking out in different parts of the affected area as of Sunday night, according to state media, with helicopters and fire fighters continuing efforts to extinguish them.
Chemicals at the port were suspected to have fuelled the explosion, but the exact cause was not clear and Iran’s Defence Ministry denied international media reports that the blast may be linked to the mishandling of solid fuel used for missiles.
A spokesperson for the ministry told state TV the reports were “aligned with enemy psyops”, saying that the blast-hit area did not contain any military cargo.

The Associated Press cited British security firm Ambrey as saying the port in March had received sodium perchlorate, which is used to propel ballistic missiles and whose mishandling could have led to the explosion.
The Financial Times newspaper reported in January the shipment of two Iranian vessels from China containing enough of the ingredient to propel as many as 260 mid-range missiles, helping Tehran to replenish its stocks following its direct missile attacks on its arch-foe Israel in 2024.

DEADLY INCIDENTS

Plumes of black smoke rose above the site on Sunday and pieces of twisted metal and debris lay scattered across the blast site.
By early afternoon, the head of Iran’s Red Crescent Society told state media the fire was 90% extinguished and officials said port activities had resumed in unaffected parts of Shahid Rajaee.

A spokesperson for the country’s crisis management organisation appeared on Saturday to blame the explosion on poor storage of chemicals in containers at Shahid Rajaee, adding that earlier warnings had highlighted potential safety risks.
Government spokesperson Fatemeh Mohajerani cautioned against “premature speculation”, saying final assessments would be shared after investigations.
Negligence has often been blamed in a series of deadly incidents that have hit Iranian energy and industrial infrastructure in recent years.
“Did we really have to hold the container here for 3-4 months… until we had 120-140 thousand containers stored in this place?”, Iran’s President Masoud Pezeshkian said after arriving in Bandar Abbas on Sunday.
Incidents in the country have included refinery fires, a gas explosion at a coal mine, and an emergency repair incident at Bandar Abbas that killed one worker in 2023.

Source : https://www.reuters.com/world/middle-east/death-toll-blast-irans-bandar-abbas-port-rises-25-2025-04-27/

The Chinese coastguard has seized a tiny sandbank in the South China Sea, state media has reported, in an escalation of a regional dispute with the Philippines.

State broadcaster CCTV released images of four officers, wearing all black and holding the Chinese flag, standing on the disputed reef of Sandy Cay in the Spratly Islands.

CCTV said China had “implemented maritime control and exercised sovereign jurisdiction” on the reef earlier in April.

Both China and the Philippines have staked claims on various islands. The Philippines said later on Sunday that it had landed on three sandbanks, releasing an image of officers holding up their national flag in a pose that mimicked the Chinese photo.

It is unclear whether one of the sandbanks the Philippines security forces landed on was also Sandy Cay.

In a statement, the National Task Force West Philippine Sea (NTF-WPS) said it witnessed “the illegal presence” of a Chinese Coastguard vessel 1,000 yards (914 metres) from one of the sandbanks, as well as seven Chinese militia vessels.

“This operation reflects the unwavering dedication and commitment of the Philippine Government to uphold the country’s sovereignty, sovereign rights and jurisdiction in the West Philippine Sea,” the statement said.

The dispute between the two nations has been escalating, with frequent confrontations including vessels colliding and scuffles.

Sandy Cay is near a Philippine military outpost on Thitu Island, also known as Pag-asa, which Manila reportedly uses to track Chinese movements in the area.

There is no sign that China is permanently occupying the 200 sq metre island and the coastguard is reported to have left.

The White House said reports of China seizing the reef were “deeply concerning if true”.

In comments reported by the Financial Times, James Hewitt, US National Security Council spokesperson, warned that “actions like these threaten regional stability and violate international law”, adding that the White House was “consulting closely with our own partners”.

The Chinese move comes as US and Philippine forces are carrying out their annual war scenario drills – called the Balikatan exercises. China has criticised the drills as provocative.

As many as 17,000 personnel are taking part in the coming days. Missiles from the US Marine Air Defense Integrated System were fired off the coast of the northern Philippines on Sunday, the system’s second live fire test and its first deployment to the Philippines. The drills are also set to feature the US anti-ship missile system NMESIS.

The Philippines military says the drills are a rehearsal for national defence but insists they are not directed at any particular country.

“This type of training is absolutely invaluable to us,” said Third Marine Littoral Regiment Officer John Lehane.

The exercise has helped allay fears among some US allies that Donald Trump may upend the years-long military support it has provided in the region.

On a visit to Manila last month, US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth said Washington was “doubling down” on its alliance with the country and was determined to “re-establish deterrence” against China.

There have been wrangles over territory in the South China Sea for centuries, but tension has grown in recent years.

China claims by far the largest portion of territory in an area demarcated by its so-called “nine-dash line”. The line comprises nine dashes which extends hundreds of miles south and east from its most southerly province of Hainan. Beijing has backed its expansive claims with island-building and naval patrols.

Source : https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/creqp4lxnl4o

The Army Blackhawk pilot involved in the Washington, DC, plane crash failed to heed her flight instructor’s warning just 15 seconds before the deadly crash that killed 67 people, according to a new report.

Moments before the deadly Jan. 29 crash near Reagan International Airport, Capt. Rebecca Lobach missed an order from co-pilot Andrew Eaves, who was overseeing her training mission, to change course and avoid the descending American Airlines jet, the New York Times reported.

Along with the error, officials found that the pilots “stepped on” some of the air traffic controller’s instructions, meaning they accidentally cut him off when pressing the button to talk over the radio and likely missed important information.

A key moment occurred around 8:46 p.m., when Eaves requested and received approval for the helicopter’s pilots to use their own visuals instead of air-traffic control to avoid other air traffic. The move is common practice to speed things up, but of course comes with the risk of more human error.

During that moment, investigators believe Eaves and Lobach failed to hear that the American Airlines plane was “circling” because one of them was pressing the microphone key to speak to air traffic control when the word came through.

Just 20 seconds before the crash occurred, the air-traffic controller asked the helicopter if it spotted American Airlines Flt. 5342, which was coming up on Runway 33 where the chopper was approaching.

“PAT two-five, do you have the CRJ in sight?” he asked, using the abbreviation for the model of Flt. 5342’s aircraft.

That was the last communication between the plane and the air-traffic controller.

Technology on the Black Hawk that would have allowed air traffic control to better track the helicopter was also found to be turned off that day, common protocol if the training mission had been for real.

But it was a practice mission involving an annual flying assessment for Robach, who was training as if top congressional officials needed to be flown from a Capitol under siege.

Brig. Gen. Matthew Braman, the Army’s director of aviation, said it was clear that multiple factors contributed to the deadly crash.

“I think what we’ll find in the end is there were multiple things that, had any one of them changed, it could have well changed the outcome of that evening,” he said.

Aviation experts have long bemoaned the practice of allowing pilots to navigate on their own, as human error can often lead to tragedy, especially in the exceedingly busy conditions around Reagan airport.

Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy has since openly criticized the long-standing practice and vowed to get rid of it as he likened it to “threading a needle.”

There was also an apparent discrepancy between two of the three Army pilots aboard the doomed chopper about what altitude they were flying at, according to investigators — and they were well above the 200-foot limit for that location.

At one point before the collision, the helicopter’s pilot announced that they were at 300 feet, but the instructor pilot was also heard saying the helicopter was at 400 feet, according to recordings.

Source : https://nypost.com/2025/04/27/us-news/army-blackhawk-pilot-in-dc-crash-failed-to-heed-flight-instructors-command-15-seconds-before-deadly-collision-report/

President Donald Trump is mulling ways to combat America’s ongoing birth and fertility crisis. One possibility: cold, hard cash.

“Sounds like a good idea to me,” Trump told The Post last week when asked about the potential $5,000 “baby bonus” to get more Americans to have kids.

As a mother of six, I can’t help but wonder — will that be retroactive?

The idea calls to mind the meme of a drowning man, hand barely above water, reaching out for help — only to get a high-five before slipping under.

That’s exactly what this proposal feels like: a symbolic gesture in the face of a sinking reality.

A one-time payout of $5,000 — an amount that wouldn’t even cover the cost of one of my births — isn’t a life raft, but a pat on the head as families struggle to stay afloat amid rising costs, child-care shortages and a culture that undervalues parenthood.

American families don’t need a flashy push present. We need durable policy change.

We need tax reform rooted in research, reflecting the real needs of modern mothers and fathers, and support that empowers families to dream bigger, not just survive.

Several Republicans on Capitol Hill are thinking deeply about how to ease that burden.

Rep. Blake Moore (R-Utah), a father of four, this year introduced the Family First Act to update the IRS’s Child Tax Credit.

His proposal would boost the CTC from $2,000 to $4,200 for each young child, $3,000 for kids aged 6 to 17, and add a new $2,800 credit for pregnant moms.

That’s a policy with potential, recognizing that raising children isn’t a one-time cost, but a long-term commitment.

Nations around the globe are sounding alarms about the birth dearth. Countries like Hungary, South Korea and Iran have launched programs to reverse their demographic decline — with little success.

Meanwhile, according to recently released Centers for Disease Control and Prevention data, America’s fertility rate has slipped to 1.62 births per woman, far below the 2.1 needed to sustain our population.

And here’s the deeper issue: the problem isn’t just a drop in babies, it’s a drop in marriages.

Since 1970, the US marriage rate has fallen by 60%. While married couples (especially religious ones) still do have children — and statistically have more sex than singletons do — there are simply far fewer of them today.

So maybe instead of a $5,000 baby bonus, Trump should consider a one-time tax break for newlyweds.

Marriage is still the most reliable path to a thriving family, and federal policies should reflect that.

Of course, money alone can’t solve this crisis. We also need a culture shift, a reawakening to the beauty and adventure of family life.

Across our culture, from social media to movies to TV to print, marriage is portrayed as bondage (and not the fun kind, either), and kids as exhausting, soul-sucking thieves of joy.

And while Elon Musk is a loud voice in favor of bringing more progeny into the world, his personal “harem model” isn’t exactly the blueprint for a flourishing society.

The better answer? Pro-family policy and pro-family storytelling.

Moore’s Family First Act, for example, won’t solve the whole problem, but it sends the right message: families matter.

As Moore told me, “Moving toward a pro-family culture will require considering both immediate incentives and lasting policy change.”

Policy isn’t just economics, it’s narrative. It’s messaging.

And right now, American families need more than a one-time payment. They need a plan, and they need to feel seen.

Which brings me to a moment last week, halfway around the world, that somehow felt very close to home: Vice President JD Vance‘s X post of a perfectly imperfect photo of himself, his wife Usha and their squirming, squinting children on their official trip to India.

The caption? “With three little kids staring into the sun, this was actually the best photo we got at the Taj Mahal today” — followed by a laughing emoji.

That’s the kind of positive, pro-family image Americans need to see more of: messy, real and beautiful.

Source : https://nypost.com/2025/04/27/opinion/trumps-5k-bonus-wont-bring-more-babies-heres-what-will/

A new carnivorous caterpillar that wears the remains of its prey has been dubbed the “bone collector.”

The odd insect is only found on the Hawaiian island of Oahu. It creeps along spiderwebs, feeding on trapped insects and decorating its silk case with their body parts.

There are other meat-eating caterpillars that “do lots of crazy things, but this takes the cake,” said study author Dan Rubinoff with the University of Hawaii at Manoa.

Scientists think the case might act as camouflage, allowing the caterpillar to feast on the spider’s ensnared meals without getting caught.

A host of caterpillars native to Hawaii use silk glands to spin protective cases studded with lichen, sand and other materials. This one is the first to use ant heads and fly wings.

“It really is an astonishing type of case,” said Steven Montgomery, an entomology consultant in Hawaii who was not involved with the new study.

Findings were published Thursday in the journal Science. Scientists found just 62 of the carnivorous caterpillars in over 20 years of observing.

Predatory caterpillars are extremely rare and the bone collectors found in Hawaii will even eat each other, researchers said.

Source : https://apnews.com/article/carnivorous-caterpillar-hawaii-bone-collector-624af97c9a1c65fc3a2eac85cf19b4f6

Elon Musk spent years building cachet as a business titan and tech visionary, brushing aside critics and skeptics to become the richest person on the planet.

But as Musk gained power in Washington in recent months, his popularity has waned, according to a poll from The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research.

Just 33% of U.S. adults have a favorable view of Musk, the chain-saw-wielding, late-night-posting, campaign-hat-wearing public face of President Donald Trump’s efforts to downsize and overhaul the federal government. That share is down from 41% in December.

“It was a shame that he crashed and burned his reputation,” said Ernest Pereira, 27, a Democrat who works as a lab technician in North Carolina. “He bought into his own hype.”

The poll found that about two-thirds of adults believe Musk has held too much influence over the federal government during the past few months — although that influence may be coming to an end. The billionaire entrepreneur is expected to leave his administration job in the coming weeks.

Musk is noticeably less popular than the overall effort to pare back the government workforce, which Trump has described as bloated and corrupt. About half of U.S. adults believe the Republican president has gone too far on reducing the size of the federal workforce, while roughly 3 in 10 think he is on target and 14% want him to go even further.

Retiree Susan Wolf, 75, of Pennsylvania, believes the federal government is too big but Musk has “made a mess of everything.”

“I don’t trust him,” she said. “I don’t think he knows what he’s doing.”

Wolf, who is not registered with a political party, said Musk’s private sector success does not translate to Washington.

“He thinks you run a government like you run a business. And you don’t do that,” she said. “One is for the benefit of the people, and the other is for the benefit of the corporation.”

Much of the downsizing has been done through so-called the Department of Government Efficiency, or DOGE, which was Musk’s brainchild during last year’s campaign. Thousands of federal employees have been fired or pushed to quit, contracts have been canceled and entire agencies have been brought to a standstill.

Musk has succeeded in providing a dose of shock therapy to the federal government, but he has fallen short of other goals. After talking about cutting spending by $1 trillion, he has set a much lower target of $150 billion. Even reaching that amount could prove challenging, and DOGE has regularly overstated its progress.

He is expected to start dedicating more time to Tesla, his electric automaker that has suffered plummeting revenue while he was working for Trump. Musk told investors on a recent conference call that “now that the major work of establishing the Department of Government Efficiency is done,” he expects to spend just “a day or two per week on government matters.”

Musk, in his work for the administration, has continued a political evolution toward the right. Although the South African-born entrepreneur was never easy to categorize ideologically, he championed the fight against climate change and often supported Democratic candidates.

Now he criticizes “the woke mind virus” and warns of the collapse of Western civilization from the threats of illegal migration and excess government spending.

Musk’s increasingly conservative politics are reflected in the polling. Only about 2 in 10 independents and about 1 in 10 Democrats view Musk favorably, compared with about 7 in 10 Republicans.

In addition, while about 7 in 10 independents and about 9 in 10 Democrats believe Musk has too much influence, only about 4 in 10 Republicans feel that way.

Mark Collins, 67, a warehouse manager from Michigan who has leaned Republican in recent years, said Musk “runs a nice, tight ship” at his companies, “and the government definitely needs tightening up.”

Source : https://apnews.com/article/musk-trump-doge-tesla-d1206a96983b30b9cef7b18eaa8c48a7

More than 100 immigrants suspected of being in the United States illegally were taken into custody early Sunday following a federal raid at an illegal after-hours nightclub in Colorado Springs, Colorado, authorities said.

Video posted online by the Drug Enforcement Administration showed agents announcing their presence outside the building and ordering patrons to leave with their hands up. Other videos showed dozens of people fleeing the building through its entrance after federal agents smashed a window. Later, dozens of suspects were shown in handcuffs standing on a sidewalk waiting to be transported.

During his second stint as U.S. president, Donald Trump ’s unprecedented campaign of immigration enforcement has pushed the limits of executive power, and he has clashed with federal judges trying to restrain him. The crackdown has included detaining more than 1,000 international college students, some of whom have seen their legal status restored, at least temporarily. The policies have slowed immigration at the southern border to a relative trickle.

On Sunday in Colorado, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement took the club-going immigrants into custody, said Jonathan Pullen, special agent in charge of the DEA’s Rocky Mountain Division.

“Colorado Springs is waking up to a safer community today,” he said. The city, Colorado’s second largest, lies about 70 miles (113 kilometers) south of Denver.

More than 300 law enforcement officers and officials from multiple agencies responded to the nightclub, which had been under investigation for several months for alleged activities including drug trafficking, prostitution and “crimes of violence,” Pullen said at a news conference. Cocaine was among the drugs found, he said.

“When the cops showed up at the door, most of the drugs hit the floor,” Pullen said.

An undisclosed number of guns were seized, he said.

Trump posted a link to the DEA video of the raid on his social media site, Truth Social. “A big Raid last night on some of the worst people illegally in our Country — Drug Dealers, Murderers, and other Violent Criminals, of all shapes and sizes,” the president wrote.

Pullen estimated more than 200 people were inside the nightclub. Also among those detained were a dozen active-duty military members who either were patrons or working as armed security. Some patrons were arrested on undisclosed outstanding warrants, Pullen said.

Source : https://apnews.com/article/colorado-nightclub-raid-immigration-c0e46855c2a8b18d532560f12158e394

What if your work self didn’t know about your personal life, and your home self had no idea what you did for a living? In Apple TV’s Severance, that’s exactly the deal: a surgical procedure splits the memories of employees into “innies” (who only exist at work) and “outies” (who never recall what they do from nine to five).

On the surface, it sounds like an ideal solution to a growing cybersecurity problem of insider threats, such as leaks or sabotage by employees. After all, if an employee can’t remember what they accessed at work, how can they leak it, sabotage it, or sell it?

As someone who has researched insider threats for the last decade I can’t help but see Severance as a cautionary tale of what happens when we try to eliminate threats without understanding people.

The threat from within

Insider threats really hit prominence in the wake of high-profile incidents like Chelsea Manning and Edward Snowden, who both leaked top secret government information. These threats are one of the most persistent challenges in security because unlike “traditional” hackers, insiders already have access to sensitive systems and information.

They might act maliciously, stealing trade secrets or exposing data, or accidentally, through phishing links or lost devices. Either way, the consequences can be more serious because of the unprecedented levels of access someone has while working within an organization.

While we often think of the high-profile cases in the first instance, the reality of most insider incidents is far less dramatic. Think of the disgruntled employee who downloads a client database before leaving, or the well-meaning staff member who shares a sensitive file via the wrong link.

In fact, one of the most iconic examples of an insider threat in fiction is Jurassic Park. The entire catastrophe begins, not with a dinosaur, but with a software engineer, Dennis Nedry, who disables the park’s security in an attempt to steal trade secrets. It’s a reminder that even the most sophisticated systems can be undone by a single rogue employee.

Organizations try to manage this through access controls, behavior monitoring and training. But people are unpredictable. Insider threats sit at the messy intersection of human behavior, organizational culture and digital systems.

This is where Severance strikes a chord. What if you could eliminate the human risk altogether, by turning employees into separate, tightly compartmentalized selves? In the show, workers at the shadowy Lumon Corporation have no memory of their job outside the office and vice versa.

In a sense, it’s the ultimate form of “need to know.” An “innie” can’t tell anyone what they do because they don’t know anything beyond their desk. It’s a very elegant, although ethically problematic, solution for someone working in security. However, as the series unfolds, it becomes clear that the levels of control on offer through the process of severance come with a terrible cost.

The problem with control

The innies in Severance are trapped in an endless workday, unable to understand the meaning or value of their tasks. They form bonds, question authority and ultimately rebel. Ironically, it is the severed employees, the ones who are most closely controlled in the company, who become the greatest insider threat to Lumon.

This mirrors something we know from real organizations: excessive surveillance, control and secrecy often backfires. For instance, Amazon has faced repeated criticism over its use of tracking technologies to monitor warehouse workers’ movements and productivity, with reports suggesting this has contributed to high stress, burnout and even rule-breaking as workers try to “game” the system.

A 2022 study published in Harvard Business Review found that employees who feel overly monitored are significantly more likely to break rules or engage in counterproductive behavior – undermining the very goals of workplace surveillance. If people feel undervalued or mistreated, they’re more likely to become disengaged or actively hostile. Security systems that ignore culture and trust are therefore often brittle.

What Severance gets right is that insider threats are emotional and ethical problems as much as technical ones. They stem from how people feel about their role, their autonomy and their identity within a system. This is something that we can’t simply patch within a piece of software.

Lessons from fiction

Thankfully, no company in the real world is proposing surgical memory separation, at least not yet. But in an age of algorithmic management, increasing surveillance, and growing concerns about privacy, Severance resonates. It forces us to ask just how far should we go in the name of security?

The answer isn’t to separate people from their work, but to build systems that are secure and respectful of the people within them; something increasingly backed by research.

That means better design, clearer boundaries and a workplace culture that values openness, not just compliance. For example, implementing clear expectations around work hours and communication norms can help prevent burnout and promote wellbeing.

Encouraging open communication channels, such as anonymous feedback systems, empowers employees to voice concerns without fear, fostering a culture of trust. Additionally, designing physical workspaces that promote collaboration, like open-plan areas and communal lounges, can enhance team cohesion and reflect organizational values.

If we follow the example set by Lumon and try to remove all risk then we lose something far more essential – the humanity at the center of our systems and organizations. Ultimately, removing that human focus could be the most significant vulnerability of all.

Source : https://studyfinds.org/severance-show-cybersecurity-human-risk/

VIRGINIA Giuffre made a tragic admission just weeks before her death aged 41.

The mum-of-three, who was sex trafficked by Jeffrey Epstein as a teenager, died by suicide at her home in Western Australia on Friday night.

She had spent years speaking out of her abuse at the hands of convicted sex offenders Epstein and his ex-girlfriend Ghislaine Maxwell.

Cops confirmed her death was being investigated but was considered “not suspicious”.

Virginia told how she was “ready to go” just weeks before her death when she posted a bruised snap from her hospital bed, claiming she had just “four days to live”.

Her caption read: “I’m ready to go, just not until I see my babies one last time. My heart is shattered and every day that passes my sadness only deepens.”

The bus accident story took a twist when cops described the crash as minor and said no major injuries were reported.

Parents of children on the bus also spoke out – reportedly disputing the severity of the incident.

The late mum and activist was reportedly fearful that her enemies were attempting to ruin her reputation in the months before she died.

A friend told Mail Online: “Being discredited was one of the many things distressing her in recent months.”

Virginia was apparently “deeply upset” about being mocked over the bruised image she posted of herself in a hospital bed.

Announcing Virginia’s tragic death on Saturday, her family said the toll of her abuse was “so heavy” it became “unbearable for Virginia to handle its weight”.

They said in a statement: “It is with utterly broken hearts that we announce that Virginia passed away last night at her farm in Western Australia.

“She lost her life to suicide, after being a lifelong victim of sexual abuse and sex trafficking.”

They added: “Virginia was a fierce warrior in the fight against sexual abuse and sex trafficking. She was the light that lifted so many survivors.

“In the end, the toll of abuse is so heavy that it became unbearable for Virginia to handle its weight.”

Virginia alleged Epstein and Maxwell trafficked her to the Duke of York when she was 17 – a claim Andrew has denied.

Police confirmed emergency services were called to reports of an unresponsive woman at a property in the Perth suburb of Neergabby on Friday night.

Virginia’s brother Danny Wilson paid tribute to his sister on Facebook with a photo of the pair and another man.

And her long-time publicist Dini von Mueffling said her client was “one of the most extraordinary human beings I have ever had the honour to know”.

“Deeply loving, wise, and funny, she was a beacon to other survivors and victims,” she added.

“It was the privilege of a lifetime to represent her.”

Sigrid McCawley, a lawyer for Virginia, said: “Her courage pushed me to fight harder, and her strength was awe-inspiring.

“The world has lost an amazing human being today. Rest in peace, my sweet angel.”

It comes just weeks after Virginia, who was believed to have been separated from her husband, was treated in an Australian hospital following a bus crash.

She was charged with breaching a family violence restraining order in Ocean Reef, near Perth, on February 2, Western Australia Courts said.

Virginia’s case was first heard in Joondalup Magistrates’ Court in northern Perth on March 14, where she did not enter a plea.

The matter was adjourned to June 11 for a plea hearing, according to Western Australia Courts.

American-born Virginia lived in Australia for years, becoming an advocate for sex trafficking survivors after emerging as a central figure in the prolonged downfall of disgraced paedophile financier Epstein.

The mum, who leaves behind three children, sued Prince Andrew in 2021, claiming she was trafficked and forced to have sex with the Duke on three occasions when she was a teen.

It was the first time she had brought action against him after going public with the allegations in 2011.

Though a special tribunal has been created to prosecute Russia’s crimes in Ukraine, there are various hindrances to its functioning. It could take months, if not years, before officials are tried.

Will Russia one day be brought to justice for its crimes in Ukraine? Plans for a special tribunal are in place, but nothing has yet been decided at a political level. Details of the tribunal, to be held under the auspices of the Council of Europe, are still secret. What is certain is that Russian President Vladimir Putin cannot be prosecuted as long as he is in office, since acting heads of state have immunity. Despite this, the body is being unofficially described as the “Putin tribunal” because international law holds heads of state responsible for any aggression against another country.

The special tribunal can already investigate Russia’s leadership and possibly also that of Belarus, says Jörg Polakiewicz, head of the Directorate of Legal Advice and Public International Law (DLAPIL) of the Council of Europe. However, the Council of Europe does not have the same powers as the United Nations Security Council, which can waive the immunity of high-ranking officials of a country, and in Russia’s case this could include the president, prime minister, and foreign minister.

“The special tribunal will not try Vladimir Putin in absentia as long as he is president of Russia,” confirmed a representative of the European Union in Brussels. The same applies to Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin and Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov.

“This is of course absurd,” criticized Oleksandra Matviichuk, head of the Nobel Peace Prize-winning Ukrainian human rights organization the Center for Civil Liberties. She and her colleagues have been collecting evidence for more than 11 years and expect those responsible for atrocities to be held accountable.

Immunity for high-ranking officials

A source familiar with how the special tribunal has been set up said that a case against Putin, Mishustin and Lavrov was being built on investigations that have been carried out already. But they said that no arrest warrant could be issued, or charges brought, unless the suspects’ immunity was lifted.

The same source, who wanted to remain anonymous, said that investigations were underway into about two dozen Russian officials on a list drawn up by Ukraine. They said that the tribunal would focus on high-ranking political and military officials responsible for planning, preparing and implementing Russia’s military aggression against Ukraine.

Matviichuk pointed out that it wasn’t just top Nazi leaders who were prosecuted during the Nuremberg trials after World War Two. “It was clear that not just three people were responsible for the crimes,” she said.

The circle of decision-makers in Russia has yet to be defined, but Gleb Bogush of the Institute for International Peace and Security Law at Cologne University said that there was talk of around 20 people. “The court should clarify that,” he said, insisting that there should be a fair trial in which everyone would be heard by an independent court.

Bogush said that the creators of the tribunal had effectively recognized Putin’s privileges by confirming that he was untouchable. He said it would have been better to leave the question of immunity to the judges, and he criticized the Council of Europe for failing to declare Putin an illegitimate president. The decision to grant the president immunity, he argued, was a dangerous signal that could be interpreted as an invitation to ignore the orders of the International Criminal Court (ICC), which has issued an arrest warrant for Putin.

However, the Council of Europe told DW that it believes that “the formula found for the special tribunal on this issue will be sufficient to ensure accountability and counter impunity,” before adding that personal immunity was by no means “a carte blanche for impunity.”

War began in February 2014

The question remains as to which period the tribunal will take into consideration. “The war did not begin in February 2022, but in February 2014,” said Matviichuk, referring to the 2014 annexation of Crimea and the start of the war in eastern Ukraine before Russia’s full-scale invasion. She said if these were not taken into account, it “would have long-term legal consequences for those who suffered in the eight years before 2022, as well as for the restoration of international law and the return of occupied territories to Ukraine.”

A group of legal experts started drawing up the plan for a special tribunal in 2023 and presented it in March 2025. This plan includes a treaty between Ukraine and the Council of Europe, a statute and an agreement on the management of the tribunal.

DW’s anonymous source said the decision had been made to base the tribunal in The Hague with the consent of the Netherlands and that Kyiv would hand over the results of its investigations. Evidence collected by the International Center for the Prosecution of the Crime of Aggression against Ukraine (ICPA) will also be taken into account. The ICPA, which comprises prosecutors from different countries, was set up in The Hague with the support of the European Commission.

The special tribunal was set up at the Council of Europe because the United Nations was not an option, as Russia would have vetoed any project in the Security Council. The International Criminal Court was also ruled out because its jurisdiction only extends to states that are party to the Rome Statute, which Russia is not.

But this arrangement brings its own complications, as Russia was excluded from the organization because of its invasion of Ukraine. “But the fact that the victim and aggressor were members of the organization at the beginning of the aggression is of great importance for its legitimacy,” said Polakiewicz.

Source : https://www.dw.com/en/ukraine-hurdles-to-special-tribunal-prosecuting-russias-war-of-aggression/a-72363945

Top officials in US President Donald Trump’s administration on Sunday (Apr 27) pressed Russia and Ukraine to make headway on a peace deal following a one-on-one meeting between Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy at the Vatican a day earlier.

“It needs to happen soon,” US Secretary of State Marco Rubio told NBC’s ‘Meet the Press.’ “We cannot continue to dedicate time and resources to this effort if it’s not going to come to fruition.”

Rubio said the US would consider in the coming week whether to continue mediating talks “or if it’s time to sort of focus on some other issues.”

Trump and Zelenskyy, in Rome for the funeral of Pope Francis, met in a Vatican basilica on Saturday to try to revive faltering efforts to end Russia’s war with Ukraine. The meeting was the first between the two leaders since an angry encounter in the Oval Office in Washington in February and comes at a critical time in negotiations aimed at bringing an end to the conflict.

In a Truth Social post later on Saturday, Trump rebuked Russian President Vladimir Putin over recent attacks on Ukraine, saying “there was no reason for Putin to be shooting missiles into civilian areas, cities and towns, over the last few days.”

In a pre-taped interview that aired on CBS News’ ‘Face the Nation’ on Sunday, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said Russia would continue to target sites used by Ukraine’s military.

When asked about a Russian strike on Kyiv last week that killed civilians, Lavrov said “the target attacked was not something absolutely civilian” and that Russia only targets “sites which are used by the military.”

Zelenskyy wrote on the messaging app Telegram that his top military commander had reported that Russia had already conducted nearly 70 attacks on Sunday.

“The situation at the front and the real activity of the Russian army prove that there is currently insufficient pressure on Russia from the world to end this war,” he said.

DIFFERING PROPOSALS

Ukrainian and European officials pushed back last week against some US proposals on how to end Russia’s war in Ukraine, making counterproposals on issues from territory to sanctions, Reuters reported on Friday.

The primary areas of difference in the two proposals were over the sequencing for resolving questions over territory, the lifting of sanctions on Russia, security guarantees and the size of Ukraine’s military.

American proposals called for US recognition of Russia’s control over Crimea, the Ukrainian peninsula Moscow seized and annexed in 2014, as well as de facto recognition of Russia’s hold on other parts of Ukraine.

In contrast, the European and Ukrainian proposal defers detailed discussion about territory until after a ceasefire is concluded.

German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius said on Sunday that Ukraine should not agree to the US proposal, saying it went too far in ceding swathes of territory in return for a ceasefire.

Despite the divergent views, Trump’s national security adviser on Sunday said the meeting with Zelenskyy showed his determination to reach a deal.

“That meeting is going to go down in the history books for President Trump, to be a president of peace,” National Security Adviser Mike Waltz told Fox News’ ‘Sunday Morning Futures.’

Waltz said Trump has “expressed his frustration” at the leaders of both nations but remained determined to help negotiate an agreement. He also said the US and Ukraine would eventually reach an agreement over rare earth minerals and that talks continued over the weekend.

Democrats in the US Congress have criticized Trump’s approach to the conflict and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer said on Sunday that he was concerned Trump would “cave in to Putin.”

Source : https://www.channelnewsasia.com/world/trump-officials-push-russia-ukraine-peace-deal-after-vatican-meeting-5093316

The US wants to explore “creative solutions” for some critical exports from Singapore, including pharmaceuticals, as both sides discuss concessions on the global tariffs imposed by the Trump administration, Deputy Prime Minister Gan Kim Yong said on Sunday (Apr 27).

Mr Gan, who is also Minister for Trade and Industry, told reporters that he spoke to his US counterpart, Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick, on Friday when they identified key areas to address.

“Secretary Lutnick has emphasised several times that he’s prepared to start this discussion with us, because we are a friend, an important trading partner, and because the US trusts Singapore,” he told reporters at One Punggol.

Mr Gan chairs the Singapore Economic Resilience Taskforce, looking into the impact of the tariffs on the country.

He is also the anchor minister for the People’s Action Party (PAP) team contesting Punggol GRC in this General Election.

He said he decided to take some time off the campaign trail to take the call, as it was “an important discussion” to have and one which turned out to be “very good”.

Mr Trump on Apr 2 announced sweeping tariffs on all imports, with a baseline rate of 10 per cent on countries that include Singapore. Dozens of other trading partners, including China, were slapped with higher tariffs.

While there is now a 90-day pause on most of the hefty “reciprocal tariffs”, the baseline 10 per cent duty kicked in on Apr 5.

Mr Gan said Mr Lutnick explained during their call that the 10 per cent baseline tariff is an umbrella one which is “not likely to be subject to negotiation”.

“However, he also pointed out that Singapore being an important trading partner and a friend, he would like to explore creative solutions to see how we can strengthen the bilateral trade between Singapore and the US, particularly with regard to critical exports from Singapore to US, exports that are important to us,” he said.

This could include products such as pharmaceuticals, which is something “very important” to Singapore, contributing over 10 per cent of the country’s exports to the US, said Mr Gan.

Another area discussed is artificial intelligence chips.

Meghan Markle gave a rare glimpse of her children’s bright red hair as they spent quality time together in the garden.

The Duchess of Sussex took to Instagram Sunday to share photos of son Prince Archie, 5, and daughter Princess Lilibet, 3, picking flowers.

Markle was all smiles as she grabbed a pink rose for her daughter, who was dressed in a similar color.

Archie, meanwhile, was seen picking a white rose. In another shot, he was pictured holding the flower up to the camera in front of his face.

He sported a blue long-sleeved shirt and black pants for the outing.

“Sunday kind of love….with my little loves,” Markle, 43, captioned the photo carousel.

The “Suits” alum has been sharing more of her life with husband Prince Harry and their kids since she started posting on her new Instagram account earlier this year.

For Valentine’s Day, she shared a sweet clip of Lilibet assisting her in the kitchen by cutting strawberries into hearts and putting them on bagels.

Markle also shared a video of Lilibet and her “auntie” Serena Williams playing Candy Land together.

“When the aunties come to play and celebrate! Love you @serenawilliams,” she captioned the clip.

The “With Love, Meghan” star has also shown her children indulging in a cake that “papa” Harry, 40, brought back from a trip to Ukraine.

Most recently, Lilibet reviewed her mom’s strawberry jam.

Source : https://pagesix.com/2025/04/27/parents/meghan-markle-gives-rare-glimpse-of-little-loves-prince-archie-and-princess-lilibet/

In view of the cross-border linkages to the Pahalgam attack, India announced a raft of punitive measures, including the suspension of the 65-year-old Indus Waters Treaty, closing of the Attari land-border crossing and the expulsion of Pakistani military attaches.

Pakistan minister Hanif Abbasi is the new entrant in the ‘war threat’ club after Defence Minister Khawaja Asif and Bilawal Bhutto Zardari. Days after India suspended the Indus Waters Treaty over cross-border links to the Pahalgam terror attack, that left 26 civilians dead, Abbasi said that Pakistan’s nuclear weapons are not for display and have been kept “only for India.”
Reacting to India’s decision to suspend the Indus Waters Treaty – a watersharing agreement between Delhi and Islamabad, Abbasi warned of nuclear retaliation. Pakistan’s nuclear arsenal, including Ghori, Shaheen and Ghaznavi missiles along with 130 nuclear warheads, has been hidden across the country, Abbasi said.
“If they stop the water supply to us, then they should be ready for a war,” Abbasi was quoted as saying by Pak media outlets. “The missiles we have, they’re not for display. Nobody knows where we have placed our nuclear weapons across the country. I say it again, these ballistic missiles, all of them are targeted at you,” he said.

Earlier, Pakistan Defence Minister Khawaja Asif had claimed that the cash-strapped “would make India pay if Pakistani citizens were harmed.” “If India conducts acts of terrorism in our cities, it will be a tit for tat and we will make them pay,”

PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari also joined the club over the suspension of Indus Waters Treaty. “The Indus is ours and will remain ours. Either our water will flow through it, or their blood will,” Bhutto was quoted as saying at a public rally on Friday.

26 civilians, mostly tourists, were killed after terrorists from The Resistance Front (TRF) – an offshoot of Pakistan-based terror group Lashkar-e-Taiba opened fire at Baisaran meadow in Jammu and Kashmir’s Pahalgam.
In view of the cross-border linkages to the Pahalgam attack, India on Wednesday announced a raft of punitive measures, including the suspension of the 65-year-old Indus Waters Treaty, closing of the Attari land-border crossing and the expulsion of Pakistani military attaches.

Source : https://www.timesnownews.com/india/pakistan-minister-hanif-abbasi-warning-130-nukes-aimed-at-india-indus-waters-treaty-article-151507961

During a phone call with his Pakistani counterpart Ishaq Dar, Chinese foreign minister said China is closely following developments after the Pahalgam attack.

China on Sunday backed its close ally Pakistan in safeguarding its sovereignty and security interests, with foreign minister Wang Yi calling on New Delhi and Islamabad to exercise restrain in the aftermath of the terror attack in Pahalgam.

During a phone call with his Pakistani counterpart Ishaq Dar, Wang said China is closely following developments after the terror attack and backs an “impartial investigation” into the incident, according to a readout from China’s foreign ministry.

Wang’s comments came against the backdrop of heightened tensions between India and Pakistan following the terrorist attack on tourists near Pahalgam on April 22 that killed 26 people. The attack was claimed by The Resistance Front, a proxy for Pakistan-based Lashkar-e-Taiba.

India announced a slew of punitive measures against Pakistan, including the suspension of the Indus Waters Treaty and closure of the only operational land border crossing at Attari. Pakistan said any stopping of river waters will be seen as an “act of war” and unveiled counter-measures such as the closure of its airspace to Indian airliners and suspension of all trade.

“China has always supported Pakistan in its resolute anti-terrorism actions. As a staunch friend and all-weather strategic partner, China fully understands Pakistan’s reasonable security concerns and supports Pakistan in safeguarding its sovereignty and security interests,” Wang was quoted as saying in the Chinese readout.

China is closely following the “development of the current situation” and “supports an impartial investigation as soon as possible”, Wang said.

Conflict is not in the fundamental interests of India and Pakistan, or conducive to regional peace and stability, and both countries should “exercise restraint, meet each other halfway and promote the cooling of the situation”, he said.

Dar, who is also Pakistan’s deputy prime minister, briefed Wang on the tensions between Pakistan and India over the terror attack and said Islamabad has always been resolute in combating terrorism and “opposed taking actions that may lead to an escalation of the situation”, the Chinese readout said.

Dar said Pakistan is committed to managing the situation in a mature manner and will maintain communication with China and the world community.

Pakistan’s foreign ministry said in a statement that Dar rejected India’s “unilateral and illegal actions” and “its baseless propaganda against Pakistan”.

Dar also expressed “appreciation for China’s consistent and unwavering support” and reaffirmed Pakistan’s strong commitment to the shared vision of an all-weather strategic cooperative partnership,” the statement said.

“Both sides reiterated their firm resolve to uphold regional peace and stability, promote mutual respect and understanding, and jointly oppose unilateralism and hegemonic policies,” it said.

There was no immediate response from Indian officials to the comments by the Chinese and Pakistani foreign ministers.

In a separate development, external affairs minister S Jaishankar spoke to his British counterpart David Lammy on Sunday and “discussed the cross-border terrorist attack at Pahalgam”. Jaishankar said in a social media post that he had “underlined the importance of zero tolerance for terrorism”.

Source : https://www.hindustantimes.com/india-news/china-vows-support-to-pakistan-calls-for-restraint-after-pahalgam-terror-attack-101745768247847.html

According to the Immigration and Foreigners Act 2025, overstaying, violating visa conditions, or trespassing in restricted areas could lead to three years in jail.

Any Pakistani, who fails to leave India as per the deadlines set by the government will be arrested, prosecuted and may face a jail term of up to three years or a fine of a maximum Rs 3 lakh or both.

The ’Leave India’ notice to the Pakistani nationals was issued by the government after 26 people, mostly tourists, were killed by Pakistan-linked terrorists at Pahalgam in Jammu and Kashmir on April 22.

The deadline for exiting India for those holding SAARC visas was April 26. For those carrying medical visas, the deadline is April 29. The 12 categories of visas whose holders have to leave India by Sunday are — visa on arrival, business, film, journalist, transit, conference, mountaineering, student, visitor, group tourist, pilgrim and group pilgrim.

According to the Immigration and Foreigners Act 2025, which came into effect on April 4, overstaying, violating visa conditions, or trespassing in restricted areas could lead to three years in jail and a fine of up to Rs 3 lakh.

“Whoever,—(a) being a foreigner, remains in any area in India for a period exceeding the period for which the visa was issued to him or stays in India without a valid passport or other valid travel document in contravention of provisions of Section 3 or does any act in violation of the conditions of the valid visa issued to him for his entry and stay in India or any part thereunder; “(b) contravenes any other provisions of this Act, other than sections 17 and 19, or of any rule or order made thereunder or any direction or instruction given in pursuance of this Act or such order or direction or instruction for which, no specific punishment is provided under this Act, shall be punishable with an imprisonment for a term which may extend to three years or with a fine which may extend to three lakh rupees or with both,” the Act says.

Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Friday called up the chief ministers of all states and asked them to ensure that no Pakistani stays in India beyond the deadline set for leaving the country.

After Shah’s telephonic conversations with the chief ministers, Union Home Secretary Govind Mohan held a video conference with the chief secretaries and asked them to ensure that all Pakistani nationals whose visas were revoked must leave India by the fixed deadline.

Source : https://www.news18.com/india/pakistanis-failing-to-exit-india-by-deadline-could-face-3-years-in-jail-or-rs-3-lakh-fine-9315441.html

Tens of thousands of people streamed past the tomb of Pope Francis on Sunday (Apr 27), packing the Roman basilica where he had chosen to be buried in a break from tradition.

No pope had been laid to rest outside the Vatican in more than a century, but Francis opted instead for burial in Santa Maria Maggiore (Saint Mary Major), located in the Italian capital’s most multicultural neighbourhood.

His coffin was taken there on Saturday after his funeral Mass in St Peter’s square, with around 150,000 people lining the route through the heart of the city to say their farewells.

The casket was placed in a simple marble tomb in a side aisle of the basilica. Only his name in Latin, “Franciscus”, is inscribed on top, while a reproduction of the plain cross that he used to wear around his neck hangs above the niche.

“I feel like it’s exactly in the way of the Pope. He was simple, and so is his place now,” said Polish pilgrim Maria Brzezinska after paying her respects.

Visitors began queuing well before the Basilica opened at 7am (1pm, Singapore time) and the church rapidly filled with well-wishers after the doors opened. Authorities urged people to leave as soon as they had seen the tomb, saying thousands more were waiting to get in.

Six hours later, 30,000 people had visited St Mary Major, according to the Vatican.

Tourists leaving the basilica at lunch time said they had been queuing for more than two hours and had only a few minutes inside.

In the afternoon, hundreds of cardinals gathered in the church for prayers.

The church was founded in 432 and is the only basilica in Rome that preserves the early Christian structure, although there have been many later additions.

Francis, who died on Apr 21 at the age of 88, was especially attached to it because of his devotion to Mary, Mother of God. He prayed there before and after every overseas trip.

A venerated Byzantine icon of Mary is housed in the Pauline chapel near the tomb. A vase of golden roses, donated by Francis in 2023, sits among candlesticks under the icon. He last visited the chapel carrying a bunch of white roses on Apr 12.

Source : https://www.channelnewsasia.com/world/more-30000-people-pack-rome-church-visit-pope-francis-tomb-5093381

WHATSAPP’S obsession with useless changes continues – and this time it’s really got people’s backs up.

“Abomination,” is one word I saw to describe things on Reddit and I couldn’t agree more.

This isn’t my first rant about WhatsApp.

Last year, I complained about a feature that exposes how many people are currently online in a group – which seems to have been quietly dropped.

Now we’re being subjected to something far more sinister… AI.

Over the last few weeks owner Meta has been rolling out the Meta AI button and feature.

A blue-pink-green hued circle that sits permanently at the bottom right corner of the WhatsApp screen.

WhatsApp told the BBC the feature is “entirely optional” this week – but it’s not like you can remove it.

Tapping the button summons WhatsApp’s pointless AI chatbot that will answer just about anything, except how to get rid of it.

When will Meta stop pushing all this extra guff and let WhatsApp be a chat app?

It’s gradually morphing into its bigger sibling, Facebook, with status updates and communities, already perfectly served elsewhere.

Or, at least give people real choice with an option to hide them.

WhatsApp is powerful because virtually everyone has it, with billions of users across the globe.

It’s the one place where all my family updates are usefully kept – in between useless chatter about the neighbour’s latest disruption or moans about the council not cleaning the street.

We make important arrangements there, share holiday snaps and live location when meeting up, and for that I’m thankful for WhatsApp’s vital role.

But with this latest change, I’m ready to delete WhatsApp unless bosses change course pronto.

A WhatsApp rep told the BBC: “We think giving people these options is a good thing and we’re always listening to feedback from our users.”

Source : https://www.the-sun.com/tech/14115561/whatsapp-delete-new-button-meta-ai/

Toyota Motor (7203.T), said it is exploring the possibility of investing in a potential buyout of key parts supplier Toyota Industries (6201.T), – a buyout that reportedly could cost $42 billion.
“We are currently exploring various possibilities, including partial investment,” the automaker said in a filing with the Tokyo stock exchange on Saturday following reports about the possible buyout.

Bloomberg News reported on Friday that Toyota Chairman Akio Toyoda and his founder family have proposed acquiring Toyota Industries in a possible 6 trillion yen ($42 billion) deal.

Toyota Industries, which has a market value of 4 trillion yen, said in a statement it had received proposals about going private through a special purpose company but denied it had received a buyout proposal from the Toyota chairman or the Toyota group.
Two sources familiar with the matter said Toyota Industries is considering tapping Toyota and its group companies as well as major banks to fund a buyout. They also said the proposal did not come from Akio Toyoda or the Toyota group.
The sources, who declined to be identified as the matter is not public, said if Toyota Industries were to go private, it would help improve the Toyota group’s corporate governance as cross-shareholdings would be unwound.

Both Toyota and Toyota Industries said in their statements that nothing has been decided.
Toyota owned 24% of Toyota Industries as of September last year, while Toyota Industries held 9.07% of Toyota and 5.41% of Denso (6902.T), another key Toyota supplier.

Toyota Industries has faced increasing shareholder pressure to unwind its cross shareholdings so that it can boost shareholder returns and make investments.
It has sold some of its cross shareholdings including stock in Aisin (7259.T), another core Toyota group supplier.
One of the sources said going private would also give Toyota Industries the freedom to focus on growth strategies without worrying about shareholder returns.
Cross-shareholdings, where companies hold shares in each other and are very common in Japan, have been under increasing scrutiny from regulators and shareholders as the practice can insulate management from having to serve the interests of general shareholders.

Source : https://www.reuters.com/business/autos-transportation/toyota-considers-investing-potential-42-billion-buyout-key-supplier-2025-04-27/

Thousands of Buddhist believers and festival-goers filled downtown Seoul for Yeon Deung Hoe, or the Lotus Lantern Festival. Participants, some dressed in traditional Korean Hanbok clothing, carried lotus lanterns of different shapes and colors.

The festival was originally a celebration rooted in Buddhism but has evolved into an annual cultural event, drawing a large number of participants and spectators each year.

With a history spanning over 1,200 years, the festival is registered as a UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity as well as Korea’s National Intangible Cultural Heritage. The festival aims to spread the enlightenment of the founder of Buddhism across the world. More than 300,000 people, including both Koreans and international visitors, take part.

Participants gather at the starting point of the parade before proceeding toward the heart of South Korea’s capital. Lanterns of all sizes, handmade by temples across the country, are featured.

The lanterns can be in the shape of Buddha sculptures, dragons, elephants, lotus flowers and phoenixes, lighting up the streets of Seoul at night. Smaller lanterns are carried by monks and followers but larger, themed and Buddhism inspired lanterns are transported by vehicles.

Seoul’s Jogye temple and temples across the countries are lit by colorful lanterns as is the Cheonggye stream featuring paper lanterns.

Source : https://apnews.com/article/buddhists-lotus-lantern-south-korea-34b1ca11887dc06724e4b97bb41d06f3

Katy Perry was called out by fans for debuting a space-inspired “Lifetimes” tour outfit after receiving backlash for being part of the historic all-female Blue Origin flight.

The “E.T.” songstress took to X on Saturday to show off her figure in a cut-out body suit, which appeared to be made out of metal.

Perry’s outfit also consisted of metal arm cuffs, leg covers and a hat of the same material.

“Introducing KP143,” she captioned the photo.

While the pop star, 40, just wanted to give fans a closer look at her out-of-this-world concert apparel, she has been facing backlash about everything she does following her 11-minute trip to space earlier this month.

“Is this what happens after you go to space and back?” one person commented.

“You went to space for [10 to 11] minutes and now you an alien?” another added, as a third chimed in, “Why did you kiss the ground when you [sic] only flight [sic] for [10 to11] minutes with no physical training and zero effort?”

“While I hope your damage control is successful, this isn’t the way,” a fifth wrote.

“You have become insufferable,” a critic claimed, as another agreed, “Wtf. Desperate attempt to stay relevant. Good luck with that astro-nut.”

Perry sported her unique outfit while kicking off her “Lifetimes” tour in Mexico City on Wednesday.

She also wore other space-inspired costumes and busted some robotic moves while belting her 2012 track “Part of Me.”

On April 14, Perry flew into space alongside Gayle King, Lauren Sánchez, Aisha Bowe, Amanda Nguyen and Kerianne Flynn.

While around 62 miles above Earth in Jeff Bezos’ rocket, she flaunted a daisy to represent her and Orlando Bloom’s 4-year-old daughter, Daisy Dove.

Perry also went viral when she kissed the ground after landing back on Earth and exiting the rocket.

Aside from fans, several celebrities, including Olivia Munn and Emily Ratajkowski, called out the women for depleting resources and “destroying the planet.”

Source : https://pagesix.com/2025/04/27/celebrity-news/katy-perry-roasted-by-fans-for-space-inspired-tour-outfit/

Sources close to the talks told Reuters Hamas hoped to build support among mediators for its offer, adding the group might agree to a five to seven-year truce in return for ending the war, allowing for the rebuilding of Gaza, the freeing of Palestinians jailed by Israel and the release of all hostages.

Hamas is open to a years-long truce with Israel in Gaza but is not willing to lay down its arms, an official said on Saturday, as leaders of the Palestinian Islamist militant group met mediators in Cairo for ceasefire talks.

Sources close to the talks told Reuters Hamas hoped to build support among mediators for its offer, adding the group might agree to a five to seven-year truce in return for ending the war, allowing for the rebuilding of Gaza, the freeing of Palestinians jailed by Israel and the release of all hostages.

“The idea of a truce or its duration is not rejected by us, and we are ready to discuss it within the framework of negotiations. We are open to any serious proposals to end the war,” said Taher Al-Nono, the media adviser for the Hamas leadership, in the first clear signal that the group was open to a longer-term truce.

However, Nono ruled out a core Israeli demand that Hamas lay down its arms. Israel wants to see Gaza demilitarised.

“The weapon of resistance is not negotiable and will remain in our hands as long as the occupation exists,” Nono said.

Hamas’ founding charter calls for Israel’s destruction, but it has signalled in the past that it might agree to a long-term truce in return for ending Israeli occupation.

Israel’s Deputy Foreign Minister Sharren Haskel downplayed chances this week for the new proposal to lead to a breakthrough unless Israel’s core demands were met.

“The war could end tomorrow if Hamas released the remaining 59 hostages and laid down its weapons,” Haskel said in Jerusalem on Tuesday.

Israel resumed its offensive in Gaza on March 18 after a January ceasefire collapsed, saying it would keep up pressure on Hamas until it frees the remaining hostages still held in the enclave. Up to 24 of them are believed to still be alive.

Israel has blocked all aid into Gaza and hundreds of thousands have been displaced as its forces have seized territories it has designated as a buffer zone. More than 2,000 Palestinians, many of them civilians, have been killed in Israeli strikes since, according to health authorities.

Source : https://www.deccanherald.com/world/hamas-open-to-long-gaza-truce-but-not-to-disarming-3512419

When Donald Trump made a historic return to power earlier this year, it was with the help of voters who represented a diverse coalition of backgrounds – truck drivers, veterans, business owners and more.

They represented a wide range of perspectives that helped explain Trump’s enduring appeal. But 100 days after he took office, how do his staunchest supporters feel now?

The BBC has returned to five of them. Here’s what they had to say about the promises he kept, the pledges he has yet to address, and what they want next.

The death of Virginia Giuffre will leave questions that are now likely to remain unanswered.

Her name will always be associated with the scandals and criminality surrounding the late billionaire sex offender Jeffrey Epstein and his circle – with Ms Giuffre one of the most prominent among his accusers, revealing the trafficking and sexual exploitation of young women.

The photo of her and Prince Andrew, taken in London in 2001, became emblematic of the royal’s entanglement with Epstein and was central to his disastrous Newsnight interview in 2019.

The origins of the picture remain uncertain. But Ms Giuffre’s death adds another layer to the mystery of what must have inadvertently become one of the most widely viewed photos in royal history.

Epstein – who was said to have taken the photo – died in jail facing sex trafficking charges.

Ghislaine Maxwell – who helped him abuse young girls and is pictured to the right of Prince Andrew and Ms Giuffre – is in prison in the US. Prince Andrew has stepped down from all public duties. And Virginia Giuffre, a smiling teenager in the photo, is now dead.

Ms Giuffre – who was born in the US – died by suicide at her farm in Western Australia aged 41, her family said on Friday.

Prince Andrew has always strongly denied any wrongdoing involving Ms Giuffre.

They reached an out-of-court settlement in 2022, in which Prince Andrew paid an undisclosed amount of money.

A statement with the settlement expressed regret on his part – but contained no admission of liability or an apology. Prince Andrew has always denied all the accusations against him.

The prospect of Prince Andrew facing a court hearing in New York was averted by the settlement, but it had been a huge problem for the Royal Family, and Prince Andrew was swiftly removed from all official public roles.

His reputation has never recovered.

At this stage, there is still much that is not known about Ms Giuffre’s last days or her personal circumstances.

Source : https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c5yle7pxlyno

THE funeral of Pope Francis saw hundreds of famous politicians and royals flock to Rome as the world debated over who would sit where.

As the world leaders took to their seats earlier this morning a number of secrets around the seating plan soon emerged – including why Prince William was so far back.

Organisers of the funeral publicly admitted they needed to come up with a “master plan” to manage “big egos” of the world and make the day work.

It was initially believed that the Vatican seating planners would place the royals attending in the front rows before having the presidents and prime ministers in the seats behind them.

Past Vatican funerals have seen the leaders arranged into alphabetical order based on their country, per the French interpretation.

It was widely reported yesterday that US President Donald Trump would be in the third row in a move that he may well have considered a damaging blow to his leader of the free world.

But it was far from accurate, with the seating script being totally flipped on its head.

Trump, Volodymyr Zelensky and Emmanuel Macron all occupied front row seats – but for various different reasons.

In French, the United States is actually written Etas-Unis, which means this places Trump near the top of the list rather than towards the bottom.

Queen Mary of Denmark was at the start of the row with the King and Queen of Spain close by.

Then came the First Lady Melania Trump and her husband.

Next to them was Finland’s Alexander Stubb, who sat between Trump and French President Macron.

The pair had already spoken earlier in the day as Macron, Starmer, Zelensky and Trump all met up prior to everyone taking their seats.

Sat on the very end of the middle section of seats was Zelensky and his wife Olena.

They appeared to have been given special treatment as they bypassed dozens of nations alphabetically to land a front row spot.

This ended up putting Ukraine – which remains the exact same in French – in between Ireland and India.

Zelensky was even greeted by a round of applause as he took his seat in the square, with the crowds expressing their support for Ukraine.

It also left Kyiv’s leader sat just 10 seats away from Trump in the end.

The Vatican didn’t give an official reason for why the Kyiv couple were sat so high up, but spokesperson Matteo Bruni did say: “I believe they filled a vacant place.”

On the other side of seats, a familiar face sat closest to the coffin of Francis in Argentina’s Javier Milei.

Milei, a close pal of Trump, was given the best seat at the event due to him being Argentine, just like the Pope.

As Francis was also known as the Bishop of Rome, Italian President Sergio Mattarella and his daughter Laura took the next two seats.

Georgia Meloni, the Prime Minister of Italy, was just behind them.

Leaders of Andorra, Albania and Angola all followed as they started with the first letter of the alphabet.

The placing of Prince William, who was representing the British monarchy on behalf of King Charles, was one of the biggest shocks.

Wills found himself shoulder-to-shoulder with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz and sat two rows behind Milei.

British PM Sir Starmer was placed a number of rows even further back alongside his wife Victoria and Foreign Secretary David Lammy.

The reason for his positioning was due to him being the head of a government as opposed to a head of state.

And because of the United Kingdom being far down the list they ended up being squashed in between Qatari and Serbian representatives.

Ursula von der Leyen, president of the European Commission was also on the same row.

Elsewhere, former US President – and friend of Francis – Joe Biden was sat around five rows behind Trump and Melania.

Sat directly across from the world leaders was the bishops and cardinals who knew Francis best.

The funeral service took place shortly after 9am UK time in St Peter’s square.

It involved a series of words and hymns before the homily part which was led by the Dean of the College of Cardinals, 91-year-old Giovanni Battista Re.

The end of the mass saw many of the leaders leave Rome and return home – with Trump seen swiftly boarding Air Force One with Melania.

Source : https://www.the-sun.com/news/14112314/pope-francis-funeral-seating-plan/

DRESSED in a bathrobe and with a gun pointed at her head, Kim Kardashian pleaded: “Don’t kill me, I have babies” as a gang of armed robbers ransacked her penthouse for jewels.

When reports of the incredible Paris heist emerged in 2016, cynics branded it a publicity stunt.

But nine years on from the $10.6million [£8m] raid, the billionaire businesswoman and reality TV star is about to relive in court how she was bound, gagged and locked in a bathroom during the terrifying ordeal.

On Monday, ten people accused of “armed robbery in an organised gang”, “kidnap” and “criminal conspiracy” will stand trial at Paris Assizes, two miles from the scene of the crime.

As a key witness, Kim, 44, is reportedly willing to face her alleged attackers for the first time since the terrifying raid at the Hotel de Pourtales.

The star of Disney+ show The Kardashians has waited years for justice as the case dragged on, with timetabling problems caused by high-profile terrorist trials sparking backlogs in the courts.

There were also fears that the publicity any trial involving a Kardashian would attract might destroy the upmarket Paris tourism industry amid events such as last summer’s Olympics.

The delays were so long, one of the elderly defendants in the so-called “grandpa gang” facing charges died before he could be tried.

‘They liked her bling’

Now, ahead of the most high-profile jewellery heist case of the past decade, French detectives have revealed to The Sun how they tracked down the accused.

One of the aging crew has already publicly confessed to robbing Kim, who, in 2016, was still married to rapper Kanye West.

This week, Yunice Abbas, 72, revealed that he didn’t know who Kim was until after the raid.

He claimed: “My mate Aomar Ait Khedache, who put me on the job, had simply told me the victim was the wife of a famous rapper.”

Ait Khedache, known as “Old Omar”, 68, has also admitted participating in the heist but denies the prosecution’s accusation that he was the ringleader.

The police dossier shows how a combination of DNA and CCTV analysis, phone taps and geolocation, plus dogged determination by detectives, including physical tailing of suspects, led to the smashing of the gang within two months of the Hollywood-style heist.

The saga began in the summer of 2016, when Ait Khedache got a tip that a “big American star was coming to town” and that she was showing off her fabulous wealth on Instagram.

This was a time when old- school criminals were abandoning traditional heists for so-called saucissons — “sausage raids”, which involve following rich people into their homes, “wrapping them up like sausages” and then forcing them at gunpoint to say where they kept their valuables, before stealing them.

According to prosecutors, the Kardashian tip came from Florus Heroui, 52, who ran a bar in Le Marais, meaning “The Swamp” in English.

Heroui is said to have obtained precise information about Kim’s movements during Paris Fashion Week from Gary Madar, 34, a VIP greeter who regularly met stars as they arrived at Paris Le Bourget airport by private jet.

“I didn’t know who she was. We had nothing against
Kim Kardashian personally. I do regret that we
scared her

Crucially, Madar was trusted and liked by Kim, and had close family links to the car company she always used when in France.

Old Omar was fleeing justice at the time, having been arrested for his alleged involvement in a drugs racket, and was relying on his mistress, Christiane Glotin, 79, for safe houses to stay in.

In 2016, gang members were “ogling Kim’s jewels after Googling pictures on a computer”, a police investigator claimed.

“None of them had much idea who Kim was,” the source added. “But they liked her very expensive bling.”

All were particularly interested in Kim’s 18.88-carat, $4million [£3m] engagement ring, especially after she proudly announced that she “did not wear fake jewellery”.

Scouting out the star’s Paris address was easy, Omar told detectives. The gang allegedly only had to follow Kim’s Mercedes V-Class people carrier to find out that she was staying in the Hotel de Pourtales.

Better known as the “No Address”, Pourtales is a collection of dream apartments which have welcomed multiple A-listers, including Leonardo DiCaprio, Robert De Niro and Madonna.

The tip was that Kim would enjoy some “me time” alone in the Sky Penthouse while allowing her staff and family members out on the town.

This is exactly what happened in the early hours of October 3, when, at 2.20am, three cyclists in fluorescent yellow vests approached the No Address and parked their bikes in the courtyard.

Two more arrived on foot, and all were wearing black balaclavas and police armbands before they confronted the property’s only concierge, Abderrahmane Ouatiki.

Pointing an antique Mauser 7.65mm pistol at his head, the gang led Abderrahmane up to the penthouse, where Kim was lying on her bed.

She was alone after her German bodyguard, Pascal Duvier — who she later sacked — went out dancing.

Kim recalled hearing noises outside the door, later telling officers: “I said, ‘Hello!’, but since no one answered, I knew something was wrong.”

Two “aggressive men” in black police uniforms then burst in with the handcuffed Abderrahmane.

“I remember that I had an indescribable
feeling, as if my heart would leave my body, I thought that I was going to die

Kim tried to call 911, the American police emergency number, but of course it did not work in France.

“He puts a gun directly to her head,” Abderrahmane recalled. “She’s crying, she’s screaming.

“She’s saying, ‘Don’t kill me, I have babies, please, I have babies. I’m a mom. Take what you want’. She’s wearing just a robe and her hair is tied back.”

To prevent Kim from screaming too loudly, the robbers taped her mouth shut before locking her in her bathroom.

They spent 49 minutes in the penthouse before leaving with a haul estimated to be worth around $10.6million [£8m].

As they fled, one accidentally dropped a platinum cross adorned with diamonds that was found the next morning.

After cutting through her ties herself, Kim went to another apartment downstairs, where her stylist, Simone Harouche, had barricaded herself in a bathroom.

Incriminating images

Cops were alerted and took statements from Kim before she was allowed to catch her private jet home.

Detectives soon gathered two genetic fingerprints on the Serflex ties used to restrain Kim and Abderrahmane.

The samples corresponded to the prints of Ait Khedache and Abbas, both of whom had their details all over police forensic databases because of their criminal antecedents.

Painstakingly gathering all video recordings in the area, detectives also found plenty of incriminating images.

They included multiple sightings of a Peugeot 508 which was driven by Ait Khedache’s son, Harminy Ait Khedache, 38.

A police telephone specialist went through 7,591 mobile phone calls made in the Madeleine area around the robbery between October 2 and 3, finding numbers linked to the prime suspects.

These included Didier “Blue Eyes” Dubreucq, 69, who was allegedly the second robber to enter the penthouse, along with Old Omar.

Dubreucq had served 23 years in prison for a post office robbery and for importing two tonnes of Colombian cocaine into Europe via a Saudi Arabian prince’s private jet.

Rather than arrest the suspects straight away, officers from the elite Banditry Repression Brigade of the Paris Judicial Police launched tailing operations, which included placing GPS surveillance devices on their cars.

This is when new “faces” appeared, such as Marceau “Rough Nose” Baumgertner — an alleged Paris fence who has since died.

Known as a market trader with a pet dog called Al Capone, the 70-year-old was recorded as having made trips to Antwerp — the diamond capital of Europe — with Old Omar and Glotin to allegedly sell the jewellery.

Old Omar has told police the gold was melted down and resold, while insisting that he has “no idea” where Kim’s ring ended up.

On January 9, 2017, the BRB burst into all the suspects’ homes, handcuffed them and placed them in custody.

Ait Khedache originally denied wrongdoing, but when he heard of the DNA evidence against him, he made a full confession.

Deeply traumatised by the robbery, Kim avoided Paris for more than a year, so investigating judge Armelle Briand had to travel to the US to interview her.

Kim told Judge Briand: “I remember that I had an indescribable feeling, as if my heart would leave my body.

“I thought that I was going to die.”

According to her recorded testimony, Kim added: “This experience opened my eyes to the fact that the world was no longer a safe place.”

She said her “relationship with valuables had changed”, and that “it’s become a burden to be responsible for such expensive items”.

Despite some confessions, and the legal right of police and prosecution to leak information about the case, all officially remain innocent until proven guilty in connection with the largest jewellery theft committed against a single person in France this century.

Source : https://www.the-sun.com/entertainment/14106966/kim-kardashian-face-paris-attackers-trial/

SHOCKING bodycam footage shows the moment the wife of Weezer star Scott Shriner is confronted by cops before being shot.

Jillian Lauren, 51, was charged with attempted murder after a standoff with armed cops who were searching for three suspects over an unrelated hit-and-run near her home in Los Angeles.

She was shot in the shoulder and arrested after allegedly pointing a handgun at officers when she apparently mistook them for armed suspects.

Now, newly released bodycam footage from Los Angeles police shows a chaotic scene leading up to the shooting.

Officers can be heard yelling from behind a fence around Lauren’s garden for several minutes – telling her to drop her gun.

“Ma’am we’re trying to help you,” one says.

“Drop the gun, you’re going to get shot.”

One of the officers then tells the others that Lauren has raised her gun.

“Not at us, but she just lifted it up,” an officer is heard saying.

CCTV from Lauren’s back garden shows her chambering a round and raising the gun – followed by police bullets landing near her feet a moment later.

A 911 call from one of Lauren’s neighbors suggests she thought she was being fired at by a suspect from the unrelated hit-and-run.

The neighbour is heard saying: “There were three men, and one of them shot her, and the cops are looking for him right now.

“They have their guns out.”

Lauren later told police herself she had armed herself after hearing about the three men on the run in the neighbourhood, according to CBS News.

The drama in Lauren’s back garden unfolded after a crash on the 134 freeway in Los Angeles.

Three people fled from the scene into the neighbourhood of Eagle Rock and the cops immediately launched a manhunt for the trio.

As officers searched for them, they found Lauren stood outside her home holding a handgun.

The cops said they yelled at her to drop the gun “numerous times” – but she repeatedly refused.

The police said: “[Lauren] then pointed the handgun at the officers, and an Officer-Involved Shooting occurred.”

One officer then reportedly shot Lauren in the shoulder.

After being hit, Lauren is said to have gone back inside her home before coming out with her hands up 30 minutes later.

She was joined by the family’s female babysitter – with them both being taken into custody.

Lauren was charged with attempted murder and released on a $1million bail bond.

Shocking footage shows Lauren laid out on the floor with her arms sprawled out as an officer places her in handcuffs.

A barefooted Lauren is then led away into a police car.

Lauren was later taken to a local hospital by Los Angeles Fire Department paramedics to be treated for a non-life-threatening gunshot wound.

Police searched the home and recovered a 9-millimetre handgun.

Lauren has been married to rock icon Scott Shriner since 2005 and the pair share two adopted children.

Weezer first formed in 1992 and features Scott, lead singer and guitarist Rivers Cuomo, drummer Patrick Wilson and rhythm guitarist Brian Bell.

The Say It Aint So hitmakers are set to have one gig in the UK in London this year with it already sold out.

Source : https://www.the-sun.com/entertainment/14111761/weezer-star-wife-police-shooting/

China’s foreign minister has hit out at the “extreme selfishness” of tariffs, hinting at the steep levies imposed on Beijing by US President Donald Trump.

“Certain countries” resort to “pressure and coercion, and trigger unjustified trade wars … This extreme selfishness only harms their credibility”, top diplomat Wang Yi told his Uzbek counterpart Bakhtiyor Saidov, according to a ministry statement released on Saturday (Apr 26).

This will “only undermine their credibility”, added Wang, who was speaking on Friday on the sidelines of a foreign ministers’ meeting in Almaty, Kazakhstan.

The foreign minister also said that Beijing would seek solidarity with other countries on the tariff situation and expose “extreme egoism” and the bullying of certain countries.

Wang said during the meeting with his Uzbek counterpart that China would seek solidarity with other countries and would uphold multilateralism to “inject stability into the world”.

China and the United States, the world’s two biggest economies, are locked in an escalating tit-for-tat trade battle triggered by Trump’s levies on Chinese goods, which have reached 145 per cent on many products.

Beijing has responded with 125 per cent tariffs of its own on US goods.

Also on Saturday, China repeated that it had held no talks with the United States on trade issues, despite Trump’s recent claim that he had taken a call from Chinese leader Xi Jinping.

In an interview conducted on Apr 22 with Time magazine and published Friday, Trump did not say when the call with Xi took place or specify what was discussed.

“He’s called,” Trump said. “And I don’t think that’s a sign of weakness on his behalf.”

China’s commerce ministry had already denied on Thursday that Beijing and Washington were conducting economic or trade negotiations.

In a statement posted on WeChat Saturday, Beijing’s embassy in the US capital repeated that assertion, saying “there have been no consultations or negotiations between China and the United States on tariff issues, let alone any agreement”.

The statement did not mention Trump or Xi by name or directly reference Trump’s claim of a call, but said remarks by the United States that a dialogue on tariffs was ongoing were “nothing but misleading”.

“This trade war was initiated by the US side,” the statement said.

“If the US truly wants to resolve the issue through dialogue, it must first correct its mistakes, stop threatening and pressuring others, and completely remove all unilateral tariff measures against China.”

Source : https://www.channelnewsasia.com/east-asia/trade-war-tariffs-china-hits-out-extreme-selfishness-us-trump-5091491

US President Donald Trump and Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelenskyy, in Rome for the funeral of Pope Francis, met one-on-one in a marble-lined Vatican basilica on Saturday (Apr 26) to try to revive faltering efforts to end Russia’s war with Ukraine.

Zelenskyy said the meeting could prove historic if it delivers the kind of peace he is hoping for, and a White House spokesperson called it “very productive.”

The two leaders, leaning in close to each other with no aides around them while seated in St Peter’s Basilica, spoke for about 15 minutes, according to Zelenskyy’s office, and images of the meeting released by Kyiv and Washington.

The meeting at the Vatican, their first since an angry encounter in the Oval Office in Washington in February, comes at a critical time in negotiations aimed at bringing an end to fighting between Ukraine and Russia.

After Pope Francis’s funeral service, Trump boarded Air Force One and departed Rome. While in the air, he published a social media post in which he took a tough tone on Russian President Vladimir Putin.

“There was no reason for Putin to be shooting missiles into civilian areas, cities and towns, over the last few days,” Trump posted on Truth Social. Twelve people were killed on Thursday when a missile fired by Russia hit a Kyiv apartment block.

“It makes me think that maybe he doesn’t want to stop the war, he’s just tapping me along, and has to be dealt with differently, through ‘Banking’ or ‘Secondary Sanctions?’ Too many people are dying!!!” Trump wrote.

Following Trump’s remarks, Republican US Senator Lindsey Graham said the Senate is poised to move forward on bipartisan legislation that would impose trade sanctions on countries that purchase Russian oil, gas and other products.

“The Senate stands ready to move in this direction and will do so overwhelmingly if Russia does not embrace an honorable, just and enduring peace,” Graham posted on X.

Trump’s post was a departure from his usual rhetoric that has seen the toughest criticism directed at Zelenskyy, while he has spoken positively about Putin.

In a post on social media platform Telegram, Zelenskyy wrote: “Good meeting. One-on-one, we managed to discuss a lot. We hope for a result from all the things that were spoken about.”

He said those topics included: “The protection of the lives of our people. A complete and unconditional ceasefire. A reliable and lasting peace that will prevent a recurrence of war.”

Zelenskyy added: “It was a very symbolic meeting that has the potential to become historic if we achieve joint results. Thank you, President Donald Trump!”

NO AIDES IN SIGHT

In one photograph released by Zelenskyy’s office, the Ukrainian and US leaders sat opposite each other in a hall of the basilica, around two feet apart, and were leaning in towards each other in conversation. No aides could be seen in the image.

In a second photograph, from the same location, Zelenskyy, Trump, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer and French President Emmanuel Macron were shown standing in a tight huddle. Macron had his hand on Zelenskyy’s shoulder.

After Trump and Zelenskyy met in the basilica, the two men joined other world leaders outside in Saint Peter’s Square at the funeral service for Pope Francis, who made the pursuit of peace, including in Ukraine, a motif of his papacy.

Italian Cardinal Giovanni Battista Re, who gave the sermon at the funeral service, recalled how Pope Francis did not stop raising his voice to call for negotiations to end conflicts.

“War always leaves the world worse than it was before: it is always a painful and tragic defeat for everyone,” the cardinal said.

DIFFERENCES OVER TERRITORY

Trump has been pressing both Moscow and Kyiv to agree on a ceasefire and peace deal. He had previously warned his administration would walk away from its efforts to achieve a peace if the two sides do not agree on a deal soon.

After a round of shuttle diplomacy this week, differences have emerged between the position of the Trump White House on peace talks and the stance of Ukraine and its European allies, according to documents from the talks obtained by Reuters.

Washington is proposing a legal recognition that Crimea, the Ukrainian peninsula annexed by Moscow in 2014, is Russian territory, something that Kyiv and its allies in Europe say is a red line they will not cross.

There are also differences on how quickly sanctions on Russia would be lifted if a peace deal was signed, what kind of security guarantees Ukraine would have, and how Ukraine would be financially compensated.

Trump and Zelenskyy have had a rocky personal relationship. At their Oval Office meeting, Trump accused the Ukrainian leader of “gambling with World War Three.”

Since then, Kyiv has tried to repair relations, but the barbs have continued. Zelenskyy has said Trump was trapped in a “disinformation bubble” that favoured Moscow, while the US leader accused Zelenskyy of foot-dragging on a peace deal and making “inflammatory” statements.

But the two men need each other. Trump requires Zelenskyy’s buy-in to achieve his stated ambition of bringing a swift peace between Russia and Ukraine, while Kyiv needs Trump to pressure Moscow into diluting some of the more onerous conditions it has set for a truce.

At the Oval Office meeting in February, a reporter who was present from a conservative US news network accused Zelenskyy of disrespecting the occasion by not wearing a suit.

Source : https://www.channelnewsasia.com/world/trump-and-zelenskyy-meet-one-one-vatican-basilica-seek-ukraine-peace-5091991

It’s expensive to be her.

Erika Jayne was pictured soaking up the sun on the balcony of her room at The Tryst hotel in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico.

Wearing nothing but a barely-there studded black swimsuit, the “Real Housewives of Beverly Hills” star showed off her toned legs and enviable curves.

Immediately after sharing the photos on Instagram Saturday, Bravo stars flooded the comments section to celebrate Jayne.

“Stunner,” Jayne’s “RHOBH” co-star Kyle Richards wrote, while “RHOC” star Gretchen Rossi added three fire emojis.

Reality star Renee Graziano also wrote, “Absolute Showstopper.”

Jayne’s post comes hours after she shared her support for co-star Dorit Kemsley after she filed to divorce her estrange husband, Paul “PK” Kemsley.

“I literally just found out online like everyone else, maybe an hour ago, and, obviously, I reached out to her,” the 53-year-old told Us Weekly on Friday at the grand opening of the Tryst hotel.

“She’s got more important things to do than to talk to me right now.”

Page Six confirmed on Friday that Dorit filed for divorce after 10 years of marriage. They separated in May 2024, but have been co-parenting their two children: son Jagger, 11, and daughter Phoenix, 9.

In her petition, Dorit cited “irreconcilable differences” as the cause for the split and asked for sole legal and physical custody of the kids. She also requested spousal support.

Following Dorit’s filing — which came just hours after PK was pictured kissing “Amazing Race” alum Shana Wall — he seemingly slammed her on social media, saying, “No one plays the victim better than the one who caused the damage.”

Erika, who filed to end her own marriage to estranged husband Tom Girardi in 2020, further told Us Weekly that divorce is “a sad thing.”

Source : https://pagesix.com/2025/04/26/style/rhobh-star-erika-jayne-rocks-barely-there-swimsuit-for-glamorous-photo-shoot/

US President Donald Trump on Saturday (Apr 26) urged free transit for American commercial and military ships through the Panama and Suez canals, tasking his secretary of state with making progress “immediately.”

Trump has for months been calling for the United States to take control of the Panama Canal but his social media post also shifted focus onto the vital Suez route.

“American Ships, both Military and Commercial, should be allowed to travel, free of charge, through the Panama and Suez Canals!” he wrote on his Truth Social platform.

He claimed both routes would “not exist” without the United States and said he had asked Secretary of State Marco Rubio to “immediately take care of” the situation.

Panamanian President Jose Raul Mulino, without directly referencing Trump, said on Saturday that toll fees for the Panama Canal are regulated by the Panama Canal Authority (ACP), an autonomous governing body that oversees the trade route.

“There is no agreement to the contrary,” he said in a post on X.

US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth had said during a visit to Panama City earlier this month that the United States was seeking an agreement under which its warships could pass through the canal “first, and free.”

The United States and China are two of the top users of the Panama Canal.

Egypt’s Suez Canal, a key waterway linking Europe and Asia, accounted for about 10 per cent of global maritime trade before attacks by Yemen’s Huthi rebels on shipping routes in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden.

The Iran-backed rebels began targeting vessels after the start of the Gaza war, claiming solidarity with Palestinians, forcing ships to take a long and costly detour around the southern tip of Africa.

Source : https://www.channelnewsasia.com/world/trump-urges-free-transit-us-ships-through-panama-suez-canals-5092211

Pakistan has initiated “emergency” measures to secure pharmaceutical supplies in response after the suspension of trade ties with India following the April 22 Pahalgam terror attack.

Pakistani health authorities have initiated “emergency preparedness” measures to secure pharmaceutical supplies in response to the suspension of trade ties with India, according to a media report on Saturday.

In response to India’s decision to suspend the Indus Water Treaty following the Pahalgam attack, Islamabad on Thursday suspended all trade with New Delhi, among other moves.

Geo News reported that India trade halt triggered “urgent measures to secure” pharmaceutical needs in Pakistan and health authorities have initiated “emergency preparedness” measures to secure the supplies.

The Drug Regulatory Authority of Pakistan (DRAP) has confirmed that while there has been no formal notification regarding the ban’s impact on the pharmaceutical sector, contingency plans are already in place, it said.

“Following the 2019 crisis, we had started preparing for such contingencies. We are now actively looking at alternative avenues to meet our pharmaceutical needs,” the report quoted a senior DRAP official as saying.

Currently, Pakistan relies on India for 30% to 40% of its pharmaceutical raw materials, including Active Pharmaceutical Ingredients (API) and various advanced therapeutic products.

With this supply chain distributed, DRAP is seeking alternative sources from China, Russia, and several European countries.

The agency aims to ensure the continuous availability of essential medical supplies, including anti-rabies vaccines, anti-snake venom, cancer therapies, monoclonal antibodies, and other critical biological products.

While DRAP’s preparedness offers some reassurance, industry insiders and health experts have warned of a looming challenge if immediate action is not taken to manage the fallout of the trade suspension.

“Pakistan imports some 30%–40% of its pharmaceutical raw material from India. We also import finished products, most importantly, anti-cancer therapies, biological products, vaccines, and sera, especially anti-rabies vaccine and anti-snake venom from India,” a senior official from the Ministry of National Health Services, Regulations and Coordination said, requesting anonymity.

The Ministry of Health has yet to receive an official directive clarifying the status of pharmaceutical imports, despite the government’s blanket announcement suspending all trade with India.

The pharmaceutical sector fears that disruption in the supply chain could lead to critical shortages.

The situation is further complicated by the existence of a robust black market, where unregistered and unapproved medicines are smuggled into Pakistan through Afghanistan, Iran, Dubai, and even across the eastern border, the report said.

While these channels fill gaps left by legal imports, they offer no guarantee of quality or consistent supply.

A delegation of pharmaceutical industry leaders travelled to Islamabad on Thursday to appeal for an exemption from the trade ban.

“We had meetings with DRAP and Ministry of Commerce officials to discuss the suspension of trade ties. We urged them to exempt the pharmaceutical sector from the ban, as there are many life-saving products whose raw materials come exclusively from India,” said Tauqeer-ul-Haq, Chairman of the Pakistan Pharmaceutical Manufacturers Association (PPMA).

The PPMA delegation also approached the Special Investment Facilitation Council (SIFC), arguing that pharmaceutical and health-related trade must be excluded from the ban to protect patients’ lives.

However, some experts see the current crisis as a wake-up call for long-term investment in local production of APIs, vaccines, and biologicals.

Source : https://www.indiatoday.in/world/story/pak-scrambles-secure-drug-supplies-trade-with-india-halted-2715685-2025-04-26

The Trump administration appeared to have deported a 2-year-old U.S. citizen “with no meaningful process,” a federal judge said on Friday, as the child’s father sought to have her returned to the United States.
U.S. District Judge Terry A. Doughty said the girl, who was referred to as “V.M.L.” in court documents, was deported with her mother.

“It is illegal and unconstitutional to deport, detain for deportation, or recommend deportation of a U.S. citizen,” Doughty said.

He scheduled a hearing for May 19 “in the interest of dispelling our strong suspicion that the Government just deported a U.S. citizen with no meaningful process.”
V.M.L. was apprehended by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement on Tuesday with her mother, Jenny Carolina Lopez Villela, and older sister when Villela attended a routine appointment at its New Orleans office, according to a filing by Trish Mack, who said the infant’s father asked her to act as the child’s custodian.
According to Mack, when V.M.L.’s father briefly spoke to Villela, he could hear her and the children crying. During that time, according to a court document, he reminded her that their daughter was a U.S. citizen “and could not be deported.”

However, prosecutors said Villela, who has legal custody, told ICE that she wanted to retain custody of the girl and have her go with her to Honduras. They said the man claiming to be V.M.L.’s father had not presented himself to ICE despite requests to do so.
“It is therefore in V.M.L.’s best interest that she remain in the lawful custody of her mother,” Trump administration officials said in a filing on Friday. “Further, V.M.L. is not at risk of irreparable harm because she is a U.S. citizen.”
V.M.L. is not prohibited from entering the U.S., prosecutors added.
The Department of Homeland Security and the Justice Department did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
The American Civil Liberties Union described V.M.L,’s case -and another similar – as a “shocking … abuse of power.”
“These actions stand in direct violation of ICE’s own written and informal directives, which mandate coordination for the care of minor children with willing caretakers – regardless of immigration status – when deportations are being carried out,” it said.

U.S. President Donald Trump, whose presidential campaigns have focused heavily on immigration, said earlier this month he wanted to deport some violent criminals who are U.S. citizens to El Salvadoran prisons.
The comments raised concern about a proposal that has alarmed civil rights advocates and is viewed by many legal scholars as unconstitutional.

Source : https://www.reuters.com/world/us/two-year-old-us-citizen-appears-have-been-deported-with-no-meaningful-process-2025-04-26/

Justin Bieber is mourning the death of his grandfather Bruce Dale.

The “Sorry” singer penned a touching tribute via Instagram to the late patriarch, who died on Thursday, according to an online obituary.

“Papa, I always took all ur money lol. I remember u specifically telling me, gramma gave u an allowance of 20 dollars for the WEEK!” Bieber recalled in his post Saturday.

“I would always convince you to spend on snacks at the hockey game on Friday nights. Reluctantly you always gave it to me,” he added alongside a throwback photo of the duo taken in 2009.

“Corn nuts, skittles, gum balls, chuck a puck, slush puppies.”

Bieber, 31, continued, “Shout out to the jr b referees Beatty, Fagon, Flanagan lmfao. For enduring all of my grandpa’s heckling for all of your horrible referee calls lmfao. My grandpa wasn’t shy in letting them know that they were being pieces of s—s.”

The “Lonely” singer, whose mental health has sparked concern in recent months, also noted, “I can’t wait to see u again soon in heaven.”

He added, “Until then I know ur watching down probly still heckling Beatty or Fagon for missing that cross check call in the corner there lmfao.”

“I will miss u. I will ache. And I’ll sit and let myself remember all of the wonderful times we’ve had,” Bieber concluded the heartfelt post.

Dale’s obituary states he died “peacefully” at the Rotary Hospice Stratford Perth. He’s survived by his four children: Candie Toper, Chris Mallette, Chris Dale and Pattie Mallette — Bieber’s mother.

The Grammy winner and his wife, Hailey Bieber, are listed among Dale’s three grandchildren. Their son, Jack Blues Bieber, whom they welcomed in August 2024, was also named with Dale’s great grandchildren.

Dale spoke about his relationship with his famous grandson in an emotional February 2018 interview at the Steps to Stardom Exhibition at Stratford Perth Museum in Bieber’s hometown where he recalled going to the singer’s first show.

“I don’t know,” he answered when asked what makes him emotional about Bieber. “It just happens. I can sit and talk with anybody about anything, but when it comes to talking about him, I just get emotional.”

Source : https://pagesix.com/2025/04/26/celebrity-news/justin-bieber-mourns-death-of-his-grandfather-cant-wait-to-see-you-again-soon-in-heaven/

Some 250,000 attended Pope Francis’ funeral in Rome on Saturday, including world leaders and ordinary people. DW’s religion correspondent Christoph Strack was there.

“He is like our father, he’s everything to us. That’s why we’re here, because of our love for him,” said Barbara Quarante, who was standing on the edge of St. Peter’s Square. She had arrived the day before as a part of a group of 13 from Calabria in southern Italy, and spent the night in the open air. At her feet, some of the adolescents in the group were still lying in their sleeping bags.

She was determined to bid farewell to Pope Francis, who died on Easter Monday aged 88. “We know that he is with Jesus,” Quarante told DW. “And he can pray for us. We feel united with him.”

Her friend Caterina Longordo said that the pope had “reached young people” and done a lot for them, addressing “the environment and social topics.” That’s why the adolescents had also wanted to come. She added that, despite being an Argentinian by birth, Francis had always been a kind of Italian pope, given that he had ancestors from Piedmont in northern Italy.

Just saying goodbye

According to the Vatican, more than 250,000 people crowded into St. Peter’s Square and the surrounding streets to attend the pope’s funeral. Just six days earlier, Francis had greeted the crowds and given the papal Urbi et Orbi blessing on Easter Sunday from the balcony of the Loggia of Blessings of St Peter’s Basilica.

He died the next day. Tens of thousands of mourners lined up to pay their respects and see his open coffin in the altar of the same building, where Francis had lain in state for three days. The coffin was then sealed to prepare for the funeral.

In his 12 years as pope, Francis was vocal about global politics and expressed his opinions openly, sometimes clashing with world leaders. Ordinary people found the man who wanted to act as a pastor extremely approachable. Everywhere in Rome, there were banners saying “Grazie, Francesco.”

Myrna Domingo, a 72-year-old from the Philippines, who has worked for the same Roman household for 42 years, told DW that she wanted to say “thank you” to the late pope. Each year during Advent the large Filipino community of Rome celebrated Simbang Gabi, a traditional series of masses in anticipation of Christmas, and the pope had allowed them to do this at St Peter’s and had once even made a surprise appearance among them.

Luthbert Sunjo, a 29-year-old from Cameroon, who has been studying in Rome for a year and wants to become a priest said that he had seen the pope three times but always at a distance. “I want to say goodbye to him, that’s all I can say,” he said, adding that this was “a great day” for him as he had been allowed to distribute the Eucharist at the mass for Pope Francis.

“A great man,” said Anthony Di Castro, a 21-year-old from the US state of Wisconsin who is studying psychology in Rome, and had come to the funeral with his friends. “He’s a pioneer of Catholic leadership, in so many ways,” he told DW, explaining that he had last seen the pope on Easter Sunday.

Canonization of Carlo Acutis postponed

There were many young people in the crowd because the pope had intended to canonize Carlo Acutis on Sunday. The young British-born Italian teenager, known for his devotion to the Eucharist, died of leukemia in 2006 at the age of 15. Pope Francis beatified him in 2020, though the canonization has now been postponed.

There were representatives from 150 countries in attendance, including heads of state, royals and politicians. Not since the funeral of Pope John Paul II had there been so many prominent guests. They included UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, French President Emmanuel Macron, US President Donald Trump, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, DRC President Felix Tshisekedi, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier.

It was revealed after the ceremony that Trump and Zelenskyy had met at the Vatican, the first encounter since their spat in the Oval Office in February.

‘With a heart open to all’

Giovanni Battista Re, the current Cardinal Dean of the College of Cardinals, had the special role of presiding over the funeral service. “He was a pope in the midst of the people with a heart open to all,” the 91-year-old preached. “He was also a pope attentive to what was new in society and to what the Holy Spirit was arousing in the Church.”

Some 135 cardinals are expected to meet in around two weeks’ time to elect Francis’ successor. Though they are currently united in mourning for the late pope, they did not all agree with his more progressive views, and a battle has already begun over the future of the Church.

‘Don’t forget to pray for me’

The pope is always also the Bishop of Rome, and the city’s residents were close to Francis’ heart. Since his first Sunday in office on March 17, 2013, he concluded every Sunday lunchtime prayer in St. Peter’s Square with the words “Don’t forget to pray for me. Have a good Sunday. And buon appetito.”

Many Romans liked that, whether they had any connection with the Catholic Church or not.

Final resting place is Santa Maria Maggiore

Francis is the first pope in almost 150 years not to be buried in St Peter’s Basilica. He chose the Basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore, not far from Rome’s main train station, as his final resting place. He frequented the church more than 130 times, often visiting it to pray before and after his trips abroad.

Minutes after the funeral mass had ended, a long convoy set off from the Vatican through the ancient city of Rome. The Popemobile carrying the coffin rolled through the city center, crossed the Forum and past the Colosseum.

Many tens of thousands of people stood along the route. Police officers saluted. Hundreds held up their smartphones and took pictures or made films, others clapped. Rome was unusually quiet, except for the noise of helicopters overhead.

Source : https://www.dw.com/en/grazie-francesco-pope-buried-in-rome/a-72364882

Pakistani troops opened “unprovoked” fire at Indian posts across the Line of Control last night as tensions escalated between the two countries over the massacre of 26 civilians at a tourist hotspot in Jammu and Kashmir’s Pahalgam. This is the second time in two nights that Pakistani troops have tried to provoke the Indian side.

Indian Army reported the firing from multiple posts from across the Line of Control, the de facto boundary separating Indian and Pakistani armies in Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh. Officials said Indian troops retaliated appropriately to the Pakistani firing.

No casualties were reported in the exchange of fire, the Indian Army said in a statement.

“On the night of 25th-26th of April 2025, unprovoked Small Firing was carried out by multiple Pakistan Army post all across the Line of Control in Kashmir. Indian troops responded appropriately with small arms. No casualties reported,” the statement read.

Speculative firing was reported yesterday as well, with military sources suggesting that Pakistani troops were trying to check the alertness of Indian soldiers amid calls within India to take decisive action against terror hotspots across the LoC.

The ceasefire violations follow a string of measures taken by India in response to the Pahalgam terror attack. In the Tuesday massacre, at least 26 civilians vacationing in Baisaran meadow, known as “Mini Switzerland”, were shot dead by five terrorists. The Resistance Front (TRF), linked to Pakistan-based Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT), has claimed responsibility for the attack. 26/11 mastermind and Lashkar chief Hafiz Saeed was the handler of the foreign terrorists who carried out the attack, sources suggest.

Taking strict action, India suspended the Indus Water Treaty, citing “sustained cross-border terrorism by Pakistan”. In a strong message from Delhi, Water Minister CR Patil threatened that “not a drop” of the Indus water would flow to Pakistan.

Vowing to punish every terrorist, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has said that Indian troops will pursue them to the ends of the earth. Those involved in the terror attack and the conspirators will receive a punishment bigger than they can imagine, he has said.

India and Pakistan have also pulled their diplomatic staff and stopped visa services for each other’s nationals. Visitors now have a short deadline to return to their homeland, and cross-border visits are unlikely to resume until the situation defuses.

Source : https://www.ndtv.com/india-news/pakistan-violates-loc-ceasefire-again-indian-army-retaliates-8259222

VOLODYMYR Zelensky has landed in Italy as world leaders and royals gather for Pope Francis’ funeral today.

The Ukrainian leader landed early on Saturday morning – joining the world’s elite attending the historic funeral.

Meanwhile, Donald Trump and his wife Melania were pictured emerging from Air Force One at Fiumicino Airport near Rome on Friday night.

The US President will join British Prince William and French President Emmanuel Macron for the service in St Peter’s Square.

Pope Francis’ coffin was officially sealed in a private ceremony after three days of public viewing, which saw around 250,000 faithfuls pay tribute to the late pontiff.

The ceremony was conducted by Cardinal Kevin Farrell and attended by several Cardinals and Holy See officials.

A white cloth was first placed over Francis’ face, while a bag of coins minted during his lifetime was placed inside along with a one-page account of his papacy.

The account was read aloud by the master of liturgical ceremonies before being rolled up into a tube and placed in the coffin.

The funeral service will take place at 9am UK time today.

Source : https://www.the-sun.com/news/14103213/pope-francis-funeral-updates-news-vatican/

DRESSED in a bathrobe and with a gun pointed at her head, Kim Kardashian pleaded: “Don’t kill me, I have babies” as a gang of armed robbers ransacked her penthouse for jewels.

When reports of the incredible Paris heist emerged in 2016, cynics branded it a publicity stunt.

But nine years on from the $10.6million [£8m] raid, the billionaire businesswoman and reality TV star is about to relive in court how she was bound, gagged and locked in a bathroom during the terrifying ordeal.

On Monday, ten people accused of “armed robbery in an organised gang”, “kidnap” and “criminal conspiracy” will stand trial at Paris Assizes, two miles from the scene of the crime.

As a key witness, Kim, 44, is reportedly willing to face her alleged attackers for the first time since the terrifying raid at the Hotel de Pourtales.

The star of Disney+ show The Kardashians has waited years for justice as the case dragged on, with timetabling problems caused by high-profile terrorist trials sparking backlogs in the courts.

There were also fears that the publicity any trial involving a Kardashian would attract might destroy the upmarket Paris tourism industry amid events such as last summer’s Olympics.

The delays were so long, one of the elderly defendants in the so-called “grandpa gang” facing charges died before he could be tried.

‘They liked her bling’

Now, ahead of the most high-profile jewellery heist case of the past decade, French detectives have revealed to The Sun how they tracked down the accused.

One of the aging crew has already publicly confessed to robbing Kim, who, in 2016, was still married to rapper Kanye West.

This week, Yunice Abbas, 72, revealed that he didn’t know who Kim was until after the raid.

He claimed: “My mate Aomar Ait Khedache, who put me on the job, had simply told me the victim was the wife of a famous rapper.”

Ait Khedache, known as “Old Omar”, 68, has also admitted participating in the heist but denies the prosecution’s accusation that he was the ringleader.

The police dossier shows how a combination of DNA and CCTV analysis, phone taps and geolocation, plus dogged determination by detectives, including physical tailing of suspects, led to the smashing of the gang within two months of the Hollywood-style heist.

The saga began in the summer of 2016, when Ait Khedache got a tip that a “big American star was coming to town” and that she was showing off her fabulous wealth on Instagram.

This was a time when old- school criminals were abandoning traditional heists for so-called saucissons — “sausage raids”, which involve following rich people into their homes, “wrapping them up like sausages” and then forcing them at gunpoint to say where they kept their valuables, before stealing them.

According to prosecutors, the Kardashian tip came from Florus Heroui, 52, who ran a bar in Le Marais, meaning “The Swamp” in English.

Heroui is said to have obtained precise information about Kim’s movements during Paris Fashion Week from Gary Madar, 34, a VIP greeter who regularly met stars as they arrived at Paris Le Bourget airport by private jet.

“I didn’t know who she was. We had nothing against
Kim Kardashian personally. I do regret that we
scared her

Crucially, Madar was trusted and liked by Kim, and had close family links to the car company she always used when in France.

Old Omar was fleeing justice at the time, having been arrested for his alleged involvement in a drugs racket, and was relying on his mistress, Christiane Glotin, 79, for safe houses to stay in.

In 2016, gang members were “ogling Kim’s jewels after Googling pictures on a computer”, a police investigator claimed.

“None of them had much idea who Kim was,” the source added. “But they liked her very expensive bling.”

All were particularly interested in Kim’s 18.88-carat, $4million [£3m] engagement ring, especially after she proudly announced that she “did not wear fake jewellery”.

Scouting out the star’s Paris address was easy, Omar told detectives. The gang allegedly only had to follow Kim’s Mercedes V-Class people carrier to find out that she was staying in the Hotel de Pourtales.

Better known as the “No Address”, Pourtales is a collection of dream apartments which have welcomed multiple A-listers, including Leonardo DiCaprio, Robert De Niro and Madonna.

The tip was that Kim would enjoy some “me time” alone in the Sky Penthouse while allowing her staff and family members out on the town.

This is exactly what happened in the early hours of October 3, when, at 2.20am, three cyclists in fluorescent yellow vests approached the No Address and parked their bikes in the courtyard.

Two more arrived on foot, and all were wearing black balaclavas and police armbands before they confronted the property’s only concierge, Abderrahmane Ouatiki.

Pointing an antique Mauser 7.65mm pistol at his head, the gang led Abderrahmane up to the penthouse, where Kim was lying on her bed.

She was alone after her German bodyguard, Pascal Duvier — who she later sacked — went out dancing.

Kim recalled hearing noises outside the door, later telling officers: “I said, ‘Hello!’, but since no one answered, I knew something was wrong.”

Two “aggressive men” in black police uniforms then burst in with the handcuffed Abderrahmane.

“I remember that I had an indescribable
feeling, as if my heart would leave my body, I thought that I was going to die

Kim tried to call 911, the American police emergency number, but of course it did not work in France.

“He puts a gun directly to her head,” Abderrahmane recalled. “She’s crying, she’s screaming.

“She’s saying, ‘Don’t kill me, I have babies, please, I have babies. I’m a mom. Take what you want’. She’s wearing just a robe and her hair is tied back.”

To prevent Kim from screaming too loudly, the robbers taped her mouth shut before locking her in her bathroom.

They spent 49 minutes in the penthouse before leaving with a haul estimated to be worth around $10.6million [£8m].

As they fled, one accidentally dropped a platinum cross adorned with diamonds that was found the next morning.

After cutting through her ties herself, Kim went to another apartment downstairs, where her stylist, Simone Harouche, had barricaded herself in a bathroom.

Incriminating images

Cops were alerted and took statements from Kim before she was allowed to catch her private jet home.

Detectives soon gathered two genetic fingerprints on the Serflex ties used to restrain Kim and Abderrahmane.

The samples corresponded to the prints of Ait Khedache and Abbas, both of whom had their details all over police forensic databases because of their criminal antecedents.

Painstakingly gathering all video recordings in the area, detectives also found plenty of incriminating images.

They included multiple sightings of a Peugeot 508 which was driven by Ait Khedache’s son, Harminy Ait Khedache, 38.

A police telephone specialist went through 7,591 mobile phone calls made in the Madeleine area around the robbery between October 2 and 3, finding numbers linked to the prime suspects.

These included Didier “Blue Eyes” Dubreucq, 69, who was allegedly the second robber to enter the penthouse, along with Old Omar.

Dubreucq had served 23 years in prison for a post office robbery and for importing two tonnes of Colombian cocaine into Europe via a Saudi Arabian prince’s private jet.

Rather than arrest the suspects straight away, officers from the elite Banditry Repression Brigade of the Paris Judicial Police launched tailing operations, which included placing GPS surveillance devices on their cars.

This is when new “faces” appeared, such as Marceau “Rough Nose” Baumgertner — an alleged Paris fence who has since died.

Known as a market trader with a pet dog called Al Capone, the 70-year-old was recorded as having made trips to Antwerp — the diamond capital of Europe — with Old Omar and Glotin to allegedly sell the jewellery.

Old Omar has told police the gold was melted down and resold, while insisting that he has “no idea” where Kim’s ring ended up.

On January 9, 2017, the BRB burst into all the suspects’ homes, handcuffed them and placed them in custody.

Ait Khedache originally denied wrongdoing, but when he heard of the DNA evidence against him, he made a full confession.

Deeply traumatised by the robbery, Kim avoided Paris for more than a year, so investigating judge Armelle Briand had to travel to the US to interview her.

Kim told Judge Briand: “I remember that I had an indescribable feeling, as if my heart would leave my body.

“I thought that I was going to die.”

According to her recorded testimony, Kim added: “This experience opened my eyes to the fact that the world was no longer a safe place.”

She said her “relationship with valuables had changed”, and that “it’s become a burden to be responsible for such expensive items”.

Despite some confessions, and the legal right of police and prosecution to leak information about the case, all officially remain innocent until proven guilty in connection with the largest jewellery theft committed against a single person in France this century.

Source : https://www.the-sun.com/entertainment/14106966/kim-kardashian-face-paris-attackers-trial/

Apple plans to shift the assembly of all iPhones sold in the United States to India as early as next year, pivoting away from China to avoid steep tariffs, the Financial Times reported, citing people familiar with the matter.

The company did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment.

US President Donald Trump’s trade war is pushing tech companies to diversify their supply chains. Apple is positioning India to play a key role in its manufacturing strategy, even though its suppliers in the country currently produce only a small share of iPhones sold globally.

Analysts had previously warned that consumer goods such as iPhones could be among the hardest hit by Trump’s broad tariffs and said US iPhone prices might rise sharply due to Apple’s heavy dependence on Chinese imports.

Higher prices could squeeze Apple’s margins and give Android smartphone makers a competitive edge.

Earlier this month, Washington granted tariff exclusions for smartphones, computers and other electronics mostly imported from China, offering some relief to tech firms such as Apple.

The company sells more than 220 million iPhones a year worldwide, with Counterpoint Research estimating a fifth of the total imports of the device to the US coming from India, and the rest from China.

Foxconn and Tata, Apple’s main suppliers in India, operate three factories, with two more under construction.

In March, Foxconn and Tata shipped nearly US$2 billion worth of iPhones from India to the US, a record high, according to customs data.

Source : https://www.channelnewsasia.com/world/apple-shift-iphone-assembly-india-us-trump-tariffs-china-5088456

Not everyone thinks Katy Perry is out of this world.

Footage of the pop star robotically dancing on the opening night of her “Lifetimes” tour in Mexico City on Wednesday has gone viral on social media, where fans mercilessly roasted the cringeworthy choreography.

In a minute-long clip shared on TikTok, Perry backed up to the audience to shake her rear end, cheekily lay on the stage to raise one leg in the air and listlessly performed what appeared to be robot-inspired moves to her song “Part of Me” in a space-age cone bra and thigh-high boots.

“People are paying to see this?” an X user complained.

“so shockingly bad,” another lamented.

“This clip is not impressive. This looks more like somebody who’s come out of retirement after 30 years and trying to pull the same moves off they did when they were young and popular,” a third X user wrote in part.

The ruthless comments were all over TikTok, too, with one person writing, “This is the worst choreography I’ve ever seen in my life.”

Another quipped, “it’s giving school talent show,” while another comment read, “This looks like an SNL skit.”

One more commenter observed, “She’s struggling. No energy here. Hope she finds her groove.”

Some fans couldn’t resist referencing Perry’s Blue Origin flight as part of an all-women crew on April 14.

“Guess those 11 mins she spent in space could have been better spent on choreography,” commented a TikTok user, to which an X user agreed, “too much space travel. She’s not used to being back on the ground.”

The singer, 40, directly addressed backlash she received for her space jaunt by reportedly asking onstage Wednesday, “Has anyone ever called your dreams crazy?”

She also flew over the stage, wore spacesuit-inspired costumes and posed for selfies with fans pointedly dressed up in blue NASA space suits.

Page Six reached out to “Lifetimes” tour choreographer Kaylie Yee and creative direction company Squared Division for comment but did not immediately receive a response.

Source : https://pagesix.com/2025/04/25/entertainment/katy-perry-roasted-for-choreography-on-lifetimes-tour/

Lawyers plan to argue at Sean “Diddy” Combs’ upcoming sex trafficking trial that the disgraced music mogul was merely living a “swinger” lifestyle and isn’t a rapist like the feds have made him out to be.

“There’s a lifestyle, call it swingers or whatever you will, that he thought was appropriate because it was common,” Combs’ attorney Marc Agnifilo said at a Friday pre-trial hearing for the rapper in Manhattan federal court, per The Post.

Agnifilio argued that Combs’ belief that it was acceptable to have multiple partners or to hire escorts proves that he did not intend to commit a crime.

“Many people think it’s appropriate because it’s common.”

Judge Arun Subramanian ruled from the bench that Combs’ lawyers will be able to make their swinger argument, but they are not allowed to name other notable figures who are believed to have allegedly hired sex workers or participated in the proposed “lifestyle.”

The update comes as federal prosecutors revealed on Friday that Combs, 55, rejected a plea offer ahead of his trial. Details about the plea were not provided in court.

The “Last Night” rapper is currently facing charges of racketeering, transportation to engage in prostitution and sex trafficking as prosecutors allege the Bad Boy records founder forcibly coerced women to engage in sexual activity at his infamous “Freak-Off” parties.

Many witnesses, including Combs’ ex-girlfriend, Cassie Ventura, are expected tot take the stand during his eight to ten-week trial to give “graphic testimony” about “years’ worth of beatings, drug-fueled coercive sex marathons, and multiple rapes.”

Combs is currently being held at the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn, NY, where he was taken after his September 2024 arrest.

Source : https://pagesix.com/2025/04/25/celebrity-news/sean-diddy-combs-is-a-swinger-but-not-a-rapist-lawyer-argues-as-rapper-rejects-plea-deal-ahead-of-trial/

The 24-year-old US national was arrested on March 31 for allegedly entering the North Sentinel Island without authorisation, police had said.

A US national, arrested in Andaman and Nicobar Islands for allegedly entering a prohibited tribal reserve area of the North Sentinel Island on March 31, was on Friday granted bail by the sessions court here.

The accused was granted bail with two sureties.

“Today, bail hearing of accused… was put up before the Hon’ble Court of Sessions Judge at Port Blair. After hearing both prosecution and defence, accused… was granted bail with two sureties, of which one surety should be local having registered landed property,” a statement issued by the ANI police said.

“The accused person has to meet the investigation officer twice in a week and his passport and visa not to be released till further orders of the Hon’ble Court. It means he will remain here in Port Blair till further hearing,” it said.

Source: https://www.ndtv.com/india-news/us-tourist-arrested-for-entering-north-sentinel-island-granted-bail-8256457

Donald Trump said there have been tensions between India and Pakistan, and the two countries will figure it out between themselves “one way or the other”.

US President Donald Trump on Friday reacted to the terrorist attack in Jammu and Kashmir’s Pahalgam, saying that it was a “bad one”.

Responding to a question aboard Air Force One on the way to Rome, Trump said there have always been tensions between India and Pakistan, and the two countries will figure it out between themselves “one way or the other”.

“I am very close to India, and I’m very close to Pakistan, and they’ve had that fight for a thousand years in Kashmir. Kashmir has been going on for a thousand years, probably longer than that. That was a bad one (terrorist attack),” Trump was quoted as saying by ANI.

“There have been tensions on that border for 1,500 years. It’s been the same, but I am sure they’ll figure it out one way or the other. I know both leaders. There’s great tension between Pakistan and India, but there always has been.”

Pahalgam terror attack
Tensions between India and Pakistan escalated over the Pahalgam terror attack that killed 26 persons, mostly tourists, in Jammu and Kashmir on April 22. The assault is one of the deadliest terror attacks in Jammu and Kashmir since the 2019 Pulwama bombing.

Following the attack, India announced a raft of measures against Pakistan, including the suspension of the Indus Waters Treaty, the expulsion of Pakistani military attaches and the immediate shutting down of the Attari land-transit post.

Source: https://www.hindustantimes.com/world-news/donald-trump-reacts-to-pahalgam-terror-attack-india-pakistan-us-101745607884197.html

Israel’s destructive military campaign in Gaza has released a silent killer: asbestos.

The mineral, once widely-used in building materials, releases toxic fibres into the air when disturbed that can cling to the lungs and – over decades – cause cancer.

Nowadays, its use is banned across much of the world, but it is still present in many older buildings.

In Gaza, it is found primarily in asbestos roofing used across the territory’s eight urban refugee camps – which were set up for Palestinians who fled or were driven from their homes during the 1948-49 Arab-Israeli war – according to the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP).

In October 2024, UNEP estimated that up to 2.3 million tons of rubble across Gaza could be contaminated with asbestos.

“The Gaza rubble is a very, very toxic environment,” says Professor Bill Cookson, director of the National Centre for Mesothelioma Research in London. “People are going to suffer acutely, but also in the longer term as well, things that children may carry throughout their lives.”

“The lives lost now are not going to end here. The legacy is going to continue,” says Liz Darlison, CEO of Mesothelioma UK.

When asbestos is disturbed by something like an air strike, its fibres – too small to see with the human eye – can be breathed in by those nearby and can then work their way through to the lining of the lungs.

Over many years – usually decades – they can cause scarring which leads to a serious lung condition known as asbestosis, or, in some cases, an aggressive form of lung-cancer named mesothelioma.

“Mesothelioma is a terrible, intractable illness,” says Prof Cookson.

“The really worrying thing,” he adds, “is that it’s not dose related. So even small inhalations of asbestos fibre can cause subsequent mesothelioma.

“It grows within the pleural cavity. It’s extremely painful. It’s always diagnosed late. And it’s pretty well resistant to all treatments.”

Typically, those who contract mesothelioma do so 20 to 60 years after exposure – meaning it will take decades before the possible impact across the territory is felt. A higher level, or longer period, of exposure is believed to accelerate the progression of the disease.

Dr Ryan Hoy, whose research into dust inhalation was cited by the UNEP, says it is extremely difficult to avoid breathing in asbestos fibres because they are “really tiny particles that float in the air that can get very, very deep into the lungs.”

They are even harder to avoid, he says, because Gaza is so “densely populated”. The territory houses approximately 2.1 million people and is 365 sq km (141 sq miles) – about one quarter of the size of London.

Experts on the ground there say people are unable to manage the risks posed by asbestos or dust inhalation due to the more immediate dangers of Israel’s military offensive.

“At this point in time, [dust inhalation] is not something that is perceived as a worrying thing by the population. They even don’t have things to eat, and they’re more afraid to be killed by the bombs,” says Chiara Lodi, medical co-ordinator in Gaza for the NGO Médecins Sans Frontières.

“The lack of awareness about the risks of asbestos, combined with the ongoing challenges [people in Gaza] face in trying to rebuild their lives, means they are unable to take the necessary measures to protect themselves,” a Gaza-based spokesperson for the NGO SOS Children’s Villages said.

Many are “not fully aware of the harmful effects of the dust and debris”, they added.

After a previous conflict in Gaza in 2009, a UN survey of the territory found asbestos in debris from older buildings, sheds, temporary building extensions, roofs and the walls of livestock enclosures.

There are several types of asbestos ranging from so-called “white asbestos”, which is the least dangerous, to “blue”, or crocidolite, which is the most. Highly-carcinogenic crocidolite asbestos was previously found in Gaza by the UN.

Globally, around 68 countries have banned the use of asbestos, though some maintain exemptions for special use. It was banned in the UK in 1999, and Israel banned its use in buildings in 2011.

As well as mesothelioma, asbestos can cause other forms of lung cancer, larynx and ovarian cancer.

A further, lesser known risk is that of silicosis, a lung disease caused by breathing in silica dust, usually over many years. Concrete generally contains 20-60% silica.

Dr Hoy says the sheer amount of dust in Gaza could lead to an “increased risk of respiratory tract infections, upper and lower airway infections, pneumonia, exacerbations of pre-existing lung disease like asthma,” as well as, “emphysema and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, which can be worsened by acute exposure to dust”.

For years, the 9/11 attacks on the World Trade Center in New York have been used as a case-study by health experts to examine the effects of a large toxic dust-cloud on a civilian population.

“The Twin Towers were not in the middle of a war zone,” says Ms Darlison, “so it was something we were able to measure and quantify easier”.

As of December 2023, 5,249 of those who were registered with the US government’s World Trade Center Health Programme have died as a result of aerodigestive illness or cancer – a far higher figure than the 2,296 people who were killed in the attack itself. A total of 34,113 people were diagnosed with cancer over the same period.

Source: https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/ce8y4j91l83o

As Elon Musk’s tenure at the Department of Government Efficiency winds down, it’s clear Americans owe him a debt of gratitude — despite the left’s unhinged hate campaign against him.

On Tuesday, Musk announced that he’s taking a step back from his role at DOGE starting next month and “allocating far more of [his] time to Tesla.”

His exit was always planned; so-called “special government employees” like Musk can only legally stick around in advisory roles for 130 consecutive days.

But his announcement served another purpose: soothing panicky Tesla shareholders, who have seen the company’s net income tank 71% in the last quarter, with many blaming his break from the company combined with his alliance with Orange Man.

Musk always knew he’d be risking harm to Tesla but was willing to make the sacrifice for the good of the nation.

Yet a shocking number of Trump-Musk haters actually waged sociopathic attacks on Tesla vehicles and innocent dealerships and owners.

Democratic leaders encouraged this terroristic insanity, either with their silence or by smearing Musk as a big, bad “oligarch” and thus stoking the flames.

Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz ghoulishly gloated over Tesla’s falling stock prices, just weeks before a Minnesota government employee was busted for causing $21,000 in damage to random Teslas.

One would think progressives would cheer the guy who built Tesla into the biggest seller of electric vehicles in the United States, a project he took on explicitly to fight climate change.

Quite frankly, getting Americans to buy EVs in the first place is a miraculous feat, considering they’re far less popular than their gas-powered counterparts.

Did that earn him some points with progressives? Fat chance.

And building Teslas isn’t Musk’s only act taken to help his fellow man. He also:

• Sent hundreds of Starlink satellites to help with rescue efforts after Hurricane Helene.

• Dispatched Starlink-fitted Cybertrucks to LA to maintain internet connectivity for locals after the devastating wildfires in January.

• Sent a SpaceX rocket to save two American astronauts stranded in space thanks to NASA and Boeing bungling.

Leftists’ instinctive love of government largesse has blinded them to the huge benefits of DOGE, but Musk’s work there has been heroic, too.

A Hawaii boat captain who rebuilt her whale-watching tour business after losing three boats in the deadly 2023 Lahaina wildfire captured iPhone footage of her dog barking excitedly when a humpback swam near them over the weekend and poked its head out to greet Macy, a golden retriever.

Chrissy Lovitt and Macy, 11, were in a fishing boat about 2 miles (roughly 3 kilometers) off Lahaina on Saturday when they spotted a humpback whale in the waters.

“And he heard her barking and he just swam over to meet her,” Lovitt recalled Tuesday. “And it was the best day of her life.”

In the video, Macy is seen barking frantically as the whale nears the boat. The whale’s head emerges and it appears to turn and look at the excited dog.

“She’s been barking at whales her whole life, but they haven’t wanted to do anything with her,” Lovitt said.

Macy is Lovitt’s trusty companion when she leads a boatload of tourists to marvel at whales. “She loves the ocean,” said Lovitt, now a Maui boat captain for 25 years. “She grew up on it.”

Macy is “obsessed with sea life and whales,” Lovitt added. “She’s 11 and I know we don’t get forever with her. But this has been on her bucket list so I’m just super happy for her.”

Lovitt had just started a whale-watching tour business when the massive inferno wiped out most of Lahaina, including her three boats, equipment and vehicles. On the day of the fire Aug. 8, Lovitt and her partner were trying to secure their boats in the fierce winds when the flames arrived. They had no choice but to head out in the ocean on a boat. There, Lovitt said, they helped the U.S. Coast Guard rescue people who were forced to jump in the water to flee the flames.

Source : https://apnews.com/article/whale-watching-dog-lahaina-wildfire-hawaii-c881db8ba9c8455be336bc811acb6d68

Federal agents arrested a Wisconsin judge and charged her with obstruction for allegedly trying to help an undocumented immigrant evade arrest.

Announcing her arrest, FBI director Kash Patel accused Milwaukee County Circuit Judge Hannah Dugan of “intentionally misdirecting” immigration agents away from a Mexican man they were trying to arrest last week.

“Thankfully our agents chased down the perp on foot and he’s been in custody since, but the Judge’s obstruction created increased danger to the public,” Patel wrote on X.

During a preliminary court hearing on Friday, Dugan’s lawyer said she “wholeheartedly regrets and protests her arrest. It was not made in the interest of public safety”.

The judge has been charged with obstruction and concealing an individual to avoid arrest, and faces a maximum of six years in prison if convicted on both charges.

Dugan was released on her own recognisance pending a hearing on 15 May.

The charges stem from events that played out in Dugan’s courtroom last week.

On 17 April, an immigration judge issued a warrant for the arrest of Eduardo Flores-Ruiz, a Mexican national facing three misdemeanour battery counts stemming from a domestic fight, according to court documents filed in the case by the FBI.

The following day, Flores-Ruiz appeared in the Milwaukee court for a scheduled hearing, and six officers from US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (Ice), the FBI and the Drug Enforcement Agency arrived at the courthouse to make the arrest.

The agents identified themselves to court officials and waited outside Dugan’s courtroom, but according to the FBI affidavit, the judge became “visibly angry, commented that the situation was ‘absurd,’ left the bench, and entered chambers” when she learned of their presence.

In the hallway outside the court, Dugan and the unnamed agents then argued over the type of arrest warrant that had been issued, before the judge instructed them to report to the office of the county’s chief judge.

While several agents were in the office, affidavit says, the judge ushered Flores-Ruiz and his lawyer to a side door meant for jury members leading out of the courtroom.

But two agents remained near the courtroom and spotted Flores-Ruiz attempting to escape, the affidavit says.

Flores-Ruiz, who authorities say had previously been deported from the US in 2013, managed to exit the courthouse but was arrested just minutes later after a short foot chase.

Dugan’s arrest came one day after a former judge in New Mexico was taken into custody accused of harbouring an alleged Venezuelan gang member in his home.

“I think some of these judges think they are beyond and above the law and they are not,” Attorney General Pam Bondi told Fox News in an interview on Friday.

“And if you are destroying evidence, if you are obstructing justice, when you have victims sitting in a courtroom of domestic violence, and you’re escorting a criminal defendant out a back door, it will not be tolerated.”

Reaction to the arrest largely split along partisan lines.

Wisconsin Senator Tammy Baldwin, a Democrat, called it a “gravely serious and drastic move”.

“Make no mistake, we do not have kings in this country and we are a democracy governed by laws that everyone must abide by,” Baldwin said in a statement. “By relentlessly attacking the judicial system, flouting court orders, and arresting a sitting judge, this President is putting those basic democratic values that Wisconsinites hold dear on the line.”

Milwaukee Mayor Cavalier Johnson also criticised the arrest, calling it “showboating” and warned that it would have a “chilling effect” on court proceedings.

Wisconsin’s Republican US Senator, Ron Johnson, told the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: “I would advise everyone to cooperate with federal law enforcement and not endanger them and the public by obstructing their efforts to arrest criminals and illegal aliens.”

Dugan was first elected as a judge in 2016, and was re-elected to a second six-year term in 2022.

Judicial elections in Wisconsin are non-partisan, however Dugan was endorsed by Milwaukee’s Democratic mayor.

The obstruction charge carries a maximum sentence of five years in prison and a $250,000 fine, while the concealment charges can be punished by up to one year in prison and a $100,000 fine.

Source: https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cly5xx017vko

Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency (Doge) – set up to cut US government spending – claims to have saved, on average, more than $10bn a week since President Trump entered office.

“We’re talking about almost $200bn and rising fast,” Trump told the BBC when talking about Mr Musk’s cost-cutting drive on 23 April.

Doge’s website says it is focusing on cancelling contracts, grants and leases put in place by previous administrations, as well as tackling fraud and reducing the government workforce.

BBC Verify has looked at the agency’s biggest claimed savings, examining the figures and speaking to experts.

Our analysis found that behind some of the large numbers, there is a lack of evidence to back them up.

How does Doge report savings?
In October, Mr Musk pledged to cut “at least $2 trillion” from the federal government budget. He subsequently halved this target and on 10 April talked about making savings of $150bn from “cutting fraud and waste” by the end of the next financial year in 2026.

The US federal budget for the last financial year was $6.75tn.

Doge publishes a running total of its estimated savings on its website – which stood at $160bn the last time the site was updated on 20 April.

However, less than 40% of this figure is broken down into individual savings.

We downloaded the data from the Doge website on 23 April and added up the total claimed savings from contracts, grants and leases.

Our analysis found only about half of these itemised savings had a link to a document or other form of evidence.

US media has also highlighted some accounting errors, including Doge mistakenly claiming to have saved $8bn from cancelling an immigration contract which in fact had a total value of $8m.

Doge says it is working to upload all receipts in a “digestible and transparent manner” and that, as of 20 April, it has posted receipts “representing around 30% of all total savings”. It also lists some receipts as being “unavailable for legal reasons”.

What’s the evidence behind the biggest saving?
BBC Verify examined the four largest savings listed on the Doge website which had receipts attached.

The department claims these add up to $8.3bn, but after examining the evidence provided and speaking to people familiar with federal contracts, this figure appears to be overstated.

For three of the savings, Doge links to documents on the Federal Procurement Data System (FPDS). This is a database which records contracts given out by the US government.

The documents show a contract’s start and end date, the maximum amount the government has agreed to spend, and how much of that has been spent.

David Drabkin, a federal contracts expert who helped develop the FPDS database, said the maximum figure listed should be treated with caution.

“FPDS does not reflect the actual paid price until some period of time after the contract has been completed and the contract actions have been recorded,” he says.

“For example, when buying research and development into a vaccine no one really knows how much that’s going to cost – so when a price is set, it’s not a definite price but rather an upper limit.”

So if Doge counts the maximum figure, that can represent projected spending over a number of years, rather than a direct saving from the country’s yearly spending.

Doge’s largest listed individual saving is $2.9bn.

It comes from cancelling a contract – which started in 2023 under President Biden – for a facility in Texas to house up to 3,000 unaccompanied migrant children.

Doge appears to have taken the “total contract value” until 2028 – the end date listed – and subtracted the amount spent so far to get the $2.9bn figure.

But the contract was reviewed annually, meaning renewing it until 2028 was not guaranteed.

A source familiar with this contract – who spoke on condition of anonymity – told BBC Verify that Doge’s figure is “based on speculative, never-used figures” and that the actual spending depended on how many children were placed at the facility and the services they required.

“In truth, the government never incurred those costs and could never reach that ceiling amount. The real, documentable savings from early termination were approximately $153 million”, they estimated.

They say this figure comes from tallying up the $18m per month fixed running costs (for things like staffing and security at the facility) from February – when Doge announced the cut – to November – when the contract was subject to annual review.

They also told us that the site – which closed on the same day as the Doge announcement – never reached its maximum capacity of 3,000 children, and about 2,000 stayed at the Texas facility at its peak, before numbers fell significantly as border crossings decreased.

We contacted the Administration for Children and Families and the Department for Health and Human Services which awarded the contract but are yet to hear back.

What about the other big savings?
The second largest saving listed by Doge comes from cancelling a contract between the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) and an IT company called Centennial Technologies which it claims was worth $1.9bn.

The document which Doge links to has a total contract value of $1.9bn and all of the other cost fields, including the amount already spent, are for $0.

However, Mr Drabkin told us this does not necessarily mean that nothing had been spent on the contract.

He said several government departments have poor recording keeping, meaning the amount spent during some contracts might not always be updated in a timely fashion.

Source: https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cn4j33klz33o

Australia’s prime minister Anthony Albanese has pledged to invest A$1.2bn (£580m) in a strategic reserve for critical minerals if he wins next month’s election, as trade tensions escalate.

The announcement came after China imposed export restrictions on seven rare earth elements, essential to the production of advanced technologies – including electric vehicles, fighter jets, and robots.

China’s controls apply to all countries but were widely seen as retaliation to US President Donald Trump’s tariffs.

Albanese said Australia would prioritise minerals that are key to its security, and that of its partners, including rare earths. But could his plan challenge China’s dominance?

What are rare earth minerals and why are they important?
Rare earths are a group of 17 elements – named “rare” because they are notoriously difficult to extract and refine.

Rare earths, like samarium and terbium, are critical to the production of technologies set to shape the world in the coming decades – including electric vehicles and highly advanced weapons systems.

Albanese’s proposed reserve includes rare earths as well as other critical minerals of which Australia is a top producer – like lithium and cobalt.

Both China and Australia have rare earth reserves. But 90% of rare earth refining – which makes them usable in technology – takes place in China, giving the country significant control over supply.

And that has spooked Western governments.

Why is China restricting the export of rare earth minerals?
Beijing said its restrictions on rare earths were in response to Trump’s sweeping tariffs on Chinese imports to the US, currently at 145%.

But analysts say Washington’s inability to secure the supply of rare earths has become one of the Trump administration’s chief anxieties, especially as diplomatic tensions with Beijing have deepened.

Around 75% of US rare earth imports came from China between 2019 and 2022, according to the US Geological Survey.

Philip Kirchlechner, director of Iron Ore Research in Perth, Western Australia, told the BBC that the US and EU had “dropped the ball” on recognising the importance of the rare earths over recent decades, as China swiftly developed a monopoly over refinement.

“China has its foot on the blood vein… of US and European defence systems,” he added.

Elon Musk, CEO of Tesla, this week said that China halting exports of rare earths used in advanced magnets was affecting the company’s ability to develop humanoid robots, in an early symbol of the pain Beijing has the power to inflict on US companies.

Could Australia’s proposal change the game?
Albanese’s proposal says that minerals in the reserve will be available to both “domestic industry and international partners”, in a likely reference to allies such as the US and EU.

But Kirchlechner, while welcoming the move as “long overdue”, added that the proposal is “not going to solve the problem”.

The fundamental issue is that even if Australia stockpiles more critical minerals, the refining process of rare earths will still largely be controlled by China.

Lithium – not a rare earth, but a crucial metal in the production electric vehicle batteries and solar panels – is a good example. Australia mines 33% of the world’s lithium, but only refines and exports a tiny fraction. China, on the other hand, mines just 23% of the world’s lithium, but refines 57% of it, according to the International Energy Agency.

Australia has been investing in refining rare earths as part of its Future Made in Australia plan, aimed at leveraging the country’s critical minerals reserves to drive the green transition.

Arafura Rare Earths, headquartered in Perth, Western Australia, last year received A$840m in funding to create the country’s first combined mine and refinery for rare earths. And in November, Australia opened its first rare earths processing plant, also in Western Australia, operated by Lynas Rare Earths.

But the country is expected to depend on China for refining until at least 2026, according to the Center for Strategic and International Studies, headquartered in Washington.

Source: https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c86je4vyg36o

In the statement, Pan also said China’s central bank will lower the reserve requirement ratio and policy rate ‘as warranted by economic and financial developments at home and abroad, as well as financial market performance’

China’s central bank governor on Friday criticized the U.S. for threatening global financial stability with its “recent abuse” of tariffs, in the wake of recent moves seen by both sides as efforts to de-escalate their trade war.

“The recent abuse of tariffs by the United States has severely violated the legitimate rights and interests of other countries, seriously undermined the rules-based multilateral governance system, dealt a heavy blow to the global economic order, and hurt the long-term stability and growth of the global economy,” People’s Bank of China Governor Pan Gongsheng said in a statement at the conclusion of the International Monetary Fund’s steering committee meeting.

“It has also triggered sharp fluctuations in global financial markets,” which has threatened global financial stability and posed challenges to emerging and developing nations, he said.

Pan added that there was an urgent need for countries to strengthen policy coordination and promote trade liberalisation.

China exempted some U.S. imports from its steep tariffs in a sign the trade war between the world’s top two economies could be easing, though Beijing quickly knocked down U.S. President Donald Trump’s assertion that negotiations were under way.

In the statement, Pan also said China’s central bank will lower the reserve requirement ratio and policy rate “as warranted by economic and financial developments at home and abroad, as well as financial market performance.”

Source: https://www.telegraphindia.com/world/chinas-central-bank-governor-criticises-us-tariff-abuse-at-international-monetary-fund-meeting/cid/2096039

Thousands of people marched through the former Auschwitz Nazi German death camp in Poland on Thursday in an annual ceremony organisers said would be joined by 80 Holocaust survivors to mark the 80th anniversary of the camp’s liberation.
The March of the Living follows a three-kilometre (1.86 mile) route to the crematoria of Auschwitz-Birkenau as participants pay tribute to the millions of Jews who died and call for an end to antisemitism and intolerance.

“In days when antisemitism is raising its ugly head, when there is hatred towards Israel and when cries rise for the destruction of Israel, we must stand strong and remind and promise the world: never again,” Israeli President Isaac Herzog told a news conference before the march.
The participants, many draped in Israeli flags, passed through the notorious “Arbeit macht frei” (work sets you free) gate at the entrance to the camp as the march began.

Antisemitic incidents have increased along with protests against Israel in parts of Europe, North America and Australia since Israel launched its war on the Palestinian enclave of Gaza after Hamas militants attacked Israel on October 7, 2023.

“We both expressed our hope that the war taking place in the Gaza Strip, which was started by Hamas’ attack on Israel, will be able to end, that the hostages who are still in Hamas hands will be able to return home,” Polish President Andrzej Duda, standing alongside Herzog, told the news conference.
More than 1.1 million people, mostly Jews, perished in gas chambers or from starvation, cold and disease at Auschwitz, which Nazi Germany set up in occupied Poland during World War Two.
More than three million of Poland’s 3.2 million Jews were murdered by the Nazis, accounting for about half of the Jews in Europe killed during the Holocaust.

Source : https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/holocaust-survivors-march-auschwitz-80-years-after-camps-liberation-2025-04-24/

Mourners stood in line for hours on Thursday to pay their final respects to Pope Francis, whose body is lying in state in St. Peter’s Basilica ahead of his funeral on Saturday.
Huge queues snaked around St. Peter’s Square and the surrounding roads, before being funnelled through the heart of the basilica in a single column leading to the central altar, where Francis’ open-topped coffin is placed on a dais.

The viewing started on Wednesday and the Vatican had expected to close the doors at midnight, but ended up letting the faithful in until 5:30 a.m. (0330 GMT), before reopening again at 7:00 a.m. (0500 GMT).
“After 3-1/2 hours in line, we had sore feet and tired legs. But we did see Francis, and the experience, while exhausting, was spiritually affirming,” said Richard Lamb of New Jersey in the USA, visiting with his wife Peggy, both devout Catholics.
“We walked with groups from Italy, Spain, England, Germany, Brazil, Australia, Poland, the U.S., the Philippines … it was a long, sublime experience,” he said.

Francis died aged 88 on Monday morning in his rooms at the Vatican’s Santa Marta guesthouse, ending an often turbulent, 12-year reign in which he sought to overhaul a divided institution, battling with traditionalists who opposed his many changes.
“He was a wonderful pope,” said Rome resident Alessandra Caccamo, as she queued outside the Vatican. “I’m going to miss him so much, because it’s like I’ve lost a piece of me.”
By 7:00 p.m. (1700 GMT) more than 90,000 people had paid their respects, Vatican officials said.
There was no stopping for a lingering view once the faithful got to the foot of the coffin, which was flanked by Swiss Guards in red-plumed helmets, as ushers swiftly moved people on.
Only clerics and special guests were allowed to sit for a while on pews set up on either side of the casket, including players from the city’s AS Roma soccer team, all wearing matching dark suits.

FUNERAL PLANS

More than 130 delegations, with 50 heads of state, including U.S. President Donald Trump, and 10 reigning monarchs are expected in St. Peter’s Square for Saturday’s funeral, the Vatican said, with millions more expected to watch on television across the globe.
Authorities in Rome started ramping up security ahead of the ceremony. A police source told Reuters snipers would be placed on rooftops, with drones watching from the sky and an army device readied to neutralise hostile flying objects.
A conclave to choose a new pontiff cannot start before May 6. Cardinals gathering in Rome have assumed temporary control of the Church, each taking an oath of secrecy not to reveal their discussions about a future pope.
This does not stop the powerful prelates from talking to reporters about their vision for the 1.4-billion member Church.

“A chapter in the Church’s history has been closed,” Cardinal Gerhard Ludwig Mueller told Italian daily La Repubblica in an interview published on Thursday.
Mueller is one of the 135 cardinals eligible to vote in the secret conclave. A former head of the Vatican’s doctrine office, Mueller is known for his traditionalist views and often clashed with Francis.
The German cardinal said that there was “unanimous appreciation” for the late pope’s work on migrants and the poor. However he said that the task was to choose a successor to St. Peter, the first pope, rather than Francis, indicating he favoured a change of direction.

The Vatican said on Thursday a group of “poor and needy” had been invited to welcome the pope’s casket to Rome’s St. Mary Major — a church some 4 km (2.5 miles) from St. Peter’s where, in a break from tradition, Francis wanted to be buried.
“The poor have a privileged place in the heart of God,” the Vatican said.
The heart of Rome is expected to be closed to traffic on Saturday to allow the funeral motorcade to make its way slowly to St. Mary Major, giving Romans a chance to say a final farewell.

Source : https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/st-peters-basilica-reopens-faithful-bidding-farewell-pope-2025-04-24/

U.S. President Donald Trump wasted no time implementing his agenda as his second Oval Office term commenced. As part of his “Make America Great Again” policies, Trump has shredded the playbooks that have governed international trade and, indeed, the world order for decades.

His erratic, and often confusing, rollout of tariffs has hit countries ranging from the largest U.S. trading partners, like Canada, Mexico and China, right down to tiny icy islands inhabited only by penguins. The result – almost unprecedented market volatility and serious damage to investor trust in U.S. assets.

The mighty S&P 500 is flirting with bear-market territory, while the dollar falls toward four-year lows. More worryingly from the point of view of broader market stability, U.S. Treasuries, the bedrock of the global financial system, are bruised from one of their worst selloffs in decades.

As Trump seeks to rewrite the rules for global trade, security and international relations, a whole range of dynamics have emerged as the 47th president approaches 100 days in office on April 30.

President Donald Trump’s administration moved a Venezuelan man who had worked in construction in Philadelphia to Texas for possible deportation after a federal judge had issued an order blocking his removal from Pennsylvania or the United States, according to court records.
A plane transporting the man took off on April 15 from an airport in the state capital Harrisburg about a half hour after U.S. District Judge Stephanie Haines issued an order temporarily blocking the administration from moving him out of her western Pennsylvania judicial district or the country, Justice Department lawyer Laura Irwin told an April 17 hearing, conducted as a conference call.

The Venezuelan, referred to in court papers as “A.S.R.,” was then brought to the Bluebonnet Detention Center in Anson, Texas, according to the government and American Civil Liberties Union, which represents him.
The administration has not been accused of violating the order by Haines, appointed by Trump during his first presidential term, by sending the man to Texas. But his transfer demonstrates the administration’s aggressive tactics to try to swiftly deport Venezuelan migrants it accuses of being members of the criminal gang Tren de Aragua even as various courts including the Supreme Court impose restrictions.

Representatives of the Justice Department, Department of Homeland Security and White House did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
Details about the transfer of A.S.R. were revealed in three court filings by his lawyers and a transcript of the April 17 hearing, all previously unreported.
He was believed to be among dozens of Venezuelans at the Bluebonnet facility who the Trump administration had tried to deport last week under a 1798 law called the Alien Enemies Act that historically has been used only in wartime, the ACLU said.
That deportation effort was blocked by an emergency ruling by the Supreme Court last Saturday.
Trump invoked the Alien Enemies Act in March as legal justification for deporting hundreds of men his administration accused of being Tren de Aragua members to a prison in El Salvador under an arrangement in which the United States is paying the Central American nation $6 million. It is part of Trump’s hardline approach toward immigration.

A FEBRUARY ARREST

U.S. officials have interviewed white South Africans seeking refugee status about their troubles with land disputes, crime and perceived racism, while refugees from other countries are being deported or barred from the United States.
Some of the South African applicants have taken part in a first round of interviews in Pretoria, three of them told Reuters, describing positive encounters with U.S. officials who seemed well disposed towards them and their accounts of persecution.

U.S. officials have interviewed white South Africans seeking refugee status about their troubles with land disputes, crime and perceived racism, while refugees from other countries are being deported or barred from the United States.
Some of the South African applicants have taken part in a first round of interviews in Pretoria, three of them told Reuters, describing positive encounters with U.S. officials who seemed well disposed towards them and their accounts of persecution.

The order came after Trump had suspended all U.S. refugee admissions, citing security and cost concerns. Thousands of Afghans, Congolese and others fleeing conflict were blocked after they had been vetted and cleared.
The International Organization for Migration, a U.N. agency that helps people displaced by conflict, natural disasters or other major crises, declined a U.S. administration request to assist in resettling Afrikaners, the person familiar with the matter said.
The IOM did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Accounts from applicants who have been interviewed, the number of people approved so far and the request to the IOM have not previously been reported.
Two U.S. refugee officers travelled to Pretoria to conduct interviews, said two U.S. Department of Homeland Security officials, adding that some applicants who said Black South Africans had persecuted them had gained preliminary approval.

“I imagine some (applications) will be denied, as we do in all cases,” said one official, speaking on condition of anonymity because they were not authorised to discuss internal details about the process. “But I think there is administrative pressure to approve these.”
Thrilled about Trump’s order, Mark emailed the U.S. embassy the next day, stating that he and his father had suffered grave injuries in a 2023 attack on their family farm.
Some time later, he received an email inviting him in. He and his wife flew to Pretoria for the interview, which lasted 55 minutes, he said. He saw the names of about a dozen other applicants signed in at the embassy.

EMPOWERMENT LAWS

Mark, who is in his 50s and worked in the food industry abroad for decades, said he had told U.S. officials that Black empowerment laws had left him unemployable. The laws are intended by the government to correct past exclusion of Black South Africans from the economy under apartheid.

Reuters was unable to independently verify Mark’s account or those of two other applicants who described their interviews and experiences of hardship.
The assertion that white South Africans are discriminated against, or even the victims of a “white genocide”, has spread in far-right circles for years and been echoed, by Trump’s white South African-born ally Elon Musk.
Trump himself suspended aid to South Africa on the basis that it was being “terrible” to “long time farmers”, an apparent reference to white farmers.
“They are confiscating their LAND and FARMS, and MUCH WORSE THAN THAT,” he wrote, on Truth Social.
People who espouse such views often cite employment laws, violent attacks on white farmers and a law enabling land expropriation for redistribution.
Out of 26,000 murders in South Africa last year, just 44 were linked to farming communities, according to police statistics. Crime researchers say the overwhelming majority of murder victims are Black.
“There is no evidence whatsoever that crime deliberately targets a particular race in this country,” said Chrispin Phiri, a spokesperson for the South African foreign affairs ministry.
A third official at the Department of Homeland Security, also speaking on condition of anonymity, said there had been eye-rolling by some U.S. refugee officers about the Afrikaners’ claims.
The official said it had been well-established in the past that there was no persecution of white South Africans and that claims of economic harm did not warrant refugee status.
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, which is part of DHS, said in a statement that “all relevant evidence” would be considered to determine if applicants met the legal definition of a refugee.

PET DOGS

According to the South African Chamber of Commerce in the United States, over 67,000 people have expressed interest in Trump’s offer. As of 2024, there were just 70 South African refugees and 2,043 asylum seekers in the United States, according to U.N. data which does not identify their race.
After Trump’s order, hundreds of white South Africans joined informal WhatsApp groups where they share information about the process and ideas about life in America.
In one, reviewed by Reuters, applicants discussed potentially chartering a flight for their pet dogs.
One resettlement interviewee, a farmer who said her family were driven off their land following violent attacks by neighbours, got an hour-long interview at the embassy, where officials asked her what race the trespassers were and what the police did.
“We didn’t have the sense we were rushed at all,” she said. “They were very sensitive to what we’d been through.”
She offered to provide documentation but the interviewers responded that they did not need it, she said.
A third farmer said she was invited for an interview after writing to the U.S. embassy that she feared for her life “every day”. She said her grandfather was murdered by his farm workers and she panics every time she hears a sound in the night.

‘WHITE VICTIMHOOD’

The South African government said Trump’s order failed to recognise the country’s painful history of colonialism and apartheid, and it was ironic that it offered refugee status for people from the most economically privileged part of society.
Afrikaners make up about 60% of the country’s white minority, which itself makes up 7.2% of South Africa’s total population of 63 million.
Neither the administration nor the embassy in Pretoria responded to questions about whether white South Africans who are not Afrikaners would qualify for U.S. resettlement.
The average white household in South Africa owns 20 times the wealth of the average Black household, according to the Review of Political Economy, an international academic journal. Official data shows that unemployment rates are far higher among Black citizens.
Three-quarters of South Africa’s private land is still white-owned and not a single expropriation has taken place.
“The idea of white victimhood suggests that bad things happening to white people are infinitely worse than the same things happening to anybody else,” said Nicky Falkof, head of the Centre for Diversity Studies at the University of Witwatersrand.

Source : https://www.reuters.com/world/us-focuses-persecution-claims-white-south-africans-seek-resettlement-2025-04-24/

US President Donald Trump has said he is “not happy” with deadly Russian strikes on Kyiv and that President Vladimir Putin should “stop” – but has not said if further action might be taken against Russia.

Overnight into Thursday, the attacks on the Ukrainian capital killed at least 12 people and injured 90 others.

The US president said he is “putting a lot of pressure” on both sides to end the war in Ukraine, following the deadliest attacks Kyiv has seen since last July.

It is the latest road bump in efforts to advance a peace deal between the two countries – something the US president said he would be able to quickly do as part of his election campaign last year.

In rare criticism of Russian President Vladimir Putin, Trump wrote in a post on Truth Social: “Not necessary, and very bad timing. Vladimir, STOP!”

The attack has come at a time of growing pressure on Ukraine and President Volodymyr Zelensky to accept Russian occupation of its territory as part of a peace deal.

On Thursday, Trump appeared alongside Norway’s Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre at the White House and said he had “no allegiance to anybody” only an “allegiance to saving lives”.

While he admitted frustration with Putin, Trump said he would wait a week “to see if we have a deal” – but that “things will happen” if the bombings do not end.

Trump’s special envoy Steve Witkoff is expected to hold talks with Putin in Moscow later on Friday.

President Volodymyr Zelensky responded to the attacks during a visit to South Africa, saying he felt the US could be more forceful with Russia to secure a ceasefire.

South Africa and Ukraine woo each other – as relationships with Trump turn sour
“We believe that if more pressure is applied to Russia, we’ll be able to make our positions closer,” Zelensky told reporters.

When asked if he would be willing to make any concessions, Zelensky said the fact that Ukraine is prepared to negotiate with Russia at all is a “huge compromise” and a “ceasefire must be the first step”.

“If Russia says it is ready to cease fire, it must stop massive strikes against Ukraine. It is Ukrainians who are running out of patience, because it is us who are under attack, and no one else,” he added.

The attack caused Zelensky to cut his trip short and return home.

In an interview with CBS’s Face the Nation TV programme, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said that “we only target military goals or civilian sites used by the military”.

Lavrov provided no evidence to back his claim.

He added that some elements needed to be “fine tuned” for Russia to agree to the US-proposed peace deal.

Before the attack on Kyiv, the week had seen a fraying of the already imperilled relationship between Trump and Zelensky – as the US president has suggested the need for Ukraine to make land concessions as part of a peace deal.

On Wednesday, Trump claimed a deal to end the war was “very close”, but that Zelensky’s refusal to accept US terms “will do nothing but prolong” the conflict.

Ukraine has long said it will not give up Crimea, a southern peninsula illegally annexed by Russia in 2014.

On Wednesday, US Vice-President JD Vance laid out the US vision for a deal, saying it would “freeze the territorial lines […] close to where they are today”, and added that Ukraine and Russia “are both going to have to give up some of the territory they currently own”.

Trump criticises Zelensky as Ukraine refuses Russian control of Crimea
When asked by reporters at the White House this week about whether the administration was looking to recognise Russia’s sovereignty over Crimea, Trump said he just wanted to see the war end.

Recognising Russia’s illegal occupation of Crimea would not only be politically impossible for Zelensky to accept, it would also be contrary to post-war international legal norms that borders should not be changed by force.

“We’ve shown them the finish line,” Secretary of State Marco Rubio said on Thursday in the Oval Office, where he appeared alongside Trump and the Norwegian prime minister.

“We need both of them to say yes, but what happened last night with those missile strikes should remind everybody of why this war needs to end.”

President Zelensky’s visit to South Africa, during which he met President Cyril Ramaphosa, signalled a dramatic improvement in the once-strained relations between the two nations.

Ramaphosa said during a news briefing alongside Zelensky that he was deeply concerned about the ongoing conflict in Ukraine. He also reiterated South Africa’s commitment to speaking to all parties in the conflict.

He added that he had spoken to both Putin and Trump on the need to bring an end to the conflict.

Ramaphosa, in the briefing, did not go into whether Ukraine should cede territory to Russia.

The US was one of Ukraine’s closest allies until the re-election of Trump in November. Now Ukraine is keen to broaden its pool of international partners – particularly in Africa where many countries have strong links with Russia.

Source : https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/crld4gkk428o

Indonesia is on an ambitious mission to offer free meals to 80 million school children – but that hasn’t exactly gone according to plan.

Nearly 80 students across two high schools in Cianjur, south of the capital Jakarta, fell ill after eating the meals this week. Most of those who ended up in hospital have since been discharged.

This is the latest in a series of food poisonings that have been linked to the programme, a signature policy of President Prabowo Subianto.

Authorities investigating the case say the suspected cause is negligent food preparation. Samples from the vomit of students have been sent for lab testing, and police say they have questioned people handling the food, from cooks to packers to delivery workers.

A 16-year-old student told local media that the shredded chicken in the meal had an “unpleasant odour”. “I felt dizzy, nauseous and vomited,” he said.

Across the world, programmes offering free meals to students have proved to be effective in improving health, academic performance and attendance.

But Indonesia’s $28bn (£21bn) version – shaping up to be the most expensive of its kind – has become the target of food safety concerns and heated anti-government protests.

In February, when thousands took to the streets to protest at budget cuts, they aimed their ire at the hefty price of Prabowo’s free school meals: “Children eat for free, parents are laid off,” read one of their protest signs.

The man who would become Pope Francis always bought his shoes in the same small store. And now, the remarkably ordinary footwear that surprised and charmed millions has brought pride to his old Buenos Aires neighborhood — and to his cobbler.

The simple black shoes — a stark contrast to the flashy ruby red slippers of Francis’ predecessor, former Pope Benedict XVI — are among the pope’s personal effects that have captured attention as his death this week triggers an outpouring of emotion around the Roman Catholic world.

The seemingly comfortable loafers offer a powerful reminder of Francis’ humility, simplicity and lack of ceremony that helped him relate to ordinary people wherever he went.

A third-generation cobbler

The Muglia family men were the first cobblers in the middle-class Flores neighborhood of western Buenos Aires. Their shop, Muglia Shoes, opened in 1945, just a few years after Pope Francis was born Jorge Mario Bergoglio to Italian immigrant parents.

There wasn’t much competition, so when a young Bergoglio came in to buy shoes, it was Juan Jose Muglia’s grandfather who sold him the first pair. Bergoglio was in his 20s then, serving as a Jesuit priest at the Basilica of San José de Flores just around the block.

“My father, my grandfather, they told me stories about how Father Jorge came from the church around the corner to buy these shoes, they were the ones he liked, he wore them all the time,” Muglia, 52, told The Associated Press on Thursday.

“They’re simple, it’s the kind of shoes that waiters like to wear today, Muglia said, holding up a pair of the handmade lace-up loafers. “They can last you years and years.”

When Muglia took over after his father’s death, he added a poster of Elvis Presley, a Harley Davidson motorbike and a vinyl turntable to give the place a hipster note.

A time gone by

The racks now display newer fashions like pointy boat shoes and bright patent leather numbers.

But much of the shop remains the same, including the pinewood-paneled walls, floor-to-ceiling shelves of cream-colored shoeboxes and, of course, the leather black loafers with grippy, nonslip soles that Francis repeatedly purchased, inspiring local Catholic priests to do the same.

“Priests came here from all the basilicas in the city, some young priests even came from Rome to buy them,” said Muglia.

They sell for around $170 today — far more than the price-tag Francis saw — due to Argentina’s runaway inflation.

When Francis became pope in 2013, Muglia said he offered to send the pontiff off to St. Peter’s with a new pair of his favorite shoes. But he recalled Francis saying that his feet had become too swollen in his old age and he needed to find a more customized fit that he could depend on in Rome.

Papal footwear

Rather than adopt the typical papal shoes — red velvet or silk — as pope, Francis didn’t stray from his Flores roots.

He chose normal black shoes with an orthopedic sole — a far cry from the Byzantine era, when pilgrims customarily kissed a decorative cross embroidered on the papal shoe, and from the era of Pope Benedict, whose bespoke leather slippers in a succulent tomato red prompted Esquire Magazine to name the former pontiff “Accessorizer of the Year” in 2007, prompting intense speculation about the designer brand.

As years passed, beyond the occasional priest or parishioner who dropped into Muglia Shoes, few ever wondered about the brand of Francis’ plain footwear.

But that changed when Francis died on Monday at the age of 88, setting off a frenzy of interest about his Flores roots. Around the world, Francis was remembered for paring down the papacy’s inherited pomp to become more accessible — swapping the fur-trimmed velvet cape that popes had worn since the Renaissance for a simple white cassock, and preferring a Ford Focus to the usual papal limo.

As word spread about his original footwear and local journalists flooded the neighborhood, Muglia said curious customers have bombarded him with requests. He placed a framed portrait of Francis prominently in his window.

“It was a world of people,” Muglia said. “They came from everywhere.”

A neighborhood remembers

In Flores, the mourning for Francis feels personal. Residents remember him as someone who lived frugally, visited and advocated for the city’s poorest and could often be found sharing Argentina’s signature yerba maté drink with old friends and strangers.

At the newspaper stand just down the block from Muglia Shoes, vendor Antonio Plastina, 69, recalled how he and Francis made small-talk “like any two Argentines, a bit of this and that, some politics mixed with soccer.”

“He was a marvelous person, those are beautiful memories,” Plastina said, his eyes welling up. After becoming archbishop and cardinal, Francis still made the half-hour drive to Flores from downtown Buenos Aires every Sunday before church.

He always bought the two main Argentine daily papers, Plastina said, and read the news with a cup of coffee at the quiet cafe across the street, now a mattress store on a traffic-clogged intersection.

Although the crowds that poured into Flores upon learning of Francis’ death largely tapered out by Thursday, they left a mass of bouquets and handwritten notes to their beloved pontiff at the iron-barred windows of Membrillar 531, the modest house where Francis grew up as the eldest of five siblings.

“My vision is going but my memory is long,” said Alicia Gigante, 91, Francis’ neighbor and family friend, who stopped at the house on Thursday morning, leaning on her daughter for support.

Source : https://apnews.com/article/argentina-pope-francis-buenos-aires-c3bb4f5b7d83ca0d02c355ffa8001317

President Donald Trump will meet with The Atlantic magazine editor-in-chief who was inadvertently added to a Signal group chat with administration officials discussing air strikes against the Houthi group in Yemen.

Trump said on social media Thursday that he would be meeting Jeffrey Goldberg, and two of Mr Goldberg’s colleagues, Ashley Parker and Michael Scherer, later in the day.

“I am doing this interview out of curiosity, and as a competition with myself, just to see if it’s possible for The Atlantic to be ‘truthful,” Trump wrote.

Trump claimed the journalists were “not exactly pro-Trump writers” and questioned whether they were “capable of writing a fair story on ‘TRUMP’?”

In the post, Trump said the interview would be for a story titled “The Most Consequential President of this Century”. When contacted by the BBC, The Atlantic had no comment.

The interview comes a month after Mr Goldberg published a story about being added to a secret group chat on the encrypted texting app Signal. In the text chain, US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth and other top US officials discussed the details of an upcoming attack against the Houthis.

The scandal rocked the White House. Then, in April, the New York Times and others reported that Hegseth had shared information about the same military action in a second private Signal group chat, which included his wife, brother and personal lawyer.

Trump has continued to stand by his defence secretary and others involved in the incident, telling reporters earlier this week: “Pete’s doing a great job … Everybody’s happy with him.”

Hegseth’s wife, Jennifer Rauchet, is a former Fox News producer and holds no official position within the Pentagon.

His brother, Phil, and personal lawyer Tim Parlatore, both hold positions at the Department of Defense. But it is not clear why any of the three would require advanced warnings about sensitive US strike plans.

Source : https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c5yrwdw124do

Mr. Perfectly Fine?

Taylor Swift’s ex Joe Jonas replied to a fan’s comment on TikTok that pointed to one of her diss tracks about him from way back in 2008 — and people are divided about whether the DNCE frontman is in on the joke.

In other Swiftie news, the singer is among the top nominees on the just-announced American Music Awards nominations list. She’s won a whopping 40 out of 49 AMAs she’s been nominated for over the course of her career, so odds are high she’ll win big at the May ceremony.

Two Taylor Swift songs were featured in the “Summer I Turned Pretty” Season 3 teaser.

On Thursday, Prime Video released the first trailer for the highly anticipated forthcoming season of the hit teen drama, which follows the love triangle of Belly (played by Lola Tung) and brothers Jeremiah and Conrad Fisher (portrayed by Gavin Casalegno and Christopher Briney, respectively).

In the clip, Swift’s “Daylight” from the album “Lover” played as different images of Belly and Jeremiah’s blossoming romance flash across the screen.

The teaser concludes with the pop star’s hit “Red (Taylor’s Version)” as Belly answers the door to see Conrad.

“Hey,” Conrad said as Belly stood at the door with her mouth open.

Swift’s song then played the lyrics, “I once believed love would be burning red.”

Source : https://pagesix.com/2025/04/23/celebrity-news/taylor-swift-live-updates-4-23-2025/

Comedian Bill Maher candidly responded to Larry David’s satirical essay comparing President Trump to Adolf Hitler.

The “Club Random” podcast host, who labeled the politician as “gracious and measured” following a meeting in March, was forced to address David’s remarks on Thursday’s episode of “Piers Morgan Uncensored.”

“This wasn’t my favorite moment in our friendship,” he shared, explaining he didn’t want to get into the drama too deeply, but argued that David was wrong for playing the “Hitler” card.

“The minute you play the Hitler card, you’ve lost the argument,” Maher, 69, added.

“Also, I must say, c’mon man, Hitler, Nazis? Nobody has been harder on and more pressing about Donald Trump than me,” the talk show host continued, referring to his past criticism of the 47th president.

“I don’t need to be lectured on who Donald Trump is. Just the fact that I met him in person didn’t change that. And the fact I reported honestly is not a sin either.”

“But to use the Hitler thing, first of all, I think it’s kind of insulting to six million dead jews,” Maher said, referring to the Holocaust. “That should kind of be in its own place in history.”

“It’s an argument you kinda lost,” he added. “It’s not completely logically fair, but Hitler has really kinda gotta stay in his own place.

“He is the [greatest of all time] of evil and we’re just going to have to, I think, leave it like that.”

Reps for David, 77, weren’t immediately available to Page Six for comment.

Earlier this week, the “Curb Your Enthusiasm” star slammed Maher in an opinion piece published in the New York Times.

David wrote about a man who was invited to dinner “with the world’s most reviled man, Adolf Hitler” and finds the latter to be personable despite having previously disagreed with the dictator.

“Here I was, prepared to meet Hitler, the one I’d seen and heard — the public Hitler,” he wrote. “But this private Hitler was a completely different animal. And oddly enough, this one seemed more authentic, like this was the real Hitler. The whole thing had my head spinning.”

“I’m so thankful I came. Although we disagree on many issues, it doesn’t mean that we have to hate each other … I gave him a Nazi salute and walked out into the night,” the actor added.

While David didn’t refer to Maher or Trump, the Times opinion editor Patrick Healy made the comparison in an article published on April 21.

David’s inspiration for the piece seemingly stemmed from Maher’s description of meeting Trump on March 31 during an episode of his “Real Time with Bill Maher” series earlier this month.

Source : https://pagesix.com/2025/04/24/celebrity-news/bill-maher-reacts-to-larry-davids-insulting-op-ed-comparing-trump-to-hitler/

THE disturbing cause of the massive wildfires that have blazed through New Jersey has been uncovered, according to officials.

Joseph Kling, 19, has been arrested and accused of sparking the inferno that torched 15,000 acres in the Pine Barrens and sent plumes of smoke wafting through the tri-state area.

Kling, who is from Waretown, about an hour south of New York City, allegedly started the tragedy by not properly putting out a bonfire.

According to the Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office, King started the fire in the Forked River Mountains Wilderness Area by burning wooden pallets.

By Tuesday morning at around 10 am, officials spotted a cloud of smoke erupting from the area and discovered a blaze was spreading.

They used GPS to find where the fire started, and then traced it back to the teen.

Kling’s arrest was announced on Thursday, and he appeared straight-faced in a mugshot.

In the three days the fire has burned, around 15,000 acres in Ocean County have been reduced to a crisp, and thousands have been forced to evacuate.

The blaze had been contained by 50% on Thursday, but grew to more than 23 square miles.

Officials now fear it’s the largest wildfire the city has seen in over 20 years.

Roads and businesses have shut down, and at least one commercial building has been destroyed in the tragedy, according to ABC affiliate WCAU.

The blaze moved quickly through the heavily wooded Pine Barrens as a months-long drought and low humidity came in the middle of peak forest fire season.

The one million-acre forest is mainly uninhabited, but officials have warned that residential areas in America’s most densely populated state could be at risk, the Associated Press reported.

“This is still a very active fire,” Shawn LaTourette, New Jersey’s commissioner of environmental protection, said Wednesday.

“As we continue to get this under full control the expectation is that the number of acres will grow and will grow in a place that is unpopulated.”

No one has been injured or killed by the fires, and the 5,000 people who were asked to evacuate have returned home safely.

Power was briefly cut off to 25,000 people to protect the fire crews, but it has since been restored.

POLLUTION LOOMS

Areas in New York City and Long Island are expected to have higher-than-normal pollution levels thanks to the clouds of smoke.

Residents in the area have been warned to stay indoors if they want to avoid exposure.

Horror images have captured the tall flames towering over rows of trees and encroaching on buildings.

Video taken from busy highways shows the flames erupting from the side of the road and blowing into power lines.

Kling has been charged with arson and aggravated arson.

In February, Kling was one of eight people who faced charges after a fight broke out at a construction site, according to the Lacey Township Police Department.

He was charged with two counts of simple assault and endangering an injured victim.

Source : https://www.the-sun.com/news/14096435/joseph-kling-nj-fire-ocean-county-arson-evacuations/

China on Thursday sent three astronauts to its permanent space station Tiangong to replace the crew stationed there since last October.

The Shenzhou-20 spaceship took off at 5:17 p.m. local time (0917 GMT) from Gobi Desert in northwestern China, according to state media.

The crew currently aboard Tiangong is scheduled to return on April 29th. The teams rotate roughly every six months.

China is striving to become a leading celestial power, aiming to send a crewed mission to the Moon by 2030, build a base there and explore Mars.

In order to achieve what President Xi Jinping describes as the Chinese people’s “space dream”, Beijing has invested billions of dollars into its space program in recent years.

Crew to hold experiments in physics and medicine

Leading the crew is Chen Dong, who has already completed two missions before and is flying to space for a third time now. He will be accompanied by former air force pilot Chen Zhongrui and engineer Wang Jie, both first timers in space.

Besides space walks and general maintenance on the space station, the crew wants to install protective equipment against space debris, an increasing threat for space activities.

Also, experiments in both physics and medical sciences are planned. For the first time, they will bring planarians aboard, a kind of aquatic flatworms with great regenerative abilities.

“The results [of examining the planarians in space] could help address problems related to injuries sustained in space environments,” said Lin Xiqiang, deputy director of China’s national space agency (CMSA) at a press conference on Wednesday.

China seeks space partners

China has been excluded from the International Space Station, as the US banned their space agency NASA from collaborating with Beijing, citing national security concerns.

China has increasingly sought space partners elsewhere.

Source : https://www.dw.com/en/china-sends-3-astronauts-off-to-space/a-72335837

US President Donald Trump’s online store is selling merchandise branded with the slogan “Trump 2028” for the country’s next presidential election.

The hats, T-shirts and can coolers are available for purchase despite the fact that the US Constitution prohibits presidents from serving three terms.

Trump, who will be 82 in 2028, has not ruled out running in the next presidential election. He has also said he is considering breaching the constitution in order to do so.

What else do we know about the ‘Trump 2028’ merchandise?

The US president’s son Eric Trump was pictured in a photo on social media on Thursday wearing one of the red caps, which costs $50 (about €44).

The T-shirts, available in navy blue and red, are priced at $36, while the koozies are available for $18.

Product description alongside the newly available apparel says: “The future looks bright! Rewrite the rules.”

What does the US Constitution say?

The 22nd Amendment was adopted after Franklin Delano Roosevelt was elected four times.

Roosevelt died at the age of 63, at the beginning of his fourth term, on April 12, 1945.

The amendment, which came into effect in 1951, states that “no person shall be elected to the office of the President more than twice.”

While Trump appears set on a third term, amending the country’s highest law would require a two-thirds majority in both Congressional chambers.

Source : https://www.dw.com/en/donald-trump-selling-2028-election-merch-despite-term-limit/a-72342558

Members of President Donald Trump’s cabinet will likely move to limit the influence of Department of Government Efficiency employees and reassert control over budgets and staffing once Elon Musk steps back from DOGE, two government sources with direct knowledge of the matter said.
The Department of Government Efficiency, created by executive order the day Trump took office and helmed by billionaire Musk, has spearheaded efforts to shrink the federal workforce and slash the deficit via mass firings, contract cancellations and reduced services to Americans across the federal government.

Thousands of people poured into St. Peter’s Basilica on Wednesday to pay their final respects to Pope Francis, whose body is lying in state for three days ahead of his funeral on Saturday.
Crowds stretched down the main boulevard leading through Rome into the Vatican, pressing forward slowly in warm spring sunshine as people took their turn to see the late pontiff in his open coffin.

The body of the 88-year-old pope, who died two days ago in his rooms at the Vatican’s Santa Marta guesthouse after suffering a stroke, was brought to St. Peter’s in a solemn procession earlier on Wednesday.

Red-hatted cardinals, bishops, candle-carrying friars and helmeted Swiss Guards walked slowly into the vast square in front of the basilica as a choir chanted psalms and prayers in Latin while a bell gently tolled.
As the coffin crossed St. Peter’s Square, a crowd of several thousand broke into repeated applause – a traditional Italian sign of respect at such events.
“He’s like a member of the family. Somebody very close to our hearts, somebody who made the Church very accessible to everybody and inclusive to everybody,” said Rachel Mckay, a pilgrim from Britain.
Vatican officials helped 14 white-gloved, black-suited pallbearers carry the coffin up a stone incline, before the procession passed through St. Peter’s giant bronze doors and into the hushed interior of the ornate, cavernous church.

Francis, who had only recently left hospital after five weeks being treated for double pneumonia, last appeared in public on Sunday, when he delighted onlookers gathered to celebrate Easter by being driven around the packed square in his white, open-topped popemobile.

MIXTURE OF EMOTIONS
As the formal ceremony to bring the pope’s body to the basilica was ending, Sr. Genevieve Jeanningros, a nun from the Roman seaside town of Ostia, stood by his casket and cried.
Jeanningros, known for her work with the LGBTQ community, had hosted Francis for visits in Ostia several times.
Crowds were guided through the central nave of the basilica to come forward and offer respects.
Francis was dressed in red vestments, his hands clasped together holding a rosary, and a white mitre on his head.
Alex Lenrtz, a U.S. pilgrim who was among the first public mourners to stand in line, said he felt a mixture of emotions.

“It’s just such a surreal (feeling) … and seeing the body and just remembering everything that he stood for is very important.”
Francis’ body will lie in state in St. Peter’s Basilica until Friday evening. The Vatican had originally planned to close Wednesday’s visits at midnight (2200 GMT), but said it may extend the timeframe, due to a “high flow” of pilgrims.
In the first 8-1/2 hours of viewing, some 19,430 people filed infront of the coffin, with thousands more waiting patiently in a line that snaked around the security barriers across the cobbled esplanade outside the church.
Saturday’s funeral will draw heads of state and government from around the world, including U.S. President Donald Trump, who clashed repeatedly with the pope on social issues such as immigration.
Leaders from Italy, France, Germany, Britain, Ukraine, Brazil, EU institutions and Francis’ home nation of Argentina have also confirmed their presence, among many others.

Source: https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/pope-francis-body-lies-state-st-peters-ahead-funeral-2025-04-23/

The European Union is presenting itself as a safe destination for academics facing funding cuts in the US as it tries to attract top talent with higher grants and freedom for research.

As US President Donald Trump freezes billions in funding for top universities until they give in to a list of demands, the European Union (EU) sees a chance to attract the finest scientific minds and scholars to the bloc.

The EU commission and several European universities have announced a slew of programs aimed at offering academic freedom to US researchers if they relocate to Europe, especially those targeted by the Trump administration in the fields of immunology and communicable diseases, climate change and social sciences involving gender studies, diversity and migration.

European academics have said that, as their counterparts in the US faced political interference and job loss, they were compelled to act and offer whatever help they could.

European universities open doors to US researchers
“It is outrageous, unjustified,” Maria Leptin, President of the European Research Council (ERC), the bloc’s public body for scientific and technological enquiry, told DW over the phone. “I have many friends and colleagues in the US and it is just shocking to see what’s happening there.”

Jan Danckaert, Rector, Vrije Universiteit Brussel (VUB), described it as “painful.”

“Researchers should be protected as much as possible from political influence. But in the US we see precisely the opposite. The government is interfering for political reasons,” Danckaert told DW.

VUB has allocated funding and established a contact point for information for outstanding scholars looking to relocate to Brussels, particularly “excellent researchers currently working in the US who see their line of research threatened.”

“We thought that it might be good to specifically advertise in the United States,” he said, “because US scholars see an abrupt funding cut and they might be interested in continuing their line of research with us in Brussels.”

The VUB has already received dozens of inquiries from US scholars.

Aix Marseille University (AMU) in France has launched the Safe Space for Science program to recruit up to 15 American scientists who may feel threatened or hindered in their research and wish to continue their work in an environment conducive to innovation, excellence, and academic freedom.

“We believe we can raise up to €15 million ($17 million) for a three-year program and will work with local institutions to host around fifteen researchers,” a statement by Eric Berton, President of Aix-Marseille University, reads on the college website.

The EU promises easier visas, more funds for relocation
Ekaterina Zaharieva, European Commissioner for Startups, Research, and Innovation, stated that the EU was closely monitoring recent developments across the Atlantic and stood ready to assist.

“Europe sees you,” she said, reassuring American scholars as she presented Europe as an attractive location to pursue their research.

In a letter signed by twelve European governments, including Germany, France, the Czech Republic, Austria, Slovakia, Greece and two Baltic nations, member states called on the commission to come up with concrete measures to attract US scholars.

In response, the EU has said it is working on a new visa strategy , to be released by the end of this year and has launched a new project to provide higher allowances and longer recruitment periods for top researchers who relocate to Europe.

In parallel, the EU has decided to double the grant money provided to scientists and scholars chosen by the ERC, which assesses applications from all over the world. The increase in relocation costs comes at a time when researchers in the US are facing a battle with their government.

Zaharieva stated that the ERC currently offers a €1 million top-up for relocation costs, but the EU will increase this amount to €2 million this year. This will increase the starting total grant to €3.5 million and the advanced grant to €4.5 million for each grantee over a five-year period, allowing them to establish a research team if necessary. Any grantee must have held a PhD for at least two years.

ERC President Maria Leptin told DW that the additional funding for researchers moving in from outside Europe, now set to increase, helps cover “unusual costs” such as “moving a lab or research team to Europe or purchasing expensive equipment” required for a research project. But added that the grants were not a “freebie” but merit-based.

In addition, the EU has decided to enshrine freedom of scientific research within the EU law to enhance its appeal among scholars and offer the certainty they need to move their lives abroad.

Source: https://www.dw.com/en/eu-seeks-to-attract-american-scholars-as-trump-freezes-funds/a-72311714

Hamas’s armed wing released a video Wednesday (Apr 23) showing an Israeli-Hungarian hostage walking through a tunnel in Gaza and lighting a candle to mark his birthday.

In the nearly three-minute clip published by the Ezzedine Al-Qassam Brigades, the hostage – who identifies himself as Omri Miran – addresses the camera in Hebrew.

His family confirmed his identity in a statement issued through the Hostages and Missing Families Forum, while requesting that the media refrain from publishing the footage.

AFP was unable to verify when the footage was recorded, but in it, Miran says he is marking his 48th birthday, which fell on Apr11.

He is initially shown walking through a tunnel, then seated on a mattress in a confined space, acknowledging protesters in Israel who have been demonstrating against the government and demanding the hostages’ release.

He states that hostages are living in constant fear of bombings and urges a deal be reached as soon as possible to secure their release, adding that he missed his wife and daughters.

“On the eve of Holocaust Remembrance Day, when we say ‘never again,’ an Israeli citizen cries out for help from Hamas’s tunnels,” his family said in a statement.

“It is a moral failure for the state of Israel. Our Omri is strong and will not break, but our hearts are broken,” the family added.

“We will continue to fight until Omri returns to us, and especially to his two daughters who are waiting with all their hearts to hold him again.”

During the Oct 7, 2023 attack by Hamas militants on Israel, Miran was seized from his home in kibbutz Nahal Oz in front of his wife Lichay Miran-Lavi and their two small daughters.

He previously appeared in an undated video released by Hamas on Apr 27, 2024.

Source: https://www.channelnewsasia.com/world/hamas-releases-video-showing-israeli-hostage-marking-his-birthday-5084711

Thailand will conduct tests of a cellphone disaster alert system, senior officials said on Wednesday (Apr 23), after criticism that no alarm was sent after last month’s deadly Myanmar earthquake caused damage in Bangkok.

Director General of the Department of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation (DDPM) Phasakorn Boonyalak said the Cell Broadcast System (CBS) will undergo a test run next month in localised areas, including the sprawling capital, which was badly shaken by the 7.7-magnitude quake in neighbouring Myanmar.

The system will use three mobile networks to send warning messages “quickly and with wide coverage, both on natural disaster and security threats”, he told a news conference.

Starting on May 2 with the smallest target area – four city hall buildings – there will be three test runs, with the third and largest drill covering the whole of Bangkok and Chiang Mai provinces on May 13.

Residents’ cellphones will get a pop-up message on their screens in Thai and English, accompanied by a siren, Phasakorn said.

The message will read: “This is a test message from Department of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation, no action required.”

Source: https://www.channelnewsasia.com/asia/thailand-test-disaster-alerts-quake-criticism-5083661

Travellers from Malaysia and China will enjoy five more years of visa-free travel when visiting each other’s countries, thanks to a new mutual visa exemption agreed during Chinese President Xi Jinping’s recent state visit.

The arrangement is an extension of a current visa-free arrangement and a move experts say could positively impact the Southeast Asian nation’s economy.

The new reciprocal agreement was among a total of 31 memoranda of understanding (MOUs) signed last Wednesday during Xi’s visit to Malaysia, as part of his Southeast Asian tour from Apr 14 to Apr 18 where he also visited Vietnam and Cambodia.

“During the president’s visit, one of the MOUs signed involved the new visa arrangement.

“We agreed to extend it for another five years, with an option to renew for a further five years once it ends,” Home Affairs Minister Saifuddin Nasution Ismail said on Tuesday (Apr 22), as quoted by local news outlet the New Straits Times (NST).

“The visa exemption allows Chinese tourists to stay in Malaysia for up to 90 days, and China has offered a similar arrangement for Malaysians,” Saifuddin told reporters at the sidelines of the Home Ministry’s monthly assembly in Putrajaya.

The extension expands upon Malaysia’s visa liberalisation initiative for travellers from China and India, implemented on Dec 1, 2023.

“From 30 days, we extended the visa-free period in Malaysia to 90 days and also asked China to reciprocate but at that time, we were only given 15 days,” he said, as quoted by The Star.

The initiative has proven effective in promoting economic growth through the tourism industry which has seen a significant increase in tourist arrivals from China, according to Saifuddin.

“As of April, this year alone we recorded nearly 900,000 tourist arrivals from China. Last year, the total stood at four million,” he said, as quoted by NST.

This is seen as a positive indicator for the government to continue such initiatives for the benefit of both countries, he said.

“China remains the top source of international tourists to Malaysia, followed by India. Among ASEAN countries, Singapore leads, followed by Thailand,” he added, referring to the Association of Southeast Asian Nations.

“Tourism continues to be a key contributor to the national economy, given its immediate impact compared to other forms of investment,” Saifuddin said.

Before the extension was announced, Malaysians could travel to China visa-free until only Dec 31 this year, while Chinese nationals could enjoy visa-free travel to Malaysia until Dec 31 next year, according to The Star.

Malaysian Association of Tour and Travel Agents president Nigel Wong said that the visa extension will allow the tourism industry to better develop the Chinese inbound market.

“There is stability for the industry to plan ahead and boost efforts to attract more Chinese tourists,” he was quoted as saying by The Star, highlighting the increasing demand for Chinese travellers looking for experiential tourism products.

“It’s no longer just about the conventional tours. Instead, innovative and creative experiences like culinary tourism, heritage and culture, as well as ecotourism products, are popular with foreign tourists,” Nigel added.

He also expects the benefits of the visa extension to go beyond the Visit Malaysia 2026 campaign.

“Tourism tends to spike after the Visit Malaysia campaign and this move will tie in very nicely,” he said.

The Visit Malaysia 2026 campaign is a national drive to boost incoming tourism, with a series of bold targets, including 35.6 million international arrivals and RM147.1 billion (US$33 billion) in tourism receipts.

President of the Malaysian Inbound Tourism Association Mint Leong said the visa-free extension will give industry players a clear direction when promoting Malaysia to Chinese tourists.

“Malaysia will also have the opportunity to attract more business events and business travellers due to this,” Leong was quoted as saying by The Star.

Meanwhile, treasurer-general of the Associated Chinese Chambers of Commerce and Industry Koong Lin Loong said the move can further spur the national gross domestic product, as the “hospitality industry is also set to benefit”.

“Chinese tourists will feel that there is less hassle due to the visa-free conditions and when they arrive, they will definitely be spending on goods as well as food and beverage,” he said.

While Chinese tourist arrivals to Malaysia continue to increase, the Bangkok Post reported a decline in arrivals to Thailand, hitting a low for 2025 with only 5,833 visitors recorded on Apr 16, below the usual daily average of 15,000 to 20,000.

Natthriya Thaweevong, chairperson of the Tourism Authority of Thailand said that the average number of tourists from Asia visiting Thailand has dropped, likely due to “safety concerns” and the “economic impact from the US tariff hike.”

The safety concerns likely refer to the high-profile kidnapping of Chinese actor Wang Xing in Thailand.

Source: https://www.channelnewsasia.com/asia/malaysia-china-visa-free-travel-tourism-5083236

A 6.2-magnitude earthquake hit the Sea of Marmara near Istanbul on Wednesday (Apr 23), with its impact and that of multiple aftershocks forcing thousands out onto the streets in panic across Türkiye’s largest city.

The quake was followed by more than 50 aftershocks, some very powerful, the interior minister said, although there were no reports of major damage or serious injury.

“An earthquake of 6.2 magnitude occurred in Silivri, Sea of Marmara, Istanbul,” Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya said on X, adding that it was felt in the surrounding provinces.

The initial quake struck at 12.49 pm (0949 GMT) at a depth of 6.92km under the sea, which lies to the south of the city, and lasted 13 seconds, he said.

“By 3.12 pm (1212 GMT), 51 aftershocks – the largest of which was 5.9 magnitude – had been recorded,” he said.

As buildings shook, people rushed onto the streets where crowds of worried-looking people stared at their mobile phones for information or made calls, an AFP correspondent said.

“I just felt an earthquake, I’ve got to get out,” a shaken-looking decorator, who did not want to give his name, said while fleeing a fourth-storey apartment where he was working near the city’s Galata Tower.

Istanbul governor Davut Gul said nobody had died in the quake or the aftershocks but confirmed that hospitals were treating “151 people injured when they jumped or tried to jump from a height in panic”.

The injuries were not life-threatening, he added.

“There is no destruction to residential buildings in the city but an abandoned building collapsed in Fatih District without causing any deaths or injuries,” the governor’s office said on X.

Footage posted by the state news agency Anadolu showed the minaret of a mosque in the Beylikduzu district just west of the historic peninsula swaying during the initial quake.

But there were no reports of other buildings collapsing in the sprawling city of 16 million people, Yerlikaya told TRT public television.

Schools and universities, which were closed on Wednesday when Turkey was marking National Sovereignty Day, would remain closed until the weekend, the education ministry said.

President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said he was “following the developments closely”.

“NOTHING WE CAN DO”
“We all panicked and just ran. There’s absolutely nothing else we can do,” a street seller called Yusuf told AFP.

The tremors could be felt as far away as Bulgaria, according to AFP journalists in the capital Sofia.

Silivri, on the megacity’s western outskirts, has made headlines in the past month as the location where Istanbul’s mayor Ekrem Imamoglu was jailed after his arrest in a graft probe that his critics say is politically motivated.

Also there are a number of students detained for joining the mass protests that erupted nationwide over the move against Imamoglu, Erdogan’s biggest political rival.

But no one was hurt, the Parents Solidarity Network said on X.

“The earthquake in Istanbul was most strongly felt in Silivri but our children are fine. There is no problem at the prison,” the group wrote.

Some of the city’s southern districts lie just 15 kilometres from the North Anatolian Fault, which is distinct from the equally active East Anatolian Fault.

Source: https://www.channelnewsasia.com/world/powerful-62-magnitude-quake-hits-istanbul-coast-5084471

A scantily-clad Bianca Censori stepped out for a solo outing in Spain after reuniting with her husband, Kanye West.

Censori, 30, was photographed in Mallorca on Tuesday, driving her black SUV to a local building.

Once she parked, the Australian model got out of the car to reveal her — well — revealing outfit: a black thong spaghetti-strap bodysuit, sheer tights and slouchy black boots.

She wore her dark hair pulled back into a claw clip and sported minimal makeup.

Censori, whose facial expression remained emotionless, eventually got back in her car and drove off.

Though the trained architect was spouse-less for the errand, she and West, 47, were seen on a dinner date on the island just a few days ago.

Last Friday, the couple was filmed entering an Indian restaurant wearing all-black ensembles; the rapper selected an oversized hoodie, while his wife donned a skin-tight number.

It marked their first joint sighting since West confirmed on his song “Bianca,” which he released earlier this month, that she had left him following yet another string of his disturbing social media rants.

A source told Page Six in February, shortly after the Yeezy founder made Censori walk naked on the 2025 Grammy Awards red carpet, that his decision to sell swastika-printed T-shirts on his website was the “last straw” for her.

Then on Monday, West took to X to announce that he had an incestuous relationship with his male cousin when they were kids.

He made the shocking admission while releasing a snippet of a music video for a new song titled “Cousins.”

On the track, the Grammy winner also mentions Censori, singing, “And that one time that you left me, I didn’t get no sleep that night / And that one time that you left me, I took 10 Percs to get high.”

Source: https://pagesix.com/2025/04/23/celebrity-news/bianca-censori-steps-out-solo-in-spain-after-reuniting-with-kanye-west/

Meghan Markle is in New York City for her speaking gig at the Time100 Summit — and Prince Harry is at her side.

The former military pilot, 40, accompanied his wife, 43, to the Jazz at Lincoln Center event Wednesday, as seen in photos obtained by Page Six.

Harry sported a sophisticated suit for the Manhattan outing.

Markle also suited up, pairing a tan blazer and matching wide-legged pants with a white button-up top and heels.

The former actress completed her look with a belt, a gold watch and hoop earrings.

The former actress was all smiles and wore her hair parted down the middle in loose waves.

Markle chatted on stage with Time’s Jessica Sibley (via People) and was asked about her “confessions” — an homage to her latest podcast, “Confessions of a Female Founder.”

The “With Love, Meghan” star called herself the “happiest [she has] ever been” in her gushing response.

“To have a husband and a partner who is so supportive, and kids who are healthy and happy, I never imagined at this point I would feel so happy and grateful, and I really do,” she said of Harry and their two children — Prince Archie, 5, and Princess Lilibet, 3.

Markle noted that her eldest child is set to lose his first tooth, which she is hoping to “make it home in time” to witness.

The As Ever creator has been vocal about her husband’s support for her lifestyle brand since its recent launch.

Source: https://pagesix.com/2025/04/23/royal-family/prince-harry-supports-meghan-markles-return-to-nyc-to-speak-at-time100-summit/

Pope Francis has died at the age of 88. The Vatican announced that at 07:35 local time on Easter Monday the head of the Roman Catholic Church “returned to the house of the Father” at his residence, Casa Santa Marta. He was the first Latin American pope in the Church’s history.

Following tradition, the pontiff’s death was confirmed by the head of the Vatican’s health department and the cardinal chamberlain (camerlengo, in Italian) Kevin Joseph Farrell.

The Pope’s body will now be taken to his chapel for a private ceremony, in which it will be placed in a single coffin – a departure from the three nested coffins common in previous pontiffs’ funerals.

The last 10 popes of the Catholic Church

Pope Francis himself chose to scale back some of the funerary pomp and ceremony. In 2024, he simplified what would be his funeral rites. This time, there will be no private viewing for cardinals and a public viewing will take place in St Peter’s Basilica after a procession led by the camerlengo.

Inside the church, however, the Pope’s body will remain in the coffin, which won’t be raised on a pedestal.

Pope Francis will, like his predecessor, be buried with some items that symbolise his time as Supreme Pontiff and his achievements.

Those are the pallium, a vestment used only by the pontiff and metropolitan archbishops; the rogito, a deed that summarises the highlights of Francis’s time as Pope, and bags of silver, gold and copper coins in number equal to the years of his papacy.

In a 2023 interview, Pope Francis revealed he already had a tomb prepared for him in his favourite church, the Basilica of St Mary Major.

The basilica also houses the tombs of other popes and is located close to Rome’s main railway station. Even though it sits on Italian soil, the church is considered to be Vatican territory.

Map showing the location of the Basilica of St Mary Major in Rome, close to the Roma Termini railway station

The funeral and burial rituals for Pope Francis will culminate on Saturday.

Following the Pope’s death, the cardinal chamberlain sealed his apartment in Casa Santa Marta, where he chose to live during his papacy.

The camerlengo destroys the Pope’s fisherman’s ring, a signet used to sign documents, in front of the College of Cardinals using a ceremonial hammer.

This is the beginning of the Sede vacante period, when the Catholic Church is without a Pope and prepares for the conclave – the secret meeting where cardinals elect a new Pope.

What does the Pope do?
The Pope leads the Catholic Church and is seen as St Peter’s successor, giving him authority over its 1.4 billion followers. Catholics believe this connects him directly to Jesus Christ, making him a key source of spiritual guidance.

Alongside the Bible, his teachings help shape the Church’s beliefs and practices. Other Christian denominations, such as Protestants and Orthodox Christians, do not recognise his authority.

Choosing the pontiff

135 cardinals are under the age of 80, which makes them eligible to select Pope Francis’s successor.

Pope Francis appointed 108 of the 135 cardinals. This increases – but does not guarantee – the possibility that the next Pope will share his vision of a more progressive, inclusive Catholic Church.

Most of the voting cardinals are from Europe, a trend that has persisted for centuries.

But the Catholic Church’s geographical centre of gravity is shifting. Asian cardinals, historically under-represented, now account for nearly a quarter of the men who could be part of the conclave.

Once Francis is buried, the dean of the College of Cardinals, Cardinal Giovanni Battista Re, has 15 to 20 days to summon the cardinals to Rome.

Source: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/resources/idt-904185ba-2600-4d37-9419-9204b4da5167

Former child actress Sophie Nyweide was pregnant when she died in Vermont earlier this month, according to new reports.

While Nyweide’s cause of death is still under investigation, police told The Post on Wednesday that they are investigating the death as a “possible unintentional overdose.”

Nyweide, known for her roles in the films “Noah” and “Mammoth,” was just 24.

Her death certificate — obtained by People and TMZ — revealed the news of her pregnancy. TMZ was first to report the story.

The document did not disclose what stage her pregnancy was in, according to People. However, a source familiar with the investigation told the outlet “she appeared to be in the early stages.”

The Vermont Office of Chief Medical Examiner did not immediately respond to The Post’s request for comment.

“This is a fluid investigation and we are still waiting on final autopsy and toxicology reports from the Vermont Office of Chief Medical Examiner,” Bennington police told The Post Wednesday.

“Investigators are investigating this as a possible unintentional overdose,” the statement continued.

The star was “found lifeless on a riverbank” in Vermont on April 14, “not far from a high school in Bennington” around 4 a.m., The Post confirmed Tuesday.

“First responders arrived on scene and attempted life saving measures,” law enforcement added Wednesday.

Nyweide was “declared dead at the scene.”

A man was found with Nyweide but is not “considered a suspect or person of interest.” The individual “was the person who contacted 911, summing [sic] assistance for Nyweide” and is “cooperating with investigators,” police said.

The Bennington Police Department’s investigation will consider “a range of possible causes, including foul play,” TMZ reported Tuesday.

Nyweide’s family confirmed her death on Tuesday.

The actress’s mother, Shelly, told TMZ she suspected her daughter had been using drugs around the time she died.

“My knowledge is she was using drugs and was a tiny young woman,” Shelly said. “She was with other people when she died. I didn’t know them. There is an investigation ongoing. The autopsy results are not in. They said it would take 6 to 8 weeks. So I can’t say definitively.”

Nyweide’s online obituary also mentioned her struggles.

“Sophie was a kind and trusting girl,” the memorial read. “Often this left her open to being taken advantage of by others. She wrote and drew voraciously and much of this art depicts the depth she had and it also represents the pain she suffered.”

“Many of her writings and artwork are roadmaps of her struggles and traumas,” the obituary also said, noting that those close to Nyweide were unable to get her to accept help.

Source: https://nypost.com/2025/04/23/entertainment/former-child-star-sophie-nyweide-was-pregnant-when-she-died/

A new type of homeless encampment has popped up in Brooklyn.

Dozens of Sheepshead Bay residents have been living in tents on Coyle Street for the past five weeks to protest against an incoming family homeless shelter, which they claim would trigger an explosion of crime in their otherwise sleepy enclave.

“Everyday. Anytime,” said Danny Pan, who was celebrating his 55th birthday Wednesday with his fellow protesters, adding that they’ll remain on Coyle Street “until there’s no homeless shelter. Until the project is gone.”

The four large tents spanning the length of the property line of the incoming shelter were erected last month, just days after hundreds of protesters stormed the streets to accuse the city of a “bait and switch” after the controversial lot was initially planned for affordable housing.

The plastic shelters are covered in American flags and protest signs, and are filled top-to-bottom with fliers, food and drink and personal items, like a drum kit.

The so-called volunteers stage the sit-in in shifts so that between six and up to 50 people are sitting outside the property at all times, with another small group stationed on the corner of Avenue U armed with protest signs.

Nearby bakeries and restaurants donate meals almost daily to the cause, and one donor even paid for a port-a-potty for the enduring group to utilize.

The goal of the sit-in is twofold: it is mostly in protest of the incoming shelter, which plans to accommodate 169 families, but is also to ensure that neither the city nor Westhab, the private owner, begins construction without the proper permits.

The protesters began consistently stationing themselves outside after catching construction crews allegedly sneaking onto the property under the cover of darkness.

“Westhab hired construction companies to come and demolish the buildings, and they came at like crazy hours. One time they came at 6 a.m.,” explained Benjamin Louie, a neighbor and organizer.

“So I thought that of the idea, ‘Why don’t we just stake out the whole night to prevent them from coming?’ We basically blocked the doors. We’re taking up space.”

The group initially tried to block workers from the site, but after a court order were forced to let them in. Nevertheless, they remained on the sidewalk.

The protesters argued that they were not against homeless people in general, but against the potential safety risk to their children — especially because of the property’s close proximity to the numerous daycare centers that line Avenue U, as well as the elementary and middle schools just several blocks away.

The city has previously emphasized that the shelter will be for families, but the protesters remain unconvinced, saying they were already duped by city officials who originally promised the controversial lot would be turned into affordable housing units.

That plan, supported by the City Council, was dropped by the original developer back in 2023. Westhab then swooped in with their own plan to build the district’s first long-term homeless shelter, housing 169 families, with a preference for those already living in the community.

Source: https://nypost.com/2025/04/23/us-news/brooklyn-protesters-camping-24-7-outside-proposed-homeless-shelter/

India has decided to put on hold the Indus Waters Treaty with Pakistan, 64 years after the water-sharing agreement was signed between former PM Pt Jawaharlal Nehru and then Pak President Ayub Khan.

In a strong response to the terror attack in Jammu and Kashmir’s Pahalgam, India has decided to put on hold the Indus-Waters Treaty with Pakistan. This comes a day after 26 people died after terrorists opened fire at tourists in Pahalgam. The survivors said the terrorists first asked them to recite Islamic verse, and the ones who couldn’t recite the same were shot dead in front of their families.
Pakistan-based The Resistance Front (TRF), an offshoot of the Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT), claimed responsibility for Tuesday’s deadly attack.
Notably, former foreign secretary Kanwal Sibal has earlier called for the indefinite suspension of the Indus Waters Treaty with Pakistan, saying that “blood and water” can’t go together.

“It is time to suspend the Indus Water Treaty indefinitely as a truly meaningful response to the latest terrorist outrage in Pahalgam instigated by Pakistan. We have earlier said that blood and water can’t go together. Let’s act on our own declared position. This will be a strategic response,” Sibal, who was the Indian ambassador to Russia and is now the Chancellor of the Jawaharlal Nehru University, said in a post on X.

“We are in a favourable position on this with the US as the terrorist attack has occurred during Vance’s visit. Trump and Vance have strong views on Islamic extremism and terrorism,” he added.
The decision to suspend the Treaty was taken in the meeting of the Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS) under the Chairmanship of the Prime Minister. The CCS was briefed in detail on the terrorist attack on 22 April 2025.

An outbreak of the potentially deadly Legionnaires’ disease in a housing estate in Berlin has raised concerns that big housing companies are too slow to react to major health crises or keeping their tenants informed.

Tenants of a housing estate in Berlin say their landlords have failed to keep them properly informed about an outbreak of Legionella bacteria.

In mid-March, health authorities in the Neukölln district of Berlin imposed a shower ban on 332 apartments in the “High-Deck” estate after tests showed elevated levels of the Legionella bacteria that cause Legionnaires’ disease, a potentially deadly form of pneumonia.

However, it is not clear how long the contamination was present in the water, and at least one tenant, Brianne Curran, believes that she contracted Legionnaires two months before she was told that the estate had a contamination.

She says her landlord, the state-owned housing company Howoge, was much too slow to keep tenants informed of the dangers after water tests took place in March, and failed to implement containment measures until external pressure was applied.

Curran began experiencing flu-like symptoms in January and endured three weeks of coughing, breathing difficulties and lung pain before those symptoms subsided. However, she only tested for Legionnaire’s disease in late March, when she first became aware that her water had been contaminated. The doctor told her she had a “weak positive” result, before mentioning that there had been several other suspected cases of Legionnaire’s disease in the area.

Dangers in the water
It was only two weeks after that, on April 11, that Howoge informed her that the water supply in her apartment had by far the highest concentration of Legionella bacteria in the estate: Some 32,600 colony forming units (CFU) per 100 milliliters in her water (anything over 100 CFUs means the case has to be reported to authorities and measures need to be taken). Curran said she had to “fight” get the results of her own apartment, after being told that the individual results could not be displayed publicly.

In a statement to DW, Howoge spokesperson Sabine Pentrop played down the extent of the outbreak, saying that only seven apartments breached safety levels, and criticized the health authority for imposing such a wide-ranging shower ban.

The Neukölln health authority gave Howoge until April 16 to implement measures to contain the outbreak, which, according to Hannes Rehfeldt, the local councillor responsible for health in the district, said had been kept — the water had been reheated to sterilize it.

“Howoge always showed that it wanted to fulfill its responsibilities,” Rehfeldt told DW.

The extent of the shower ban, he added, had been necessary because so many households were dependent on the same water system. Rehfeldt underlined that it was safe to drink, wash and cook with the water, though even cold showers should be avoided unless using the special filters.

Curran feels that it was only after she took the case to the media, especially to Germany’s national public broadcaster ARD, that she began to get prompt responses to her emails to the company.

She says that she was not informed of her right to see her apartment’s test results for data protection reasons until she went to the tenants’ association — on the phone, a Howoge representative told her that she did not need to know her own test results.

“It was quicker to get the news onto national television than it was to get a response to my email from Howoge,” she told DW.

What measures were taken?
Legionella bacteria spread through water vapor, but not through drinking or person-to-person contact. Howoge advised residents of the High-Deck estate not to take showers and avoid breathing in steam from hot water and dishwashers. According to Curran, the shower ban was initially indefinite and was only shortened following media attention, when Howoge introduced a series of measures to contain the outbreak.

These included replacing the water fittings in apartments where the Legionella concentration was above 100 CFUs, and giving residents shower heads that filter out the bacteria. Howoge also offered residents a rent reduction for the period between imposing the shower ban and installing these filters.

On April 8, an external environmental consulting company named GUC was commissioned to investigate the cause of the outbreak, and according to Howoge is now producing a “catalogue of exact measures in order to permanently eliminate the Legionella contamination.” GUC suspected that the outbreak may have been caused by special fittings in the plumbing designed to prevent backflow of liquids into the system. These are now being removed, Howoge said.

“They are relying on outdated systems and dismally imagined protocols,” said Curran.

Source: https://www.dw.com/en/legionnaires-outbreak-in-berlin-has-tenants-worried/a-72323192

Oregon, Arizona, Nevada, New Mexico, New York and Vermont, are among the states listed as plaintiffs in the lawsuit.

As many as 12 American states on Wednesday sued the Trump administration in New York’s US court of international trade to stop President Donald Trump’s tariff policy, arguing that it is unlawful and has brought chaos to the country’s economy.

The lawsuit said that the policy imposed by Trump has left the national trade policy subject to the US President’s “whims rather than the sound exercise of lawful authority”, a report from The Associated Press said.

The states that have brought the lawsuit are Oregon, Arizona, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Illinois, Maine, Minnesota, Nevada, New Mexico, New York and Vermont.

Trump tariff schemes ‘insane’

The suit also sought to challenge Trump’s claim that he could arbitrarily impose tariffs on the basis of the International Emergency Economic Powers Act. It also asked the court to declare the tariffs to be illegal and block government agencies from enforcing them.

Arizona Attorney General Kris Mayes, in a release, described Trump’s tariff scheme as “insane”. She also said that “it was not only economically reckless, it is illegal”.

The lawsuit also asserted that only Congress holds the power to impose tariffs, adding that the president can only invoke the International Emergency Economic Powers Act when an urgent situation presents as an “unusual and extraordinary” threat from abroad.

“By claiming the authority to impose immense and ever-changing tariffs on whatever goods entering the United States he chooses, for whatever reason he finds convenient to declare an emergency, the President has upended the constitutional order and brought chaos to the American economy,” the lawsuit read.

Last week, Democrat California governor Gavin Newsom, sued the Trump administration in the US district court in California’s northern district over the tariff policy. He said that his state stands to lose billions of dollars in revenue being the largest importer in the country.

Meanwhile, White House spokesperson Kush Desai responded to the California governor’s lawsuit and said the Trump administration “remains committed to addressing this national emergency that’s decimating America’s industries and leaving our workers behind with every tool at our disposal, from tariffs to negotiations”.

Source : https://www.hindustantimes.com/world-news/us-news/12-states-sue-donald-trump-administration-in-trade-court-to-stop-tariff-policy-101745443481376.html

Donald Trump chided the Ukrainian President for not agreeing with him about Crimea now being a part of Russia. “Crimea was lost years ago and is not even a point of discussion,” President Trump asserted.

Donald Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy had another unpleasant exchange on Wednesday as negotiators weighed possibilities that could result in ending the years-long war in Ukraine.

This time the Trump-Zelensky clash was over Crimea, with the US President convinced that the region should be considered as Russian territory, while Zelensky refused to agree with him, reiterating that Ukraine will stand firm on its core principles.

As negotiators met for the latest round of talks in London, reports suggest that the US proposal that was laid out had two key points in agreement with Moscow’s stand – the first being Kyiv officially recognising Crimea as Russian territory, and the second – that Ukraine can never become a NATO member.

Both these points were rejected by Ukraine, which infuriated President Trump, who had already threatened to withdraw the US from negotiations over Kyiv’s obstinacy.

TRUMP SCOLDS ZELENSKY

Donald Trump chided the Ukrainian President for not agreeing with him about Crimea now being a part of Russia. “Crimea was lost years ago and is not even a point of discussion,” President Trump asserted.

President Zelensky, who firmly rejected such a proposal, said “Ukraine will not recognise Russia’s annexation of Crimea. There’s nothing to talk about here. This is against our constitution.”

The exchange led to President Trump scolding President Zelensky, saying that the United States is trying to stop the killing in his country. “We are very close to a deal” for peace, Trump said, putting the blame on the Ukrainian President for being stubborn, as talks seem to be heading for a stalemate.

President Trump took to social media to post a scathing attack on Ukraine’s Zelensky. “Ukrainian President, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, is boasting on the front page of The Wall Street Journal that, ‘Ukraine will not legally recognize the occupation of Crimea. There’s nothing to talk about here.’ This statement is very harmful to the Peace Negotiations with Russia in that Crimea was lost years ago under the auspices of President Barack Hussein Obama, and is not even a point of discussion,” he wrote on Truth Social.

“Nobody is asking Zelenskiy to recognise Crimea as Russian Territory but, if he wants Crimea, why didn’t they fight for it eleven years ago when it was handed over to Russia without a shot being fired?” he added.

Russia seized control of the Crimean peninsula in 2014 without any significant resistance from Ukraine at the time. The move was condemned by several nations, with only a handful of countries recognising Russia’s claim to Crimea.

JD VANCE’S ULTIMATUM

Meanwhile, echoing Donald Trump’s sentiment, US Vice President JD Vance said it was time for Russia and Ukraine to either agree to the US peace proposal “or for the United States to walk away from the process entirely.”

Mr Vance said that America’s proposal called for freezing territorial lines “at some level close to where they are today” and a “long-term diplomatic settlement that hopefully will lead to long-term peace.” He went on to say that “The only way to really stop the killing is for the armies to both put down their weapons, and to freeze this thing.”

In response to the US Vice President, Zelenskiy’s chief of staff, Andriy Yermak, wrote in a post on X that he made it clear to US negotiator Steve Witkoff in London that Ukraine “will stand firm on its core principles during the negotiations” that relate to sovereignty and territorial integrity.

ADVANTAGE MOSCOW?

Since taking office in January, Donald Trump has sharply altered the US approach to the Ukraine war. Instead of punishing moves against Russia like his predecessor Joe Biden, Washington is now pressing Ukraine to agree to a ceasefire, even if it is unacceptable to Kyiv. The US is seemingly in a hurry to broker a deal – any deal – irrespective of whether it may be a good one for Russia or a good one for Ukraine.

Source : https://www.ndtv.com/world-news/donald-trump-and-ukraines-zelensky-clash-again-as-us-says-crimea-now-russian-territory-8240635#pfrom=home-ndtv_topscroll

THIS is the moment a woman went head-to-head with railway staff to delay a high-speed train so her late friends could hop on – only to be arrested later.

Captured on video at a station in Shenzhen, China, the woman is seen brazenly blocking the train doors with her body as staff desperately try to get her inside the carriage.

She stands firm, resisting two railway employees who push and plead with her to move.

Instead of cooperating, she coolly continues using her phone and gesturing to her friends to hurry up – all while halting the sleek bullet train’s departure.

Despite the chaos, the train eventually pulled away and reached its destination on time.

But the drama didn’t end there.

Police tracked the 45-year-old to the city of Xiamen the following day and detained her for “interrupting train operations” – a serious offence in China’s ultra-efficient railway network.

Her antics sparked a furious backlash online.

“There should be a penalty for this behaviour. That action wasted a lot of time for others,” fumed one social media user.

Another warned: “If the woman got away with it, many people would do what she did.”

China’s high-speed trains are known for their clockwork precision – and authorities clearly weren’t amused by the woman’s attempt to derail that.

It comes after a daft tourist fell from a train after dangling out of the carriage to get the perfect snap in Sri Lanka.

The young woman was holding onto the railings and leaning back when she was bashed in the head by some tree branches.

She was then quickly dragged from the carriage.

In horrifying footage of the incident, one of her arms can be seen flailing in a panic as she falls out of the train.

The man behind the camera can be heard shouting while passengers look on in horror.

The train ground to a halt at the next stop and passengers walked back to help her.

The woman, who had visited the country from China, was luckily not seriously injured as she landed in some bushes.

Local cops have reminded passengers on trains to pay attention to their surroundings at all times.

Source: https://www.the-sun.com/news/14091623/woman-fights-train-staff-arrested/

THE first pics of Vladimir Putin’s secret son have been leaked, say anti-Kremlin activists.

Images of Ivan Vladimirovich Putin, ten, surfaced on Telegram channel VChk-OGPU, which has links to spooks and other insiders.

His mum is Olympic gymnast Alina Kabaeva, 41, with him, below.

She also has another son, Vladimir, four.

Putin, 72, has two adult daughters with his ex-wife and has never confirmed other children — but let slip he watches kids’ films with “my little ones”.

“VChK-OGPU [channel] has obtained a photo of the most secret and probably the loneliest boy in Russia,” said a report.

“This is Ivan Vladimirovich Putin.

“He hardly communicates with other children, spending all his time with guards, governesses, [and] teachers.”

The boy is said to resemble Putin in his Soviet childhood.

Source : https://www.the-sun.com/news/14084040/vladimir-putin-secret-son-photos-leaked/

Tesla’s first-quarter profits have slumped by more than two-thirds. The result comes amid a public backlash against Elon Musk over his work for the Trump administration.

Electric vehicle producer Tesla on Tuesday reported profits of $409 million (€397 million) after a slide in auto sales that saw quarterly profits fall by 71%.

The steep profit losses come as the firm fights a backlash due to owner Elon Musk’s leadership of a US government jobs-slashing program — known as the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE).

His 130-day mandate at DOGE is due to expire in late May.

How has Elon Musk reacted?

Immediately after the results were published, Musk said he planned to “significantly” reduce his work for US President Donald Trump’s administration in May to focus on Tesla.

“I think starting probably next month, in May, my time allocation to DOGE will drop significantly,” Musk told investors on a conference call.

The South Africa-born billionaire also said that the bulk of his work to set up DOGE had been completed.

What has Musk been doing for the Trump administration?

Musk, the world’s wealthiest person, has been leading US President Donald Trump’s attempts to cut federal government spending drastically.

Under his leadership, DOGE has sought to dismantle several government agencies, including USAID and the Department of Education, in a bid to root out alleged corruption, cut bureaucracy and boost efficiency.

Hundreds of thousands of federal workers have been laid off, while dozens of government programs have been suspended or canceled.

Source : https://www.dw.com/en/elon-musks-automaker-tesla-sees-profits-plummet/a-72314708

US President Donald Trump’s tariffs have “significantly” pushed the global economy toward a downshift, reducing the global economic growth forecast for 2025 to 2.8%, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) said in a new report published on Tuesday.

The global growth forecast was expected to stay at 3.1% in 2024 and rise to 3.3% in 2025, said IMF economic counsellor Pierre-Olivier Gourinchas.

The IMF’s Global Financial Stability Report (GFSR) was “put together under exceptional circumstances,” following Trump’s announcement in April, Gourinchas said.

The US’ especially high levies on China and Beijing’s retaliatory measures mean lower bilateral trade, which is “weighing down on global trade growth,” Gourinchas told the Reuters news agency.

How do the US tariffs affect the global economy?

The GFSR’s authors found that “global financial stability risks have increased significantly, driven by tighter global financial conditions and heightened economic uncertainty.”

The ripple effects of Trump’s decisions extend beyond Washington. Rising bond yields have increased in countries previously considered safe choices, driving up borrowing costs globally, the IMF reported.

“Emerging market economies already facing the highest real financing costs in a decade may now need to refinance their debt and fund fiscal spending at higher costs,” the global lender said.

The IMF also warned that global tensions, including wars and military conflicts, could make the financial system even more unstable.

The IMF projects that growth would slow to 0.8% in the Euro area in 2025, and to 1.2% in 2026. Both projections are some 0.2 percentage points down from January.

Germany was set to see economic growth of 0.0% in 2025 and 0.9% in 2026, the IMF said, cutting the European Union’s largest economy’s growth forecast by 0.3 and 0.2 percentage points, respectively.

Tariff, plus uncertainty provide double whammy

Petya Koeva Brooks, the deputy director of the research department at the IMF in Washington told DW that two negative shocks had hit the global economy.

One was the level of new tariffs, bringing the effective tariff rate to levels not seen for over a century. Then, she said, policy uncertainty that had also become very high.

“The combination of those two things have resulted in those downgrades that we’ve seen for most countries in the world,” said Koeva Brooks.

The best way to deal with trade disruption was cooperation among willing countries to minimize the impact, she said.

“What would be very helpful at this point is to have a stable and predictable trading system. For countries to work together in order to achieve that would be the most beneficial thing for the global economy.”

Mexico rejects IMF projections

IMF financial counselor Tobias Adrian warned that the financial conditions in the past three weeks since Trump first announced the tariffs has “an outsized impact on those more vulnerable countries.”

The global lender expected less-developed nations to fare worse, projecting a shrinkage of Mexico’s economy to 0.3% this year, down from a previous projection of 1.4% growth.

Source : https://www.dw.com/en/imf-trump-tariffs-slow-down-global-economic-growth/a-72312805

When walking through the Boedo neighborhood in Argentina’s capital Buenos Aires you get to hear entirely different opinions about the country’s president Javier Milei. One is marked by optimism, the other comes from people who remain largely skeptic.

Signs of disapproval are hard to miss. At a local store, a poster is hung up reading “No entry” and showing the pictures of President Milei and Security Minister Patricia Bullrich, who are clearly not welcome here.

Yet just around the corner, construction workers hammer and lay bricks on a new apartment building — revealing a new confidence in the future of a country rebuilding itself.

Since taking office as Argentina’s president on December 10, 2023, Milei has become one of the world’s most talked-about leaders. His radical libertarian stance has earned him fierce criticism from the left, while many economists see him as a reformer liberating Argentina from decades of bureaucracy and rigid controls.

Milei lifts currency controls in historic move

Milei’s most recent bold move was ending the so-called “cepo” restrictions — a Spanish term meaning “trap” or “shackles” — which had restricted access to US dollars for over two decades. Introduced in 2003 with the aim of curbing Argentina’s runaway inflation, the currency controls were officially lifted in mid-April, allowing individuals and businesses to freely conduct foreign exchange transactions.

“Contrary to alarmist predictions from many local and international economists, the exchange rate did not skyrocket,” Aldo Abram of the libertarian think tank Fundacion Libertad y Progreso in Buenos Aires told DW. “On the contrary, the rate stabilized below its pre-liberalization level. The market normalized without a crisis, without a [bank] run, and without devaluation.”

The government celebrated the historic move, showing pictures of Milei and his economy minister, Santiago Caputo, raising their arms as if celebrating a goal of their favorite football team.

Confidence and patience

In a recent televised address, Milei said his policies had brought Argentina on the right track, and he reaffirmed his commitment to fiscal discipline. “After more than 100 years of chronic budget deficits, we are now one of the five countries in the world that only spends what it earns — not a single peso more,” he declared.

He reiterated his vision for Argentina’s future, announcing the end of currency controls and promising that Argentina would experience the highest economic growth globally over the next 30 years.

“It won’t happen overnight,” Milei admitted, “but it will happen gradually and with the assurance that we’ve done our homework, both domestically and internationally, to reduce volatility as much as possible.”

There are some early signs of success. According to Argentina’s national statistics agency INDEC, poverty has dropped to 38.1% — slightly below the level Milei inherited. Inflation also decreased by 44.5% year-on-year in 2024, INDEC data shows.

Milei’s chainsaw policies leave scars

Svenja Blanke of Germany’s left-leaning Friedrich Ebert Foundation views the economic outlook with caution. Speaking to DW, she criticized the government for using the exchange rate as a “kind of crutch” to suppress inflation.

As a result, she noted, the Argentinian peso has appreciated, leading to paradoxes like a Big Mac costing the equivalent of €5.48 ($6.30) — comparable to Germany — while the minimum hourly wage stands at just €1.06, which is far below Germany’s €12.82.

“This is essentially a kind of social chainsaw massacre,” she said, citing severe cuts to wages, education, research, culture, public infrastructure, and historical memory.

Hans-Dieter Holtzmann of the liberal Friedrich Naumann Foundation in Germany is more confident about Argentina’s economic future. “With the removal of capital controls and a more flexible exchange rate, major barriers to Argentina’s economic recovery have been lifted,” he told DW.

Despite the country’s wealth of energy and mineral resources — including natural gas, hydrogen, lithium, and copper — foreign investors have “so far remained cautious,” he said. This is why it is so important now, he added, that the European Union ratifiedthe free trade agreement with the Mercosur bloc — of which Argentina is a member — “as quickly as possible.” Both Argentina and Germany would stand to benefit from the new opportunities of investing and doing business.

Pain and gain

In downtown Buenos Aires, meanwhile, Milei’s radical reforms are reaping mixed results.

On the one hand, restaurants and cafes are bustling — seemingly at odds with the opposition’s constant talk of crisis. Also, a recent general strike drew only modest participation, suggesting that after three such strikes since Milei took office, unions may have overplayed their hand. It seems most Argentinians appear ready to move forward, to work, and to leave the crisis behind.

But not all is well, as weekly protests by retirees, who saw their pensions cut, are proving. Milei’s austerity measures have taken a heavy toll on their real purchasing power and that of many others in the country.

Source : https://www.dw.com/en/with-milei-500-days-in-office-are-argentinians-better-off/a-72313308

Bangladesh’s interim leader Muhammad Yunus hopes that Rohingya refugees will be able to celebrate next year’s Eid in Myanmar. But with continued conflict in Rakhine State, conditions for repatriation remain uncertain.

The head of Bangladesh’s interim government, Muhammad Yunus, has told Rohingya Muslims who fled from neighboring Myanmar that, “may we pray to Allah, that next Eid, you can celebrate in your own homes in Myanmar.”

Bangladesh has been taking in fellow Muslims from Myanmar’s troubled Rakhine state largely since a bloody 2017 army crackdown forced hundreds of thousands of Rohingya Muslims to flee their homeland.

Myanmar’s military junta has ruled since a February 2021 coup ousted Aung San Suu Kyi’s elected government. Since then, fighting between ethnic rebel groups and the military has pushed more Rohingya to seek refuge in Bangladesh.

Bangladesh currently hosts over 1 million Rohingya Muslims in sprawling refugee camps in Cox’s Bazar and on the offshore island of Bhasan Char.

Myanmar’s government confirmed earlier this month that 180,000 Rohingya refugees living in Bangladesh are eligible to return to Myanmar. This followed talks between representatives of both nations in the Thai capital, Bangkok.

The 180,000 names were part of a list of 800,000 Rohingya that Bangladesh submitted to Myanmar in six batches between 2018 and 2020. Myanmar also indicated that the verification of others on the list is ongoing.

“While this is an important progress, it is not enough to start repatriation. Rohingyas have always insisted on a safe and dignified return,” according to Azad Majumder, a press officer to the Chief Adviser to Bangladesh’s interim administration.

Majumder added that until Rakhine State is considered safe, “repatriation is unlikely to begin.”

About 70,000 Rohingya fled Myanmar in 2024 during a surge in fighting between the ruling junta and the Arakan Army (AA) rebel group, which wants more autonomy for the ethnic Rakhine people, a population that is accused of aiding the military in their expulsion of the Rohingya.

The AA is the well-armed military arm of the United League of Arakan (ULA), the political organization of the Buddhist people in western Rakhine state.

The AA and the ULA seek an autonomous region in Rakhine state inclusive of both Muslims and Buddhist Rakhine.

UN mulls Bangladesh-Myanmar humanitarian corridor

Last month, Yunus hosted UN chief Antonio Guterres, who traveled to Cox’s Bazar to witness the hardships faced by the Rohingya community, all of whom rely on humanitarian assistance.

Guterres said the UN is exploring the possibility of a humanitarian aid channel from Bangladesh to Myanmar.

“We need to intensify humanitarian aid inside Myanmar to create a condition for that return [of the Rohingya] to be successful,” Guterres said during a press briefing in Dhaka during his visit.

He suggested that under the right circumstances, having a “humanitarian channel” from Bangladesh would facilitate the return of the Rohingya community, but said it would require “authorization and cooperation.”

Asked if dialogue with the AA was essential for the repatriation of Rohingyas, Guterres said: “The Arakan Army is a reality in which we live.”

He acknowledged that in the past relations with the AA have been difficult but said, “necessary dialogue must take place,” noting that sanctions against the group would require UN Security Council approval, which could prove difficult to obtain.

“It’s essential to increase pressure from all the neighbors in order to guarantee that fighting ends and the way towards democracy finally established,” Guterres said.

Khalilur Rahman, high representative on Rohingya issues for Bangladesh’s interim leader, confirmed that his government is engaged in dialogues with the AA.

“Under the 2018 bilateral agreement between Bangladesh and Myanmar, verification has been ongoing,” Khalilur Rahman told reporters in Dhaka earlier this month.

“While Rakhine is a sovereign region of Myanmar, we have also engaged in dialogue with the Arakan Army, which publicly affirmed in September that repatriating the Rohingya is a key position for them. They reiterated this stance unequivocally during our discussions.”

“We believe arrangements can be made to return these 180,000 individuals,” Rahman added. “While this won’t happen overnight, we are striving to expedite the process with all stakeholders involved.”

Will refugees return to Rakhine under AA?

The Rohingya ethnic group faces discrimination and statelessness as they are denied citizenship and other rights in Myanmar.

John Quinley, director of Fortify Rights, an organization that investigates human rights violations, says that the Rohingya are unlikely to return without citizenship and equal rights — their core demands.

“Many Rohingya refugees don’t trust the Arakan Army who now controls the vast majority of Rakhine State,” Quinley told DW.

“Rohingya are indigenous to Arakan known as Rakhine and should be able to return home,” he added.

“That being said, there must be safety, restored citizenship rights, and accountability for ongoing crimes by the junta and Arakan Army,” Quinley said.

“I worry that repatriating Rohingya now would be akin to refoulement. They are at real risk from both Arakan Army and Myanmar junta.”

Nay San Lwin, co-founder of the Free Rohingya Coalition, suggested that if the Myanmar junta truly wants the refugees to return, it must make stronger commitments, including public assurances that it will not conduct airstrikes or use artillery on the Rohingya community.

Source : https://www.dw.com/en/bangladesh-eyes-rohingya-return-but-hurdles-remain/a-72308583

Libya’s robust infrastructure for human traffickers and smugglers serves domestic and Russian enterprises, observers say. What can the European Union do to take control?

Ever since the toppling of Bashar Assad in Syria in December, Russia has been unsure whether its armed forces will be able to maintain their naval base at the Mediterranean port of Tartus and the Hmeimim airbase further north.

This uncertainty has prompted Russia to shift its focus to Libya.

“In the immediate aftermath of the fall of the Assad regime […] you had a lot of flights and cargo ships taking Russian material from bases in Syria toward Libya,” Tarek Megerisi, an analyst at the think tank European Council on Foreign Relations and author of a recent study on Russia’s influence in Libya, told DW.

“So, it was clear at that point that in Moscow’s eyes, Libya is the safe space for it in the Mediterranean,” he added.

According to a report published in March by the New York-based think tank The Soufan Center, this is not the first time that Russian ships have called at the Tobruk naval base in eastern Libya.

The strategic port is under the control of Khalifa Haftar, the warlord and commander of the Libyan National Army militia who rules large parts of the east of the divided country.

“In June 2024, two Russian destroyers visited the Haftar-controlled Tobruk naval base. The warships’ visit was billed as a training mission but was likely a continuation of the delivery of artillery to the [Libyan National Army] for potential use against its rivals in Tripoli or for export to anti-Western military forces in neighboring countries,” the study highlighted.

Moscow looks to Libya to bolster interests

Moscow’s interests in Libya are also represented by mercenary militias such as the former Wagner Group, which now operates under the name “Africa Corps.”

According to Megerisi, Moscow is pursuing several interests in Libya, which has been rattled by years of civil war.

In principle, Russia is striving to establish a military presence in the Mediterranean, the expert told DW. So far, this had mainly been concentrated in Syria. Megerisi also pointed out that Moscow was interested in commercializing local natural resources, especially energy deposits.

Under pressure from Western sanctions, Russia is also trying to find consumers for its exports. As Megerisi noted, Libya is an important export buyer for Russian weapons.

Haftar’s son expands Libya’s role as ‘hot spot for smuggling’

In the Libyan conflict, Russia has been supporting the renegade commander Haftar for years. “He remains Moscow’s most important partner,” Ulf Laessing, head of the German political foundation Konrad Adenauer Foundation’s Sahel regional program in Mali, told DW.

“The Russians also have diplomatic ties to the western part of the country and to its capital, Tripoli, but the focus is clearly on Haftar,” he added.

However, this has become increasingly risky, as Haftar is now 81 years old and his rule may well be fragile in the face of political pressure from the US. One of his sons, Saddam Haftar — against whom Spain issued an arrest warrant in 2024 on suspicion of arms smuggling — has established himself as Russia’s point of contact in Libya in recent years, as Megerisi pointed out in his study. He’s provided Russia with a network of Libyan military bases, the expert explained.

“Russia has used all this to help Haftar’s putative heir, Saddam Haftar, expand Libya’s role as a hot spot for smuggling of weapons, drugs, fuel — and people,” Megerisi stated.

For years, flights from Syria to eastern Libya were operated mainly by a private Syrian airline, as Laessing noted. “They brought migrants from Asia, such as Pakistan and Bangladesh, to eastern Libya. From there, they were transferred to ships that set off for Italy.”

Business based on suffering

According to Megerisi, human trafficking follows a fixed pattern.

“On arrival, migrants hand over their informal visas to [Haftar’s forces], who detain [the people] until they receive payment by the network. They are then held for between several days to several weeks, typically in inhuman conditions, before being taken to ‘launch points’ where they board boats towards Europe. At this point, Saddam [Hafter] is paid again for his coastguard units to allow boats through: $100 dollars per migrant for ‘smaller boats’ … or an $80,000 flat fee for larger boats,” he wrote in his study.

Others are taken to western Libya, Megerisi added: “This demonstrates how Libyan armed groups cross political divides in pursuit of profit.”

The routes migrants choose to reach Libya vary, depending on where they’ve come from. While Africans mostly arrive by land, people from Asia tend to come by plane. Afterwards, they usually pass through various points of contact until they reach eastern Libya, where they are handed over to Haftar’s network.

‘Migration as a weapon’

This is where Moscow’s interests vis-a-vis Europe come into play. “The Kremlin has weaponized migration,” Megerisi stated.

According to him, this was already the case during the war in Syria, when Russian planes brought migrants from Damascus to Minsk, who then traveled on toward Western Europe.

At the time, it increased pressure on the EU’s external borders, he said, adding that it is currently uncertain whether these flights are still taking place.

Source : https://www.dw.com/en/russias-role-in-trafficking-smuggling-from-libya-to-eu/a-72274806

US stocks rebounded on Tuesday (Apr 22) as a spate of quarterly earnings reports and hints at the de-escalation of US-China trade tensions brought buyers in from the sidelines.

A broad rally boosted all three major US indices by more than 2 per cent, as investors looked past Trump’s ramped up rhetoric against Fed Chair Jerome Powell, who is widely considered a stabilising force for the markets.

Minneapolis Fed President Neel Kashkari, when asked about Trump’s attacks on Powell, said the Fed’s independence is “foundational” to better economic outcomes.

Having been battered for weeks by the White House’s erratic and multi-front tariff disputes, the S&P 500 is currently about 14.4 per cent below its record closing high reached on Feb 19.

Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said that while trade negotiations with Beijing will likely be “a slog”, he believes that there will be a de-escalation of US-China trade tensions.

“The roller coaster continues,” said Ryan Detrick, chief market strategist at Carson Group in Omaha. “Some thawing of the aggression (between) US and China, thanks to Bessent’s comments, helped push things higher.”

“Washington understands that the uncertainty around tariffs is hurting markets and maybe we can get some type of positive news going forward on the trade front,” Detrick added

Those uncertainties helped prompt the International Monetary Fund to slash its forecasts for US economic growth to 1.8 per cent in 2025, citing the impact of US tariffs, now at 100-year highs.

First-quarter earnings season gathered steam.

So far, 82 of the companies in the S&P 500 have reported. Of those, 73 per cent have beaten expectations, according to LSEG.

Analysts now see aggregate S&P 500 earnings growth 8.1 per cent for the Jan – March period, down from the 12.2 per cent growth forecast at the beginning of the quarter, per LSEG.

“Current earnings are showing a continuation of good fundamentals, which is not a surprise,” said Bill Merz, head of Capital Market Research at US Bank Wealth Management, Minneapolis, who added that investors are parsing corporate guidance for “clarity on what companies are planning to do in response to tariff policy.”

Shares of industrial conglomerate 3M jumped after the company posted better-than-expected first-quarter profit expectations, though it flagged a likely hit to 2025 profit from tariffs.

Source : https://www.channelnewsasia.com/world/wall-street-bounces-back-earnings-take-focus-over-tariff-chaos-5081846