Category: World

The Associated Press on Friday sued senior aides to President Donald Trump over a decision by the White House to restrict the news outlet’s access to the president and other officials for continuing to refer to the Gulf of Mexico in its coverage.
The lawsuit, filed in U.S. District Court in Washington D.C., alleges that the White House’s decision to bar AP reporters from the Oval Office and Air Force One violates the U.S. Constitution, including First Amendment protections for free speech, by trying to control the language that it uses to report the news.

“The press and all people in the United States have the right to choose their own words and not be retaliated against by the government,” the complaint states.
Responding to questions about the lawsuit posed by conservative commentator Mercedes Schlapp, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt, speaking during an appearance at the Conservative Political Action Conference, said: “We feel we are in the right in this position. We are going to ensure that truth and accuracy is present at that White House every single day.”

White House Communications Director Steven Cheung, in a statement, called the lawsuit “a blatant PR stunt masquerading as a first amendment case.”
Trump signed an executive order last month directing the Interior Department to change the name of the body of water long known as the Gulf of Mexico to the Gulf of America.
The AP, citing editorial standards, said it would continue to use the gulf’s established name, while acknowledging Trump’s move to change it.
The AP says in its stylebook that the Gulf of Mexico has carried that name for more than 400 years and that it must use identifiers that are easily recognizable for global audiences.

The White House in response barred AP reporters from the Oval Office, where Trump has held several press events since returning to the presidency, and the presidential plane, Air Force One.
Trump’s ban prevents the AP’s journalists from seeing and hearing him and other top White House officials as they take newsworthy actions or respond in real time to news events.
The move has been criticized by several press freedom groups and the White House Correspondents’ Association. Reuters released a statement in support of the AP.
The lawsuit claims the White House’s decision retaliated against the AP over coverage decisions, which are protected under the Constitution. It also alleges the AP did not have an opportunity to challenge the White House’s decision to bar its access.
The lawsuit names Leavitt, chief of staff Susie Wiles and deputy chief of staff Taylor Budowich as defendants.

Source : https://www.reuters.com/world/us/ap-sues-trump-aides-restricting-access-over-gulf-mexico-name-2025-02-21/

Mauritius Prime Minister Navin Ramgoolam on Friday said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi would be the Guest of Honour at the nation’s National Day celebrations.

Ramgoolam also highlighted the honour of hosting such a leader, especially given PM Modi’s packed schedule and recent international engagements in Paris and the United States.

Addressing the Parliament, Ramgoolam said, “I have great pleasure to inform the House that following my invitation, Narendra Modi, Prime Minister of India, has kindly agreed to be the Guest of Honour for our National Day celebrations. It is indeed a singular privilege for our country, to host such a distinguished personality who is doing us this honour, despite his very tight schedule and his recent visits to Paris and the United States.”

Ramgoolam further said that the visit serves as a testament to the strong and enduring relationship between the two countries.

He added, “He has agreed to be here as our special guest. The visit of Modi is a testimony of the close relations between our two nations.”

The country will celebrate its National Day next month.

Earlier in November 2024, Prime Minister Narendra Modi congratulated Dr Navin Ramgoolam on his historic electoral victory in Mauritius.

PM Modi in his wishes had said that he looks forward to working closely with Dr. Ramgoolam to further strengthen their “unique partnership.”

Sharing a post on X, PM Modi wrote, “Had a warm conversation with my friend @Ramgoolam_Dr, congratulating him on his historic electoral victory. I wished him great success in leading Mauritius and extended an invitation to visit India. Look forward to working closely together to strengthen our special and unique partnership.”

Source : https://www.freepressjournal.in/world/pm-modi-to-be-guest-of-honour-for-national-day-celebrations-mauritius-pm-navin-ramgoolam

PRESIDENT Donald Trump has denied claims that he will visit Vladimir Putin in Moscow for the May 9 victory day parade.

It comes after French outlet Le Point claimed, citing Russian sources, that the Republican would be in attendance,

Trump rubbished the report he will fly to Russia for Victory Day celebrations on May 9.

The Red Square showcase celebrates Russia’s defeat of Nazi Germany in 1945 and has become a marquee event for the Russian strongman.

It would mark the first visit by a US president since mad Vlad launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022 and a remarkable revers of fortunes for Putin.

But President Trump was quick to squash the claim, responding “no, I’m not” upon being asked if he was to attend.

Putin’s puppet Dmitry Peskov also denied Trump’s attendance to Russian media.

Trump also said on Friday that Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky have to “get together” in order for the breakthrough Ukraine war peace deal to progress.

Trump pointed to the horrifically high casualty numbers in the war to describe why he wants to “get the deal done,” adding that there is “a chance” to make it happen.

Victory Day a showcase of Russia’s military in Moscow’s Red Square.

This year’s Victory Day parade is expected to follow suit of last year’s lacklustre celebrations, where Putin vowed Russia was “always” ready to strike the West and snubbed Britain in a snarling World War 2 rant.

Questions also surround whether the parade, for the third year in a row, will include just one measly tank – reportedly an 80-year-old T-34.

Last year the mad Russian dictator did one of his shortest Victory Day speeches than ever before, lasting just seven minutes.

Putin also had his nuclear briefcase on show in Red Square as he issued a chilling warning of a new global war.

Plain-clothed aides carried the nuclear briefcase or ‘football’ – which could be used to start World War Three – as well as protection shields to use in the event of an assassination attempt against the dictator.

Three of his hulking Yars atomic missile launchers also thundered over the cobbles in a show of force to the West.

The military parade broadcast on smart TVs was also reportedly targeted by anti-war hackers for at least 20 seconds.

Footage suddenly appeared across Russia showing the reality of the war in Ukraine – fields of dead troops, wrecked equipment and scores of helmets of fallen soldiers.

It also lined up images of Moscow’s troops in a ‘Z’ formation next to German World War 2 soldiers forming a Nazi swastika.

It comes after Trump slammed Ukrainian President Zelensky’s approval ratings, called for fresh Ukraine elections and appeared to suggest that Ukraine started the war with Russia following the historic peace talks in Saudi Arabia.

Putin praised the Republican for “changing his position” when he “began to receive objective information” on Wednesday – a mere few hours after Zelensky slammed Trump for living in a “Russian disinformation bubble”.

The tyrant said he welcomed Tuesday’s talks between Russian and US officials in Saudi Arabia, dubbing them the “first step” to restore relations with Washington.

Speaking from a drone factory in Saint Petersburg, smug Vlad said: “I was briefed [on the talks]. I rate them highly, there is a result.

“In my opinion, we made the first step to restore work in various areas of mutual interests.”

He added that ensuring there’s a resolution to the conflict is a top priority for Russia, but explained that his country has to build trust with the US to achieve this.

The dictator also shared that Trump was starting to receive “objective information”, without elaborating.

He said: “We will be ready to return to the negotiating table”.

In Kyiv, Deputy Minister of Defence Serhii Boiev hit back at Donald Trump’s claim that European troops in Kyiv will spark World War Three.

He warned that without the presence of British or European allies, Putin will pretend to agree to a ceasefire while secretly “firing on all cylinders in recruiting and training”.

The silver-haired top minister added that without a fresh pledge of military support from Trump, in three months time the army will experience a critical dip in weapons supplies.

In a secret briefing room, Mr Boiev told The Sun that Sir Keir Starmer was completely right to pledge “British boots on the ground” in Ukraine.

The Prime Minister made a rallying cry to Europe urging leaders to “step up” and deploy peacekeeping troops to Ukraine.

The PM vowed the UK will “do our bit” to try and enforce a peace deal.

Mr Boiev said: “If Ukraine doesn’t go to Nato then Nato needs to go to Ukraine.

“We want European forces to be here to ensure a sustainable peace.

“The security guarantees that come out of this war are essential including the contingency of allies on the ground.”

Labour MPs David Taylor and Phill Brickell, who met with Mr Boiev in Kyiv, said: “If the US falter, the UK must be willing to step up. The front line here in Ukraine is the front line for Brits. The evil tyrant Putin will not stop.

“Keir Starmer must set a rapid path to at least 2.5% on defence. We must look to support a new, protected supply chain of easy to make and easy to use warfare drones.

“And, we must designate all members of the United Russia Party as terrorists, using any sanctioned money for the war effort.”

Zelensky accused Moscow of misleading Trump in a press conference earlier – which the US President has since responded to in a tirade on his social media platform, Truth Social.

SEAN “Diddy” Combs’ lawyer has sensationally quit the music mogul’s legal team plunging the rapper into a new crisis.

Anthony Ricco issued a mysterious statement saying he “cannot continue”.

Ricco issued a surprise motion to withdraw from counsel on Friday in New York.

The lawyer’s message to the court included a cryptic message hinting at why he dropped Diddy.

His motion said: “Although I have provided Sean Combs with the high level of legal representation expected by the court, under no circumstances can I continue to effectively serve as counsel for Sean Combs.”

Ricco added: “There are sufficient reasons (related to the protections afforded by the attorney/client privilege) for brevity in my application for withdrawal as counsel in this case”.

The lawyer also said his decision to leave would allow the music mogul to move forward with the case and start his trial without delay.

Diddy is due to start his trial on sex trafficking and racketeering charges in May.

The rapper denies all the allegations against him.

Ricco also said he spoke with the disgraced rapper’s lead counsel, Mark Agnifilo, before filing the motion.

Combs, 55, is currently locked up in a Brooklyn jail while awaiting trial.

The famed rapper is accused of abusing several women and leading Bad Boy Records as a “criminal enterprise” for more than a decade.

He has pleaded not guilty to these charges but could face life in prison if he is convicted on all counts.

Several people have filed indictments against the rapper.

Diddy was previously charged with subjecting “Victim-1” to sex trafficking, who is believed to be his former girlfriend, singer Casandra Ventura, also known as Cassie.

Federal prosecutors then added “Victim-2” and “Victims-3” to his bombshell case.

Lead counsel Marc Agnifilo claimed the shocking update was “flawed”.

He said: “The latest Indictment contains no new offenses. The prosecution’s theory remains flawed.”

SICK ORDERS

Diddy was also hit with a lawsuit from his former assistant Phillip Pines.

Pines claimed the rapper once ordered him to have sex with a girl to prove his loyalty to the “king”.

US President Donald Trump’s remark that his country spent $21m to boost voter turnout in India’s elections has triggered a political slugfest in the country.

He made the remark days after a team led by Elon Musk said it had cancelled the payout as part of its crackdown on a US agency providing foreign aid.

India’s governing Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) called the payout an “external interference” and accused the opposition Congress party of seeking this intervention.

The Congress denied the allegation, calling Trump’s claims “nonsensical”. The US has not provided any evidence to support its claim.

On Friday, India’s foreign ministry said it found the claims “deeply troubling”.

Foreign ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said it was “premature” to make public statements about the matter at this stage and that relevant authorities were investigating it.

Trump vowed to boost the US economy and soon after returning to office, he created the Department of Government Efficiency (Doge), led by Musk, to slash federal spending and jobs. Musk says Doge’s mission is to save taxpayer money and cut national debt.

One of its biggest moves – now making global headlines – is a crackdown on USAID, the US agency overseeing humanitarian aid since the 1960s. Musk, who has called USAID a “criminal organisation”, announced on Sunday that funding for several projects had been cancelled.

The cuts included $486m for the “Consortium for Elections and Political Process Strengthening”, with “$21m for voter turnout in India” and “$22m for inclusive and participatory political process in Moldova”.

Defending Doge’s cuts, Trump said India “had a lot of money” and was among the world’s highest-taxing nations.

On Thursday, he doubled down, questioning the $21m spend on “India’s voter turnout”.

The latest comments came a week after Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s first Washington visit under Trump’s second term, where Trump announced expanded military sales, increased energy exports and plans for a trade deal and new defence framework.

“I guess they were trying to get somebody else elected. We have got to tell the Indian government,” the US president said at a summit in Miami.

The same day, BJP leader Amit Malviya shared a clip of Congress leader Rahul Gandhi speaking at an event in London before the 2024 general election.

In the clip, Gandhi can be heard saying that major democracies like the US and European countries were “oblivious that a huge chunk of democratic model has come undone [in India]”.

“Rahul Gandhi was in London, urging foreign powers – from the US to Europe – to intervene in India’s internal affairs,” Malviya alleged in his post on X.

Congress leader Jairam Ramesh dismissed the claim and urged the government to report on USAID’s decades-long support to governmental and non-governmental institutions during PM Modi’s tenure.

Kfir and Ariel Bibas were last seen on 7 October with their mother Shiri’s hands around them, holding onto her boys surrounded by gunmen and violence, trying to protect them. She couldn’t.

According to the Israeli army, Kfir and Ariel’s last moments were at the “bare hands” of their captors.

How do you eulogise children who have barely lived their lives?

Kfir Bibas, a hostage at just nine months old, did not live to take his first steps or celebrate his first birthday.

Ariel Bibas had only experienced four years of a life that should have been much longer.

A statement from Kibbutz Nir Oz, where the boys were taken hostage from, described Kfir as “a calm and smiley baby, with ginger hair and a laugh that would make anyone’s heart melt. Wherever he went he lit it up with his smile and joy.”

Ariel, they said, was “a playful boy with ginger hair, curious eyes and a big smile. He loved superheroes, tractors and cars, and ran non-stop, climbing and exploring the world.”

The two brothers became the greatest symbol of the hostage nightmare Israelis are enduring. Bringing home the Bibas family was a country’s fervent hope.

Throughout the last 16 months they have been remembered, prayed for, kept in the hearts of people, not just in Israel but by Jews and others across the world.

Images were shared of the boys in their Batman costumes with Ariel’s cape flying in the wind; of older brother Ariel hugging his baby brother Kfir when he was born; of Kfir giggling and gurgling as his father Yarden played with him.

And then the image seared into the minds since Hamas’s attack on 7 October: the boys clutching onto their mother Shiri Bibas, her face tormented in fear, as they were surrounded by gunmen and taken to Gaza.

No one in Israel wanted this ending; where Kfir and Ariel returned, not to their innocent childhood, but with their tender years already over. And where their mother who protected them until the last moment has not even returned with them.

In Israel, there is communal pain and grief.

In a video statement, the Israeli Prime Minister said Ariel and Kfir Bibas and 84-year-old Oded Lifschitz, whose body was also returned on Thursday, were “brutally murdered by Hamas savages.”

Holding up a picture of the boys, Benjamin Netanyahu said: “Today is a tragic day. It’s a day of boundless sorrow, of indescribable pain.

“Their bodies return home to a nation in mourning. A nation that will never forget and never forgive the evil that cut down these beautiful souls…The Bibas children in particular became the symbol of who we are, and who we’re fighting against.”

Netanyahu said: “Who kidnaps a little boy and a baby and murders them? Monsters. That’s who.”

Israel’s President Isaac Herzog said in a statement: “Agony. Pain. Our hearts — the hearts of an entire nation — lie in tatters.” He asked for forgiveness on behalf of the country for not protecting them and bringing them home.

Shiri, Ariel and Kfir Bibas were aged 32, four and nine months when they were kidnapped during the 7 October attacks.

About 1,200 people – mostly civilians – were killed in the attacks and 251 others taken back to Gaza as hostages. Israel launched a massive military campaign against Hamas in response, which has killed at least 48,297 Palestinians – mainly civilians – according to the Hamas-run health ministry.

This week, in Israel and abroad, people across social media posted images of broken orange hearts to represent the boys with the striking ginger hair.

On Thursday, as the vehicles with the bodies of the Bibas children and Oded Lifschitz crossed into Israel, people lining the streets with Israeli flags shouted out “sorry”.

In October 2023 just weeks after they were kidnapped, the aunt of the Bibas brothers spoke to the BBC.

Ofri Bibas Levy described how Kfir had just started crawling and eating solid food.

“They are civilians and are not supposed to be there. The longer they are there the harder it’s going to be to recover them and the less chance they’re going to come out alive,” she said.

On Friday she wrote on Facebook: “I’m sorry Luli [Ariel], I’m sorry Firfir [Kfir].

“You did not deserve any of this. We will miss you forever. We are not giving up on your mum Shiri.”

In a video statement she added: “Shiri, Ariel, and Kfir were taken alive by a murderous terrorist organization, and it was Israel’s responsibility and obligation to bring them back alive.

Source : https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/ce8mv5dp0r3o

A South Carolina man on death row has chosen to be killed by firing squad, and if his execution goes forward next month, it would be the first time in 15 years that capital punishment in the US is carried out by gunfire.

Brad Sigmon, 67, is scheduled to be shot to death on 7 March, part of a spate of rapid killings the state has pursued in the last six months as it revives executions after a 13-year pause. South Carolina now directs those on death row to choose how they will be killed – electric chair, lethal injection or shooting. If they decline to make a selection, the state electrocutes them.

Attorneys for men on South Carolina’s death row have previously objected to firing squads, raising concerns about the pain caused by shootings and arguing the method constitutes cruel and unusual punishment. But Sigmon selected a firing squad in part because of concerns about the state’s lethal injection methods, his attorneys said.

The last three executions in the state were carried out with injections of pentobarbital, a sedative. Each time, it took more than 20 minutes for the men to die, and in one case, it appeared to cause a man to suffer a condition akin to drowning and suffocation, lawyers for the men said in court filings. Sigmon’s lawyers have also raised concerns about the secrecy surrounding the state’s lethal injection drugs and protocols.

“He has a right to this choice, but it’s not an informed choice,” Gerald “Bo” King, one of Sigmon’s lawyers, said in an interview. “My frustration is we are in a world where he has to choose between being electrocuted, poisoned or shot, and we can’t even get the most basic facts you would want to make that decision.”

South Carolina had ceased executions since 2011 in part because it ran out of lethal injection supplies as pharmaceutical companies faced pressure to stop selling drugs to facilitate state killings. But lawmakers in 2023 passed a shield law to keep the identity of suppliers secret, allowing officials to restock lethal drugs and resume executions last year.

Sigmon’s attorneys noted in a recent filing that the South Carolina department of corrections (SCDC) was obliged to “disclose some basic facts about the drug’s creation, quality and reliability” and criticized prison officials for failing to provide information about the “potency, purity and stability” of the drugs, their expiration dates, and how they are being tested and stored.

In the execution of Richard Moore in November, autopsy records suggested officials injected him with a second dose of pentobarbital after 10 minutes had passed, even though the SCDC has said the injections are to happen “via a single dose”, lawyers said. His autopsy also showed his lungs were swollen with fluid, “an excruciating condition known as pulmonary edema”.

After the January execution of Marion Bowman, which took roughly 23 minutes, an SCDC official declined to say how many doses were injected, saying: “We followed our protocol and that is not disclosed.”

“You have three executions that have seemingly gone awry,” said King, pointing to previous cases in other states of botched executions by lethal injection and mishandling of the drugs. “It could be excruciatingly painful.”

South Carolina officials have previously said that the firing squad protocols involve strapping the person to a chair with an “aim point” placed on his heart and a hood covering his head. Three men armed with rifles will then shoot from behind a wall 15ft away with an opening in it.

In 2022, a South Carolina judge said this method “constitutes torture” and was “cruel” and unconstitutional. The judge noted the person was “likely to be conscious for a minimum of 10 seconds after impact” and the pain could be extended “if the ammunition does not fully incapacitate the heart”: “During this time, he will feel excruciating pain resulting from the gunshot wounds and broken bones.” If the person’s vital signs were still present 10 minutes after the first shots, staff would fire a second time, the judge noted.

Last year, the state supreme court ruled all methods were lawful since officials were giving the men a choice of method.

Sigmon’s potential killing by firing squad comes at a time of increasing scrutiny of methods of execution across the country, and as Donald Trump has pledged to revive capital punishment at the federal level and help ensure that states have “sufficient supplies” to carry out killings. Alabama has recently been using nitrogen hypoxia, a suffocation method human rights groups say amounts to torture.

Five states currently allow firing squads, and Idaho lawmakers are now pushing to make it the primary execution method. The last firing squad execution in the US was in 2010 in Utah, the only state to use this method in the last 50 years.

“I expect many members of the public will be shocked by the graphic and bloody display that will result from a firing squad execution,” said Robin Maher, executive director of the Death Penalty Information Center. “Unlike other forms of execution, this will look exactly like what it is: the deliberate and intentional taking of life by the state, using a vivid and brutal method.”

The recent South Carolina executions have been observed by several journalists, and the state’s protocols say the firing squad chair would not directly face witnesses, but observers would see the “right-side profile” of the person being killed.

Chrysti Shain, an SCDC spokesperson, said in an email that its lethal injection policies mirrored federal guidelines and that the last three executions “followed protocol”. The US justice department, however, withdrew its pentobarbital protocol in January, just before Trump’s inauguration, citing “uncertainty” over whether the drug “causes unnecessary pain and suffering”.

Shain also pointed to the court declaration of an anesthesiologist hired by the state, who said pentobarbital on average would cause unconsciousness within 20 to 30 seconds, and that the individual would not feel pain or suffocation.

Sigmon was convicted of the 2001 murders of his ex-girlfriend’s parents. Sigmon admitted his guilt in court, and his lawyers have argued that the killings stemmed from a childhood of physical abuse and neglect and severe, inherited mental illness that went undiagnosed and untreated. In a petition filed on Thursday seeking to stop the execution, his lawyers argued that Sigmon’s trial counsel failed to present evidence of his trauma and mental illness.

Source : https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/feb/21/brad-sigmon-death-penalty-firing-squad

Donald Trump has said the US is close to agreeing a minerals deal with Ukraine – after accusing Britain and France of “doing nothing” to end the war.

“We’re signing an agreement, hopefully in the next fairly short period of time,” the president told reporters in the Oval Office.

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy also said on Friday the two countries were “working on a draft agreement”.

His comments came after a conversation between his chief of staff and US national security adviser Mike Waltz on a minerals deal the Ukrainian leader had previously turned down.

“Here’s the bottom line, President Zelenskyy is going to sign that deal, and you will see that in the very short term,” Mr Waltz told the Conservative Political Action Conference in Maryland.

It is also believed that US negotiators raised the possibility of cutting Ukraine’s access to Elon Musk’s vital Starlink satellite internet system if it did not agree to a deal.

Earlier, Mr Trump called French President Emmanuel Macron a “friend of mine” and UK leader Sir Keir Starmer a “nice guy” but said Russia had only agreed to negotiate “because of me”.

Mr Trump made the comments days before both leaders visit the White House for a meeting in which they must try to press Ukraine’s case while keeping the US leader onside.

The president also continued his criticism of Mr Zelenskyy, saying he had “no cards” to play.

“I’ve been watching for years, and I’ve been watching him negotiate with no cards. He has no cards. And you get sick of it. You just get sick of it. And I’ve had it,” he told a Fox radio show.

The comments come after he recently called the Ukrainian leader a “dictator without elections” – apparently in response to Mr Zelenskyy saying his US counterpart was living in a “disinformation space” after Mr Trump claimed Ukraine had started the war

Ukraine was also excluded from talks between the top US and Russian diplomats in Riyadh earlier this week.

They were intended to set the stage for future negotiations on ending the war, which started when Russia launched a full-scale invasion three years ago.

Speaking on Friday evening, Mr Trump denied speculation he could visit Moscow for talks on 9 May – the day Russia celebrates its victory over the Nazis.

Mr Trump also told reporters the Russian and Ukrainian leaders needed to “work together” to end the war.

However, the US has already dealt a huge blow to Kyiv’s position in any future talks.

US defence secretary Pete Hegseth said last week that a return to pre-war borders was “unrealistic” and ruled out NATO membership as a way to guarantee Kyiv’s security.

President Zelenskyy has insisted he will not accept any deal that his country is not involved in.

Ukraine’s leader held talks with US envoy Keith Kellogg in Kyiv on Thursday, describing it later as a “good discussion”.

Source : https://news.sky.com/story/trump-says-us-close-to-ukraine-minerals-deal-and-accuses-france-and-uk-of-doing-nothing-to-end-war-13314377

Dozens of supporters were outside court as the man accused of fatally shooting the chief executive of UnitedHealthcare made his first appearance.

Luigi Mangione has pleaded not guilty to multiple counts of murder following the 4 December killing of Brian Thompson, 50, outside a midtown Manhattan hotel.

The 26-year-old is accused of ambushing and shooting the executive as he walked to an investor conference.

Dozens of people who showed up in court to support the suspect including former army intelligence analyst Chelsea Manning who was jailed for stealing classified diplomatic cables.

Dozens more queued in the hallway.

Mangione is also facing federal charges that could carry the possibility of the death penalty.

The judge set a deadline of 9 April to submit pre-trial motions.

In addition to the New York cases, Mr Mangione also faces charges of forgery, carrying firearms without a licence, and other counts in Pennsylvania, where authorities arrested him at a McDonald’s.

Police say he was in possession of a gun, bullets, multiple fake IDs and a handwritten document that expressed “ill will” towards corporate America.

He is being held in a Brooklyn jail alongside several other high-profile defendants, including music mogul and rapper Sean “Diddy” Combs, and disgraced crypto entrepreneur Sam Bankman-Fried.

Source : https://news.sky.com/story/dozens-turn-out-in-support-of-luigi-mangione-over-killing-of-healthcare-boss-13314379

Passengers have reported a suspected norovirus outbreak on a P&O cruise ship off the coast of Belgium.

One passenger on the P&O Iona told Sky News “people have been dropping like flies”, with “a large number” of guests and staff experiencing symptoms.

“People [were] throwing up in restaurants, on decks, outside cabins,” the passenger said.

The P&O Iona, which can carry more than 5,000 passengers and 1,800 staff, is currently on a seven-day cruise across northern Europe, visiting Hamburg, Rotterdam and Zeebrugge. The current passenger numbers are unclear.

P&O Cruises has confirmed to Sky News some of its guests “have unfortunately reported gastrointestinal symptoms,” however, they said it is currently affecting fewer than 1% of the passengers on board.

A large number of families are understood to be on the cruise, which is taking place during the half-term break. It left Southampton on 15 February.

The captain of the ship is understood to have made a public announcement on Thursday informing passengers of the outbreak, and said that staff were doing their best to stop the spread of infection.

Some passengers who are isolating have said staff shortages have resulted in problems with having food delivered, as well as receiving new towels and bed linen.

The passenger added: “Even the entertainment has been adversely affected with many of the scheduled acts unable to perform and replaced with a cobbled together entertainment programme to placate the guests.

“What was also incredulous was the inability to buy or get hold of any medication onboard to help with the symptoms. Not one shop or medical centre onboard could supply guests with gastrointestinal suspension medication or replacement salts/fluid sachets.”

P&O Cruises told Sky News any symptomatic guests who were unable to join shore experiences will receive a full refund.

They also said medication is “readily available through our onboard medical centre” and an emergency support number is available 24 hours a day.

“We are aware that some guests have unfortunately reported gastrointestinal symptoms recently on board Iona’s Northern Europe cruise,” P&O Cruises said in a statement.

Source : https://news.sky.com/story/passengers-dropping-like-flies-after-suspected-norovirus-outbreak-on-pando-cruise-ship-13314024

A man has been found guilty of attempted murder for attacking author Sir Salman Rushdie.

The 77-year-old British-American writer was stabbed multiple times as he was preparing to give a speech in New York in 2022.

He was blinded in his right eye in the incident, suffered a severely damaged hand, and spent months recovering.

Following a trial in Chautauqua County Court, a jury convicted 27-year-old Hadi Matar of attempting to murder Sir Salman, after less than two hours of deliberations.

He was also found guilty of assault for wounding Henry Reese, who was on stage with Sir Salman at the time.

Matar gave no obvious reaction to the verdict, and quietly muttered “free Palestine” as he was led out of the courtroom in handcuffs.

The court heard Matar ran on to the stage at the Chautauqua Institution where the author was about to speak on 12 August 2022, and stabbed him in front of an audience.

The Indian-born writer, who spent most of the 1990s in hiding in the UK after receiving death threats over his 1988 novel The Satanic Verses, was stabbed about 15 times.

Sir Salman was attacked in the head, neck, torso, and left hand. He also suffered damage to his liver and intestines.

‘I was dying’

During the trial, Sir Salman described the moment Matar attacked him and told the court: “I only saw him at the last minute.

“I was aware of someone wearing black clothes, or dark clothes and a black face mask. I was very struck by his eyes, which were dark and seemed very ferocious to me.

“I thought he was hitting me with his fist but I saw a large quantity of blood pouring onto my clothes.

“He was hitting me repeatedly. Hitting and slashing.”

The writer then said he felt “a sense of great pain and shock,” and added: “It occurred to me that I was dying. That was my predominant thought.”

The court also heard that Mr Reese, the co-founder of Pittsburgh’s City of Asylum, had suffered a gash to his forehead in the attack.

‘Attack was unprovoked’

During closing arguments earlier on Friday, District Attorney Jason Schmidt showed the jury a video of the attack and said: “I want you to look at the unprovoked nature of this attack.

“I want you to look at the targeted nature of the attack. There were a lot of people around that day but there was only one person who was targeted.”

Matar’s defence team argued prosecutors did not prove he intended to kill the writer, with Andrew Brautigan telling the jury: “You will agree something bad happened to Mr Rushdie, but you don’t know what Mr Matar’s conscious objective was.”

Mr Schmidt said that while it was not possible to read Matar’s mind, “it’s foreseeable that if you’re going to stab someone 10 or 15 times about the face and neck, it’s going to result in a fatality”.

The judge set a sentencing date of 23 April, when Matar could be jailed for up to 25 years.

Source : https://news.sky.com/story/man-found-guilty-of-attempted-murder-after-stabbing-author-salman-rushdie-multiple-times-on-stage-13314117

“When they start to whack the lawyers, that’s when I draw the line,” fretted attorney Saul Goodman in an episode of Breaking Bad after one of his colleagues was murdered.

A similar anxiety has now gripped Hollywood’s publicity class amid the Justin Baldoni–Blake Lively legal battle in which several top PR names have become major players in a war that has riveted the town. According to several personal and studio publicists interviewed by The Hollywood Reporter, the scandal has already changed how representatives who are not involved with the case operate — perhaps permanently.

“This will change the personal publicist game forever, 100 percent,” declares one veteran personal publicist. “When a client says, ‘I want you to protect my reputation and get ahead of this story,’ or, ‘I don’t like that headline, can you call reporter?’ No way. If what you’re doing has ramifications for another [celebrity], you’re now going to think that you could get sued.”

Take, for example, one of the claims in Baldoni’s lawsuit: That Lively’s publicist Leslie Sloane lobbied a Daily Mail reporter back in August to change a story. The reporter planned to write that an internal power struggle between Lively and Baldoni on their film It Ends With Us had resulted in the actress being “labeled as difficult.” Sloane insisted via text messages to the reporter: “You have it all wrong … the whole cast hates [Baldoni].”

Sloane’s efforts to change the story were allegedly successful. But as any reporter can attest, a publicist giving additional information on background to try and make a story more friendly to their client isn’t some rare event, but extremely common. Now Sloane is among those being sued by Baldoni, while Lively is suing Baldoni’s crisis manager Melissa Nathan, along with publicist Jennifer Abel.

“I feel bad for them because [some of the things they] were asked to do are things that just about any [publicist] would have done without question,” adds the veteran publicist. “But not now.”

One longtime studio publicist notes, “I think good comms execs will always have plans in place to help protect their clients, but now they have to ask themselves: If their strategy is leaked, would they still stand by it? Protecting a client and playing defense is one thing; targeting others proactively is completely another.”

In addition to the reputational harm and humiliation that might come with a lawsuit, personal publicists are also concerned about racking up financially ruinous legal fees. Studio publicists are typically protected from being sued by their companies. But independent personal publicists, or those who work at small firms, usually don’t have such protection. Their clients are often multimillionaires with extensive resources, yet they pay as little as $5,000 a month and don’t indemnify their representatives in case something goes wrong. “The whole relationship is based on trust,” the veteran rep notes.

“There is zero legal protection for us and [the Baldoni case] does make me more afraid,” says another longtime personal publicist who segued from working at a major agency to launching their own company. This publicist admits he’s not proud of things they’ve done to hide client behavior in the past. “A lot of the times, we are at the mercy of the people who pay our bills,” the publicist says. “When I worked at [a major PR agency], we were instructed that the client came first, and their money came first. So if the client told us to do something, and they were paying for it, then you do it. Now we are all being cautious.”

Multiple publicists say they’re considering adding legal indemnification into future contracts so that clients are obliged to protect them. “This is something publicists are talking about, but it’s not actually a thing yet,” one says. The obvious concern is that such a move could result in a loss of business, as there are always plenty of young publicists who are struggling to build their brands and eager to add a famous name to their client list without being too picky about contract terms.

The boutique agency owner notes that the Baldoni case has also impacted his business in an entirely unexpected way. “I had a prospective client say to me, ‘Because of this, I don’t know if I want to get a publicist right now. I don’t want people thinking I have something to hide.’”

This publicist isn’t a crisis manager — a branch of publicity known for aggressive and secretive tactics — but notes such distinctions are not widely understood. “Clients don’t see the difference [between a crisis manager and a publicist],” he says, adding with a laugh: “They think that’s what we all do — sit in our ivory towers and look for who we can take down to get our clients ahead.”

All of this isn’t to say that publicists believe the representatives involved in the Lively vs. Baldoni case are entirely blameless for their fates. Nathan and Abel infamously traded text messages that sounded like they were gleefully plotting to smear Lively (Baldoni’s suit insists the duo’s ideas were never successfully implemented or, in some cases, that they were joking).

“From the very start of the Lively-Baldoni shitshow, it was PR who kind of made the situation worse,” notes a third veteran publicist, who believes that the case is “changing the face of PR.”

The fiasco, notes a veteran studio publicist, brings to mind something that publicists are taught at the very start of their careers. “All comms folks are taught from day one: Never put anything in writing you wouldn’t want on the front page of The New York Times,” she says. “This has been a reminder of that all-important rule.”

Source : https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-features/blake-lively-justin-baldoni-publicity-pr-changes-1236141364/

The Associated Press sued three Trump administration officials Friday over access to presidential events, citing freedom of speech in asking a federal judge to stop the blocking of its journalists. “We’ll see them in court,” the White House press secretary said in response.

The lawsuit was filed Friday afternoon in U.S. District Court in Washington, D.C., 10 days after the White House began restricting access to the news agency. It was assigned to U.S. District Judge Trevor McFadden, a Trump nominee.

The AP says its case is about an unconstitutional effort by the White House to control speech — in this case not changing its style from the Gulf of Mexico to the “Gulf of America,” as President Donald Trump did last month with an executive order.

“The press and all people in the United States have the right to choose their own words and not be retaliated against by the government,” the AP said in its lawsuit, which names White House chief of staff Susan Wiles, deputy chief of staff Taylor Budowich and press secretary Karoline Leavitt.

“This targeted attack on the AP’s editorial independence and ability to gather and report the news strikes at the very core of the First Amendment,” the news agency said. “This court should remedy it immediately.” The Constitution’s First Amendment guarantees freedom of the press, speech and religion and bars the government from obstructing any of them.

Leavitt said that she learned about the lawsuit Friday while driving from the White House to an appearance at the Conservative Political Action Conference.

“I wanted to get the White House counsel on the phone before taking this stage to see what I can and cannot say but, look, we feel we are in the right in this position,” she said. “We’re going to ensure that truth and accuracy is present at that White House every single day.”

Trump directly cited AP’s editorial decision

In stopping the AP from attending press events at the White House and Mar-a-Lago, or flying on Air Force One in the agency’s customary spot, the Trump team directly cited the AP’s decision not to fully follow the president’s renaming.

“We’re going to keep them out until such time as they agree that it’s the Gulf of America,” Trump said Tuesday.

This week, about 40 news organizations signed onto a letter organized by the White House Correspondents Association, urging the White House to reverse its policy against the AP. They included outlets like Fox News Channel and Newsmax, where many of the on-air commentators are Trump supporters.

“We can understand President Trump’s frustration because the media has often been unfair to him, but Newsmax still supports AP’s right, as a private organization, to use the language it wants to use in its reporting,” Newsmax said in a statement. “We fear a future administration may not like something Newsmax writes and seek to ban us.”

While AP journalists have still been allowed on White House grounds, they have been kept out of the “pool” of journalists that cover events in smaller spaces and report back to its readers and other reporters. The AP has been part of White House pools for more than a century.

The lawsuit said the AP had made “several unsuccessful efforts” to persuade the administration that its conduct was unlawful. Julie Pace, AP’s senior vice president and executive editor, traveled to Florida this week to meet with Wiles.

The AP Stylebook is a sticking point

In an email to AP, Wiles said the news organization was targeted because its influential stylebook is used as a standard by many journalists, scholars and students across the country, the lawsuit said. She said the administration was hopeful the name change would be reflected in the AP Stylebook “where American audiences are concerned.”

The Stylebook is used by international audiences, as well as those within the United States. The AP has said that its guidance was offered to promote clarity, and that even though Gulf of Mexico will continue to be used, journalists should also note Trump’s action to change the name.

A Trump executive order to change the name of the United States’ largest mountain back to Mount McKinley from Denali is being recognized by the AP Stylebook. Trump has the authority to do so because the mountain is completely within the country he oversees, AP has said.

Wiles also wrote to the AP that its stylebook’s influence “has been misused, and at times weaponized, to push a divisive and partisan agenda,” according to the lawsuit.

In an Axios story last week, Budowich noted other AP Stylebook entries that have rankled some conservatives. They include the decision to capitalize Black but not white in racial references, guidance on gender-affirming medical care and direction not to use the term “ illegal immigrants.”

In a radio interview with Fox News’ Brian Kilmeade on Friday, Trump referred to the Associated Press as “radical left lunatics.” He said that “Associated Press is a third-rate outfit with a first-rate name.”

He said “just about everybody” accepted the Gulf of America name change but “AP wants to be cute.” There has been a mixed response from other news organizations: The New York Times and Washington Post are continuing to use Gulf of Mexico, while Fox News has switched to Trump’s choice. Google Maps is using Gulf of America for users in the United States.

Source : https://apnews.com/article/ap-lawsuit-trump-administration-officials-0352075501b779b8b187667f3427e0e8

Russia has spent more than a year creating an electronic database of its LGBTQ+ citizens, independent Russian media has reported.

The country’s top court declared the international LGBTQ+ rights movement ‘extremist’ in November 2023.

In the months since, law enforcement officials have been building a register to track ‘extremist’ LGBTQ+ Russians, insiders told Meduza.

The officials, members of Russia’s Ministry of Internal Affairs, are creating the list using police records of LGBTQ+ people arrested in recent raids.

Moscow views LGBTQ+ people as a shadowy cabal of ‘paramilitary groups’ calling for an ‘open gender war’ and engaging in ‘devil worship’, they said.

Citing ministry insiders, people making the watch list include the dozens of LGBTQ+ club-goers and venue owners detained in recent months under Russia’s ‘gay propaganda’ ban.

The law, which prohibits describing LGBTQ+ lives as normal, has led to even My Little Pony conventions being targeted by police.

One queer bar owner told Meduza that during a raid, ‘security forces copied the entire database from the computer where we keep track of reservations’.

Dmitry Chukreev, of the pro-Kremlin political party United Russia, confirmed to Meduza that ‘records have been kept since the Supreme Court ruling came into force’.

‘Everyone is being recorded and put on record,’ he added.

However, ministry sources said funds and employee numbers are too scarce to establish the database properly amid the Ukraine war.

‘There is only one district police officer left for every six districts,’ they said.

‘They’re not going to go knocking on people’s doors and say, “So, you f*****s, are you going to check in?”‘

Attempts to monitor LGBTQ+ activity in Russia are also happening along the border, human rights campaigners said.

Officers from Russia’s Federal Security Service, or the FSB, are reportedly asking people going into Russia whether they are ‘affiliated with the LGBTQ+ community’ or have ‘plans to change gender’.

These interrogations can last up to five hours, claimed Evelina Chaika, the founder of EQUAL PostOst who said their group has been approached by the FSB and the Ministry of Defence.

Trans people who have since fled from Russia have had the doors of their old homes knocked by officers, added activist Yael Demedetskaya.

‘In February 2024, a man from Vladivostok came to us, he is a trans man and as soon as he and his wife crossed the [American] border, a local police officer came to his home,’ Demedetskaya said.

‘He asked where he was now and whether he had really changed his documents.’

Source : https://metro.co.uk/2025/02/21/kremlin-accused-creating-a-database-lgbtq-russians-monitor-them-22599911/

HAMAS has handed over the body of Israeli hostage Shiri Bibas, it claims, after it sent the wrong remains in a sick mix-up.

It’s the second attempt at returning the hostage for the terror group after it claimed to have handed over the mum with her two children on Thursday.

The Red Cross collected a body from the Gaza Strip that Hamas claim is Shiri, two officials have told The Times of Israel.

The remains have been passed to the IDF who will take them to the Abu Kabir Forensic Institute for identification.

Senior Hamas official Mahmoud Mardwai told Hamas-run Al-Aqsa television that this body is the right one, in a humiliating statement for the terror group.

It’s the second attempt Hamas have had at handing over Shiri’s body after it returned the bodies of Shiri’s 9-month-old Kfir and four-year-old Arie.

Hours after the initial twisted handover ceremony on Thursday, the IDF announced they couldn’t identify the body as Shiri’s.

In turn, Hamas said it was investigating a “mistake” in identifying the human remains.

A Hamas senior official Ismail al-Thawabteh said Shiri’s body was “turned into pieces” in an Israeli airstrike – which Israel vehemently denies ever took place – and may have been “mixed with other bodies under the rubble”.

A statement by Hamas said the group was dealing with the claims with “complete seriousness” and it would announce the results “clearly”.

A member of Hamas’s political bureau, Basem Naim, blamed “unfortunate mistakes” adding that Hamas has no interest in keeping any bodies or not to abide by the signed agreements.

They claimed that the casket which Hamas said belonged to the mum actually contained “an anonymous, unidentified” person with “no match” found for any other hostage.

The harrowing statement from the IDF added that it was a “violation of utmost severity” by Hamas.

They demanded the terror group “return Shiri home along with all our hostages” immediately.

The heinous move by the terror group to allegedly lie about the handover has been widely condemned.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu described it as an “unspeakable” act which shows “the cruelty of the Hamas monsters know no bounds”.

He added in a video statement: “We will act with determination to bring Shiri home along with all our hostages – both living and dead – and ensure Hamas pays the full price for this cruel and evil violation of the agreement.”

Netanyahu also claimed the body handed over at the twisted parade on Thursday morning belonged to an unknown Gazan woman.

Hamas reportedly attempted to explain their way out of the fury by claiming the remains belonged to the mum as well as a mixture of other human remnants.

A Hamas official told AFP they are investigating the “mistake”.

Israel’s UN Ambassador Danny Danon quickly slammed the Palestinian militants as he said they treated the coffin like a “worthless shipment”.

“This is a new low, an evil and cruelty with no parallel,” he said in a statement.

“There are no words that can describe such an atrocity.”

Foreign Secretary David Lammy said the killing of the two children, which Hamas denies, and the failure to return Shiri’s body was “sick”.

“The vile killing of the Bibas children by Hamas terrorists is sick and abhorrent, as is the failure to return the body of their mother Shiri to the grieving family,” the Foreign Secretary posted on X.

“Her body must be returned. The hostages must be released. This nightmare must end.”

US president Donald Trump’s envoy for hostage affairs, Adam Boehler, said the stunt now puts the ceasefire deal into serious jeopardy.

He warned Hamas must release all the remaining hostages or face “total annihilation”.

Shiri’s despairing face as she was kidnapped while clutching her two children became a symbol for the horror of the October 7 massacre.

The IDF say they have managed to identify the bodies of Shiri’s young sons, Ariel and Kfir as well as retired Israeli journalist Oded Lifshitz.

The apparent causes of the deaths were also revealed.

According to the IDF, citing intelligence and forensic findings, the two little boys were “brutally murdered” by the Hamas thugs in November 2023.

So was Lifshitz who had originally been kidnapped alongside his wife.

Baby Kfir – the youngest captive – was only nine months old when he was barbarically forced to spend the majority of his life as a Hamas prisoner.

Israel say he likely died when he was only 11 months old.

The official flag of Israel has been turned orange on social media in honour of the brothers due to their ginger hair.

The IDF confirmed that while Hamas’ violation would be “dealt with severely,” Saturday’s prisoner swap is expected to go ahead as planned.

At least 66 hostages still remain captive in Gaza over 500 days on from the initial bloodshed with those who died in captivity finally being returned to their loved ones.

Only half are believed to be still alive, Israel fears.

A top Hamas official said another six living hostages will be freed on Saturday before another set of bodies are returned.

Source : https://www.the-sun.com/news/13600783/shiri-bibas-body-returned-israel/

Dubai Police detained a tourist who had engaged in behaviour that caused Emma Raducanu distress during her match at the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships, the Government of Dubai said on Thursday.
Britain’s Raducanu was visibly distressed and reduced to tears early in her match against Karolina Muchova as she stood behind the umpire’s chair while a spectator was escorted away by security personnel.

The individual was seated in the first few rows during Raducanu’s match. The Women’s Tennis Association (WTA) later said the individual was ejected and banned from all WTA events pending a threat assessment.
“Following Raducanu’s complaint, Dubai Police detained a tourist who approached her, left her a note, took her photograph and engaged in behaviour that caused her distress during the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships,” the government of Dubai said.
“While Raducanu later chose to drop the charges, the individual signed a formal undertaking to maintain distance from her and has been banned from future tournaments.”

Source : https://www.reuters.com/sports/tennis/dubai-police-detain-spectator-that-left-raducanu-distressed-during-match-2025-02-20/

For Ukrainian director Kateryna Gornostai, her new documentary, “Timestamp,” about daily school life during Russia’s now three-year-long invasion, had its Berlin Film Festival premiere at a key moment for her homeland.
“It’s really crucial,” Gornostai told Reuters in the German capital on Thursday.
“I feel like I’m not a filmmaker, but a delegation of diplomats. In a way we are all, because the teachers and our protagonists are here,” she added.

“These are real people from Ukraine that are working there, staying there and struggling to be not insane in the moment.”
“Timestamp” is the first Ukrainian-directed film to compete for the festival’s Golden Bear top prize in nearly 30 years. The only documentary in the competition is up against 18 other films, with the winner announced on Saturday.
It comes as recent comments by U.S. President Donald Trump have heightened concerns among European allies that his approach to ending the Russia-Ukraine conflict could benefit Moscow.

According to a U.N. official, more than 12,650 civilians have been killed since the start of the war. Russia now controls about 20% of Ukraine and has carried out frequent strikes on cities and towns far from the eastern and southern front lines.
Gornostai, whose debut feature film “Stop-Zemlia” also premiered at the Berlinale, in 2021, expressed hope that viewers would see her new film and “maybe make a lot of good decisions about what to do”.
“Timestamp” shows classrooms across Ukraine at varying distances from the frontline. Scenes of students learning a dance for their graduation day are interspersed with lessons taking place in bunkers due to air raid sirens.

Variety magazine called it “a beautifully observed” documentary, while Screen Daily described it as “powerful”.
Gornostai said she decided to focus on schools because they had an element of hope. “It’s about this young generation that stays and it thrives. So we need to support it and respect it,” she said.

Source : https://www.reuters.com/lifestyle/crucial-show-ukraine-documentary-timestamp-berlinale-says-director-2025-02-20/

Elon Musk, the billionaire tasked with slashing U.S. federal government spending, took to the stage at a conservative conference outside Washington on Thursday with a gift from Argentina’s libertarian President Javier Milei: a chainsaw.
“This is the chainsaw for bureaucracy,” said Musk, holding the gleaming power tool aloft at the Conservative Political Action Conference in National Harbor, Maryland.

The red metallic chainsaw, given to Musk by Milei earlier in the day, was engraved on its side with the Argentine leader’s coarse Spanish slogan: “Viva la libertad, carajo,” which loosely translates to “Long live freedom, damn it!”

Musk is leading sweeping cuts under U.S. President Donald Trump that have targeted bank regulators, forest workers, rocket scientists and tens of thousands of other government employees.
On Thursday, 6,000 employees at the U.S. Internal Revenue Service were told they would be fired, a person familiar with the matter said.

Source : https://www.reuters.com/world/us/elon-musk-wields-chainsaw-conservative-gathering-gift-argentinas-milei-2025-02-21/

Spain’s High Court has found former soccer federation head Luis Rubiales guilty of sexual assault for kissing player Jenni Hermoso without her consent and fined him over 10,000 euros ($10,434) in a case which caused a nationwide furore.
It acquitted him of a charge of coercion, the court said on Thursday in a ruling seen by Reuters. Rubiales told Reuters he would appeal, saying: “I am going to keep fighting.”

Hermoso’s lawyer, Angel Chavarria, told Reuters the player will appeal too, without providing further details.
Prosecutors had sought a prison sentence for Rubiales, 47, over the incident that provoked a heated debate in Spain about sexism in women’s football and wider Spanish society and gave momentum to a “Me Too” movement in the country.
The court said it had also acquitted Rubiales’ three co-defendants who were accused of attempting to coerce Hermoso into saying the kiss, at the 2023 World Cup awards ceremony in Sydney, was consensual. The ensuing scandal overshadowed Spain’s victory in the tournament.

Rubiales, who is the target of a separate corruption investigation into commissions paid over a lucrative deal to stage the Spanish Super Cup competition in Saudi Arabia, has maintained throughout this month’s trial that Hermoso had consented to be kissed amid the celebrations.
But Judge Jose Manuel Fernandez-Prieto said he believed Hermoso’s testimony that she had not.
He found Rubiales guilty of sexual assault. But he said that while this was “always reproachable”, this instance was of minor intensity as there was no violence or intimidation.
As it involved a kiss rather than a more serious action, Rubiales should be spared time in prison, Fernandez-Prieto said.
“The pecuniary penalty must be chosen, which is less serious than the custodial sentence,” he said in his ruling.
The ruling also banned Rubiales from going within a 200-m (218 yards) radius of Hermoso and from communicating with her for one year. He will also have to pay Hermoso 3,000 euros as compensation. The fine was set at 20 euros a day over an 18-month period.

Rubiales’ gross annual salary at the RFEF federation was 675,762 euros.
During the trial, Hermoso said the unsolicited kiss and the commotion that followed “tainted one of the happiest days of my life”, while her teammates testified it left her overwhelmed, crying and exhausted in the following hours and days.
The captain of Spain’s women’s team said she respected the court’s decision but that she was surprised there was no conviction regarding the charges of coercion.
“I think the conviction for sexual assault is correct. What I find somehow striking and strange is that there is no conviction for coercion,” Irene Paredes said at a press briefing ahead of a game of the national team on Friday.
Paredes, who testified during the trial, said her opinion of the ruling reflected the reaction of the players in the locker room after training on Thursday.
The overall sense of the verdict, if not the mild sentence, was hailed as a victory for women’s rights in a country where macho attitudes are still deeply ingrained in some sectors of society despite considerable progress in recent decades.
“When there is no consent there is assault and that is what the judge certifies in this sentence. The victim’s word is honoured, as the law stipulates, and should not be questioned,” Equality Minister Ana Redondo in the leftist government of Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez wrote on X.
Prominent feminist politician Irene Montero, a member of the European Parliament, also said the ruling was a victory for the movement, although she lamented the “minimum fine and damages”.

Source : https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/spanish-court-sentences-ex-soccer-boss-rubiales-pay-fine-over-kiss-without-2025-02-20/

A planned news conference between Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Donald Trump’s Ukraine envoy was cancelled, as political tensions deepened between the two countries.

The event was originally supposed to include comments to the media by Ukraine’s President Zelenskyy and retired US Lieutenant General Keith Kellogg, but it was changed at the last minute to a simple photo opportunity.

Neither side delivered statements or questions from the media.

The change was requested by the US side, Ukrainian presidential spokesman Serhii Nikiforov said.

Mr Zelenskyy wrote on X that he had a detailed and productive conversation with Lt Gen Kellogg about prisoners of war, effective security guarantees that would be part of any peace agreement and the battlefield situation.

He later said the meeting “restores hope” but there were few additional details from the US side.

Lt Gen Kellogg’s trip to Kyiv coincided with recent feuding between Mr Trump and Mr Zelenskyy that has cast further doubt on the future of US support for Ukraine’s war effort.

During a White House briefing on Thursday, national security adviser Mike Waltz said “some of the rhetoric” coming out of Kyiv and “insults to US President Donald Trump were unacceptable”.

His comments were in response to Mr Zelenskyy accusing his US counterpart of living in a “disinformation bubble” after Mr Trump blamed Ukraine for the war.

The US leader responded furiously, labelling the Ukrainian president a “dictator without elections”.

When asked if Mr Trump blames Russia or Ukraine for the war – which was launched by Moscow in February 2022 – Mr Waltz would not give a direct answer.

Instead, he said Mr Trump is “obviously very frustrated” with the Ukrainian leader.

“Well, look, his goal here is to bring this war to an end, period,” he said, referring to Mr Trump.

“And there has been ongoing fighting on both sides. It is World War One style trench warfare.”

He went on to insist Mr Trump is the best person to negotiate with Russia’s Vladimir Putin, despite concerns the US will force Ukraine into concessions after kicking off talks this week without Europe or Kyiv.

US vice president JD Vance added that he believed an end to the conflict was near and there was no stopping the war without speaking to Russia.

The US government has previously floated a deal between Ukraine and Russia that would give America access to Ukraine’s minerals resources, but Kyiv rejected the initial plan as it did not include security guarantees.

Has Russia got an ‘appetite’ for peace?

European leaders, including the UK government, have reacted strongly to the way Mr Trump has begun talks.

Foreign Secretary David Lammy said the UK will be a “bridge” between the US and Europe during Ukraine peace negotiations, adding he doubted whether Russia had “an appetite to really get to that peace”.

“That peace could be achieved by leaving Ukraine tomorrow,” he said after a meeting of G20 foreign ministers in South Africa.

French President Emmanuel Macron, who is due to meet with Mr Trump in Washington on Monday, said he would tell
the president not to be “weak” on Mr Putin.

He also spoke with Mr Zelenskyy to discuss recent diplomatic efforts between European partners and allies, ahead of his visit to the US.

Russian officials, meanwhile, are basking in Washington’s attention and offering words of support in light of Mr Trump’s stance.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said “the rhetoric of Zelenskyy and many representatives of the Kyiv regime in general leaves much to be desired” – a veiled reference to Ukrainian criticism of Mr Putin.

Source : https://news.sky.com/story/trump-very-frustrated-with-zelenskyy-as-ukraine-us-news-conference-cancelled-13313544

Nigel Farage has said Volodymyr Zelenskyy is not a dictator and everything Donald Trump says should be taken “truthfully not literally”.

Speaking to Sky News’ US correspondent James Matthews, the Reform UK leader also said he did not think Ukraine started the war with Russia and claimed Mr Trump was talking about “causal factors” when he suggested as such.

Mr Trump has called Mr Zelenskyy a “dictator without elections” and told him “you should have never started it [the conflict]”, after the Ukrainian president complained of being left out of peace talks between Washington and Moscow.

Mr Farage, who counts the US president as a close friend, was asked whether he thinks Mr Zelenskyy is a dictator.

“No don’t be ridiculous,” he replied.

“If that’s what he [Donald Trump] thinks, that’s what he thinks. Take everything Trump says truthfully, but not literally.”

The Clacton MP went on to claim Mr Trump “doesn’t literally say Ukraine started the war” and is focused on bringing peace.

It was put to him that he did say that, and Mr Farage said: “Okay, he did. If you’re happy.”

He added: “Putin started the war. We all know that. What he’s talking about are the causal factors that go back for years.”

Asked why we should not take Mr Trump at his word, given he has done everything he said he would upon taking office, Mr Farage said: “Look, he promised a negotiation. He promised he’d talk to Putin. And he is. This is progress.

“We may not at the moment like how it looks, but we haven’t seen the final shape of the deal.”

Mr Farage was speaking at the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) in Maryland, after being criticised for being silent on Mr Trump’s attacks on the Ukrainian president over the past two days.

Other party leaders have strongly backed the Mr Zelenskyy, with Sir Keir Starmer phoning him to voice his support, telling him it was “perfectly reasonable” for Ukraine to “suspend elections during wartime as the UK did during World War Two”.

Mr Farage also called on President Zelenskyy to set out a timeline for an election.

The Reform leader argued the UK had an election during the Second World War, in 1945, so Ukraine could also do so.

The war had come to an end in Europe in May 1945 and Winston Churchill reluctantly called an election two weeks later – after 10 years without a vote – due to pressure from his Labour coalition partners.

However, Allied troops were still fighting in the Pacific, with VJ Day (Victory over Japan Day) not taking place until August that year.

Shadow defence secretary James Cartlidge told Sky News’ Politics Hub programme it was “incredibly trite” of the Reform UK leader to call for President Zelenskyy to hold elections.

Speaking to Sophy Ridge, he added: “Winston Churchill was not a dictator, but he didn’t hold elections during the war because we had a war on.

“The idea the priority for Zelenskyy should be elections is crazy.

“He is under existential attack day and night – we have to stand by them.”

Source : https://news.sky.com/story/farage-says-zelenskyy-is-not-a-dictator-and-trump-should-not-be-taken-literally-13313289

President Donald Trump announced Wednesday that the Resolute Desk has been temporarily removed from the Oval Office to be “refinished,” a touch-up that occurred just days after Elon Musk’s son seemingly picked his nose and wiped it on the historic piece of furniture.

“A President, after election, gets a choice of 1 in 7 desks,” Trump wrote on Truth Social Wednesday. “This desk, the ‘C&O,’ which is also very well-known and was used by President George H.W. Bush and others, has been temporarily installed in the White House while the Resolute Desk is being lightly refinished—a very important job. This is a beautiful, but temporary replacement!”

The C&O desk was originally made for the owners of Chesapeake & Ohio Railway in 1920, but was later gifted to the White House as a donation. While George H.W. Bush used it in the Oval Office, other former presidents like Gerald Ford, Jimmy Carter, and Ronald Reagan used it in the West Wing Study.

The Resolute Desk, however, is an iconic mainstay of the Oval Office, having recently been used by former presidents Barack Obama and Joe Biden, as well as by Trump in his first term. The desk is a seminal part of the Oval Office’s iconography—and was known for being a young John F. Kennedy Jr.’s favorite hiding spot.

During a press conference on all things DOGE last week, Musk’s son X Æ A-12 spun social media into a frenzy after being caught picking his nose and wiping it on the Resolute Desk.

Source : https://www.thedailybeast.com/trump-sends-resolute-desk-for-touch-up-after-musks-son-seemingly-wiped-a-booger-on-it/

Grimes accused ex Elon Musk of ignoring her calls as one of their three children suffers a mysterious “medical crisis.”

“I am sorry to do this publicly but it is no longer acceptable to ignore this situation,” the “Genesis” singer wrote in a since-deleted post on X Thursday.

“This requires immediate attention. If you don’t want to talk to me can you please designate or hire someone who can do that we can move forward on solving this. This is urgent, Elon.”

“I’m not giving any details but he won’t respond to texts call or emails and has skipped every meeting and our child will suffer life long impairment if he doesn’t respond asap, so I need him to f–king respond and if I have to apply public pressure then I guess that’s where we are at,” she added.

The exes share sons X Æ A-Xii, 4, and Techno Mechanicus, 2, and daughter Exa Dark Sideræl, 3.

Reps for Musk, 53, and Grimes, 36, weren’t immediately available to Page Six for comment.

Last week, Grimes was also forced to call out Musk via X for bringing their son X with him to a meeting with President Trump at the Oval Office in Washington, DC.

The toddler was photographed sitting on the tech billionaire’s shoulders as Trump signed an executive order to give Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency additional power.

The photos of X with Musk caused Grimes to worry about their son’s privacy, as she wrote on social media, “He should not be in public like this.”

The “Oblivion” singer also thanked fans for bringing the photos to her awareness, adding, “I did not see this, thank u for alerting me.”

The pop star and the Tesla founder were involved in an on-and-off relationship from 2018 to 2022.

Musk is also the father to late son Nevada, twins Griffin and Vivian, triplet sons Kai, Saxon and Damian, twins Strider and Azure and an unidentified child born in 2024.

Last week, author Ashley St. Clair took to X to allege that she birthed Musk’s 13th child last year.

Source : https://pagesix.com/2025/02/20/celebrity-news/grimes-publicly-urges-elon-musk-to-respond-to-childs-mysterious-medical-crisis/

One of four bodies returned from Gaza to Israel on Thursday is not hostage Shiri Bibas, as claimed by Hamas, the Israeli military said.

The news that Shiri Bibas, 32, and her two sons, Ariel and Kfir, who would now be aged five and two, were dead triggered an outpouring of grief in Israel.

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) has informed the Bibas family that the bodies of her sons have been identified after their remains were given to Israel by Hamas on Thursday.

But the third body was not that of their mother, the IDF says.

It demanded the return of her body along with the other remaining hostages. Hamas has not yet commented on Israel’s claim.

“During the identification process, it was determined that the additional body received is not that of Shiri Bibas, and no match was found for any other hostage. This is an anonymous, unidentified body,” the IDF posted on X.

“This is a violation of utmost severity by the Hamas terrorist organisation, which is obligated under the agreement to return four deceased hostages. We demand that Hamas return Shiri home along with all our hostages.”

The IDF said that the two children “were brutally murdered by terrorists in captivity in November 2023”, according to intelligence and forensic findings. Hamas had said the boys and their mother were killed in an Israeli bombing.

Shiri, Ariel and Kfir Bibas were aged 32, four and nine months when they were kidnapped during the Hamas attacks on Israel on 7 October 2023.

The children’s father Yarden Bibas, 34, was released by Hamas on 1 February.

Israel has confirmed that the fourth body returned on Thursday was that of veteran peace activist, Oded Lifshitz.

The release of hostages’ bodies was agreed as part of the ceasefire deal which came into effect on 19 January, and Israel has confirmed it expects eight bodies will be handed over.

The two sides agreed to exchange 33 hostages for about 1,900 prisoners by the end of the first six weeks of the ceasefire.

Talks on progressing to the next phase of the deal – under which the remaining living hostages would be released and the war would end permanently – were due to start earlier this month but have not yet begun.

Twenty-eight hostages and more than 1,000 prisoners have so far been exchanged.

Sixty-six hostages taken on 7 October are still being held in Gaza. Three other hostages, taken more than a decade ago, are also being held. About half of all the hostages still in Gaza are believed to be alive.

About 1,200 people – mostly civilians – were killed in the Hamas attacks on 7 October 2023 and 251 others taken back to Gaza as hostages. Israel launched a massive military campaign against Hamas in response, which has killed at least 48,297 Palestinians – mainly civilians – according to the Hamas-run health ministry.

Also on Thursday, three buses exploded in Bat Yam, south of Tel Aviv, in what Israeli police said is a suspected terror attack.

Source : https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cjry3jzedl1o

A meeting between Chinese president Xi Jinping and some of the country’s foremost business leaders this week has fuelled excitement and speculation, after Alibaba founder Jack Ma was pictured at the event.

The charismatic and colourful Mr Ma, who was one of China’s most prominent businessmen, had withdrawn from public life after criticising China’s financial sector in 2020.

His reappearance at Monday’s event has sparked a wave of discussion, with experts and analysts wondering what it means for him, China’s tech sector and the economy in general.

The response has been overwhelmingly positive – tech stocks, including those of Alibaba, rallied soon after the event.

On Thursday, the e-commerce giant reported financial results that beat expectations, with shares ending the trading day in New York more than 8% higher. The company’s shares are up 60% since the beginning of the year.

So what are analysts reading into Mr Ma’s appearance at the event alongside other high-profile guests – including DeepSeek founder Liang Wenfeng?

Rescuers have ended a 44-day search operation after they found the bodies of five men who were trapped inside a flooded coal mine in India’s north-eastern state of Assam.

DNA tests will be conducted to identify the men as the bodies are in a decomposed state, a state official told the BBC.

On 6 January, nine miners were trapped after water flooded the so-called “rat-hole” mine, which is a narrow hole dug manually to extract coal.

Four bodies were recovered within the first week, and search operations had continued until Wednesday, when the remaining bodies were found.

“The process to identify the remains has been initiated,” Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said on the social media platform X.

The families of the miners have also been called to identify the bodies. They will be given compensation by the state government, said Riki Phukan, an official from Assam’s District Disaster Management Authority.

The search operations – at the Umrangso coal mine in Assam’s Dima Hasao district – were jointly conducted by special disaster forces alongside the Indian Army, the Indian Navy, the state police and the district disaster authority.

Divers and helicopters were also deployed but the remote, hilly terrain of the mine had posed severe challenges.

Earlier, one of the men rescued from the mine had shared with the BBC a harrowing account of the moments after the tunnel was suddenly engulfed by water.

Ravi Rai, a worker from Nepal, said that he was working inside the mine when water entered the pit.

“We were holding on to a rope in 50-60ft (15-18m) deep water for at least 50 minutes before being pulled out,” he said.

Despite a ban on “rat-hole” mining in India since 2014, small illegal mines continue to be operational in Assam and other north-eastern states.

Source : https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cpq2zd2ep8ro

Delta Air Lines is offering US$30,000 (£23,792) to each person on board a plane that crash-landed in Toronto on Monday – all of whom survived.

As it landed in the Canadian city, the plane skidded along the runway in flames before flipping over and coming to a halt upside down. Passengers described their amazement as most of them walked away without injuries.

It remains unclear what caused the incident, which is under investigation.

There were 76 passengers and four crew on the flight, which had travelled from the US city of Minneapolis before making its crash-landing in Canada.

A spokesperson for Delta said the money offer had no strings attached and did not affect customers’ rights.

Toronto law firm Rochon Genova says it has been retained by certain passengers and their families over the crash-landing.

Lawyer Vincent Genova said the group expected a “timely and fair resolution”, highlighting that his clients “suffered personal injuries of a serious nature that required hospital attention”.

In an email to the BBC, Mr Genova said the $30,000 compensation is an “advance” payment meant to assist plane crash victims with short-term financial challenges, and the airline will seek to deduct it from any later settled claims.

There is precedent to these types of payments, like in 2013, when Asiana Airlines offered passengers of a San Francisco plane crash $10,000 in initial compensation.

Last year, Alaska Airlines offered a $1,500 cash payment to passengers after mid-air door-plug blowout on a flight from Portland.

Following this week’s incident in Toronto, the plane crew and emergency responders were praised for their quick work in removing people from the wrecked vehicle. The plane’s various safety features have also been credited for ensuring no loss of life.

All of the 21 passengers who were taken to hospital had been released by Thursday morning, the airline said.

Delta’s chief told the BBC’s US partner CBS News that the flight crew were experienced and trained for any condition.

The airline’s head Ed Bastian told CBS the plane crew had “performed heroically, but also as expected”, given that “safety is embedded into our system”. He said Delta was continuing to support those affected.

Several theories about what caused the crash have been suggested to the BBC by experts who reviewed footage, including that harsh winter weather and a rapid rate of descent played a role.

One passenger recalled “a very forceful event”, and the sound of “concrete and metal” at the moment of impact. Another said passengers were left hanging upside down in their seats “like bats”.

The cockpit voice recorder and flight data recorder have been recovered from the wreckage. The investigation is being led by Canada’s Transportation Safety Board (TSB), supported by US officials.

On Wednesday evening, the wreckage was removed from the airport runway.

The accident was the fourth major air incident in North America in a space of three weeks – and was followed on Wednesday by a crash in Arizona in which two people lost their lives when their small planes collided.

Source : https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cg5d6dq44e7o

Pope Francis’ overall clinical condition is “improving slightly” and his heart is working well as he battles pneumonia, the Vatican said Thursday, as some of his cardinals cheered him on and insisted that the Catholic Church was very much alive and well even in his absence.

In a late update, Vatican spokesman Matteo Bruni said Francis has no fever and that his key heart parameters “continue to be stable.”

The 88-year-old pope was admitted to the hospital on Feb. 14 after a case of bronchitis worsened; doctors later diagnosed the onset of pneumonia in both lungs on top of asthmatic bronchitis and prescribed “absolute rest.”

“If you really want him to rest, you have to hospitalize him,” quipped Cardinal Jean-Marc Aveline, the archbishop of Marseille, France, referring to Francis’ work ethic.

Aveline was speaking at a Vatican news conference about a Mediterranean youth peace initiative alongside his counterpart from Barcelona, Cardinal Juan Josè Omella. But given the limited amount of information about Francis’ condition, they were peppered with questions about the pope’s health and whether he might decide to resign if he doesn’t recover fully.

Regardless, Omella insisted that the life of the church continued even with Francis in the hospital.

“Popes change, we bishops change, priests in parishes change, communities change. But the train continues being on the move,” Omella said.

Another cardinal, Gianfranco Ravasi, had commented earlier in the day on the possibility of resignation when asked if Francis might decide to follow in the footsteps of Pope Benedict XVI and step down if he becomes too ill. Benedict became the first pope in 600 years to retire when he concluded in 2013 that he didn’t have the physical strength to carry on the rigors of the globe-trotting papacy.

“There is no question that if he (Francis) was in a situation where his ability to have direct contact (with people) as he likes to do … was compromised, then I think he might decide to resign,” Ravasi was quoted as telling RTL 102.5 radio.

Francis has already confirmed that shortly after being elected pontiff he wrote a resignation letter in case medical problems impeded him from carrying out his duties. There is no provision in canon law for what to do if a pope becomes incapacitated.

There is no indication Francis is in anyway incapacitated. Bruni said he woke up Thursday, got out of bed and had breakfast in an armchair, and worked from his hospital room with his aides. Blood tests have showed a “slight improvement” in some inflammation indices but it will still be some time before doctors will know if the various therapies are working.

The pope had an acute case of pneumonia in 2023 and is prone to respiratory infections in winter.

Doctors say pneumonia in such a fragile, elderly patient makes him particularly prone to complications given the difficulty in being able to effectively expel fluid from his lungs. While his heart is strong, Francis isn’t a particularly healthy 88-year-old. He is overweight, isn’t physically active, uses a wheelchair because of bad knees, had part of one lung removed as a young man, and has admitted to being a not-terribly-cooperative patient in the past.

Source : https://apnews.com/article/pope-francis-recovers-pneumonia-hospital-e489cc4f7f4e0d43b7c9079667953e9d

THIS is the terrifying moment buses burn in a suspected “terror attack” in Israel after bombs exploded.

Three coaches erupted into flames near Tel Aviv while two more explosives were found on public transport luckily having not gone off.

There have been no casualties or injuries reported as the bombs went off while the buses were empty and at the depot.

The Israeli Defence Minister accused “Palestinian terrorist organisations” of carrying out terror blasts and instructed the IDF to increase the “intensity of activity” in the West Bank in response.

Shocking footage showed the buses burning as thick black smoke billowed into the sky.

The dramatic explosions occurred late Thursday night Israeli time in three buses parked in a lot in Bat Yam.

Two other explosives were defused when they were also found on buses.

They say the “identical” devices which came with “a timer” failed to explode.

The police said in a statement: “Preliminary report – Suspected terror attack.

“Multiple reports have been received of explosions involving several buses at different locations in Bat Yam.”

A security service source claimed the bombs weighed “between four and five kilograms” and were “intended to detonate tomorrow morning and kill hundreds of civilians,” according to the Jerusalem Post.

Israeli defence minister Israel Katz ordered the IDF to step up counter-terror operations.

He said: “We will hunt down the terrorists to the bitter end and destroy the terror infrastructure in the camps used as frontline posts of the Iranian evil axis.

“Residents who give shelter to terror will pay a heavy price”.

Cop commander Haim Sargarof said in a televised briefing that the devices used to set off the terrifying blasts were similar to those found in the Israeli-occupied West Bank.

A large number of police were deployed to search for suspects, a police statement said, adding that “police bomb disposal units are scanning for additional suspicious objects”.

Cops also “urge the public to avoid the areas and remain alert for any suspicious items”.

Searches are being conducted on additional buses in Dan Bloc – where the two unexploded devices were found.

Initial investigations suggest the explosions occurred within a mere few minutes of each other, with the final being 10 minutes after.

Police spokesperson Aryeh Doron said the “event is ongoing” as officers scramble to locate more bombs in the Tel Aviv area.

He added to Channel 12 that the public must be alert for “every suspected bag or object” which “could make the difference”

The spokesperson said: “We may be lucky if indeed the terrorists set these timers to the wrong hour. But it’s too early to determine.”

Channel 12 also claims that one of the undetonated devices was discovered by a passenger who notified the drive of the suspicious bag.

Terrified local residents have described their fear and confusion over the incident.

Ayala, who lives near to one of the sites where a bus was on fire, recalled to the Jerusalem Post: “We heard an explosion, and then another one.

“At first, we didn’t understand what was happening. We knew there was a ceasefire, so we realized it wasn’t a rocket.

Source : https://www.the-sun.com/news/13590572/buses-explode-israel-terror-attack/

A professor and former Department of Labor economist is warning that unelected White House advisor and multi-hyphenate billionaire Elon Musk is sending the United States headlong into a huge recession.

In a post on Bluesky, Jesse Rothstein, a University of California, Berkeley public policy professor who was the DOL’s chief economist at the start of the Obama administration, addressed the dire situation we could soon be facing.

“It seems almost unavoidable at this point,” Rothstein wrote, “that we are headed for a deep, deep recession.”

Between the hundreds of thousands of government jobs on the chopping block and the cancellations of countless federal contracts, the economist noted that upcoming employment reports are looking quite scary indeed.

“The March employment report (to be released April 4) seems certain to show bigger job losses than any month ever outside of a few in 2008-9 and 2020,” the professor wrote in his multi-post thread. “Add on to that enormous private market uncertainty — how could you hire in these conditions? — and this is going to be very, very bad.”

The basic idea is that higher unemployment leads to drops in consumer spending, which can slow economic activity and growth, which in turn leads to fewer hires, closing the recession circle.

But there remains some uncertainty when it comes to what Musk’s newfound role as federal spending slasher might mean for the economy. That’s in large part due to the chaos Musk’s so-called Department of Government Efficiency has wrought.

As Rothstein points out, “I worry that [the US Office of Personnel Management] itself doesn’t yet know how many workers were fired. It may be some time before it can report accurately to the [Bureau of Labor Statistics].”

But the ripple effects of major hiring freezes could be “very large,” he argued. “Universities and others are already instituting hiring freezes.”

Where the major job losses will leave the fate of the US economy in the short term remains to be seen. But chances are, it won’t be pretty, even according to Musk himself.

The billionaire said during a campaign stop for Trump just ahead of the election that America would likely be in for some financial “hardship” the exact should he begin trimming the fat, as he saw it.

“We have to reduce spending to live within our means,” Musk said, seemingly using the royal we to refer to the hoi polloi despite being a billionaire himself. “And, you know, that necessarily involves some temporary hardship, but it will ensure long-term prosperity.”

Source : https://futurism.com/economist-elon-musk-recession

Kanye West is back huffing laughing gas again, multiple concerned sources tell The Post.

“When he [West] got back to LA he got dental work again and I think that’s when he relapsed,” a friend said, referencing his return to the city after six months away at the end of January.

The 47-year-old rapper and clothing designer’s recently erratic behavior has worsened by using nitrous oxide – commonly known as laughing gas, an anesthetic.

A second source told The Post West’s nitrous use has been a major pain point in his relationship with wife Bianca Censori.

“The nitrous took over in Los Angeles. After the Grammy party [on Feb. 2], he met people and it kind of escalated to things that he never does anymore when he’s in Japan,” the source claimed, referencing Kanye’s most recent destination before heading back to the US.

A third source told The Post how West uses nitrous oxide as “medication.”

“There is an issue with nitrous and his dentist, and the medication leads to this meltdown. When he comes off the nitrous he’s crazy, he just wants to be able to do anything he wants,” the third source told The Post.

“It’s as if thoughts are coming to him and he speaks his mind. It’s like a cultural Tourettes experience, his entire life is a video game.”

A source who previously worked at Yeezy claimed he is “very easily influenced,” but still made the decision to previously fire an employee “over not wanting to put the swastika on a T-shirt,” referring to West selling a Nazi symbol emblazoned on a T-shirt online last week.

Shopify took down the rapper’s website over the shirt last Tuesday.

The stunt capped a four-day blitz of tweets where he claimed “Hitler was sooooo fresh,” “I’m a Nazi,” said antisemitism is “just some bulls – – t Jewish people made up,” and “Any Jewish person that does business with me needs to know I don’t like or trust any Jewish.”

“His memory is so messed up this point,” the former employee told The Post, explaining that Kanye would forget conversations and even people he worked closely with within a few days span.

“You can kind of just convince [West] of things and he doesn’t really fact check them. You can just say something that is not true, but if you say it with enough conviction at the right time he’ll believe it.”

However, the ex-employee was also clear to add it doesn’t excuse his behavior and “no one forced him to tweet.”

West, who has officially changed his name to Ye, also recently re-enlisted far right radical Milo Yiannopoulos, 40, as his manager after previously firing him last year.

Last August Yiannopoulos accused dentist Thomas Connelly of getting the rapper addicted to nitrous oxide – which is not an illegal substance, although in California it is an offense to buy it “with the intent to inhale” – in a sworn affidavit filed with the California Dental Board.

“Connelly got Ye hooked on nitrous – laughing gas. It is my belief that Connelly sought to diminish Ye’s mental faculties so that Connelly and his business associates could extract millions of dollars from him,” Yiannopoulos claimed in a series of posts on X last August, which included the affidavit.

The Post has reached out to Connelly for comment. It is unknown if he was behind the rapper’s most recent dental work.

A source close to West’s camp declined to comment on his nitrous oxide use.

Meanwhile, reports swirled last Thursday Censori and West are going their separate ways after two years of marriage, but sources feel that is unlikely.

“Ye is a pretty stubborn person. I do believe that he loves her [Censori]. We were doing music dedicated to her as of the last six months. He’s becoming more of a family man it seems. He’s his own person,” a source close to Ye told The Post.

Source : https://nypost.com/2025/02/20/entertainment/kanye-west-relapsed-and-is-inhaling-nitrous-oxide-sources/

“When is the last time the country was able to solve any of its problems?” ambitious congresswoman Alexandra Mullen (Lizzy Caplan) screams at her father and former POTUS George Mullen (Robert De Niro) in Netflix’s just-launched Zero Day.

It is a fair question for the six-episode political thriller, and for America 2025.

Certainly, in a week that has seen a sitting U.S. president parroting Kremlin bullet points while his manic billionaire buddy takes a blowtorch to the federal government, the political thriller created by Eric Newman, Noah Oppenheim and Michael S. Schmidt and starring De Niro, Caplan, Angela Bassett, Joan Allen, Jesse Plemons, Bill Camp, Connie Britton, Dan Stevens, McKinley Belcher III and Matthew Modine, may provide a much needed sugar high of hope — fictional or not. At the same time, ripped right out of the toxic underbelly of modern America as much as the headlines, Zero Day will show it can happen here, non-fiction or not.

Without going into a spoiler-rich chapter and verse of Zero Day, here’s the gist: Out of the chaos of a crippling minute-long cyber attack that exposes the nation’s vulnerabilities and kills more than 3,400, President Evelyn Mitchell (Bassett) tasks revered ex-President Mullen to lead an investigation into what happened, and who was behind it.

That task is strategically easier said than done, with deep divisions in the country, and now the Zero Day Commission having the ability to suspend of the rule of law fuels the already blazing extremists on all sides. Add to that, a cunning House Speaker (Modine), tech overlords, Wall Street power brokers and some White House secrets from Mullen’s single term in office. The show is also full of real-life talking heads including Savannah Guthrie, Wolf Blitzer and Nicolle Wallace, with Fox News and ABC banners popping up frequently to further suspend disbelief at the best and worst times in the Lesli Linka Glatter-directed series.

With all that, Zero Day is at its core not about attacks foreign and domestic. It’s about regrets.

The regrets of a nearly forgotten and sometimes confused old man who reached the height of power, but, like many a Greek myth and Shakespearean tragedy, lost that which was most important to him. The regrets of a nation and a world that is watching in real time as the most powerful nation in history stumbles backwards and downwards. Drawn out over an almost one-month period after the initial attack, the lines between fact and fiction blur pretty fast in Zero Day, just like in our echo chamber America.

Now, for you tea-leaf readers, Zero Day was written and filmed before Kamala Harris ran for President last year and before the Project 2025-juiced Donald Trump was voted back in. For you trivia fans, it’s also De Niro’s first small-screen lead role. Sadly, perhaps much of what the Oscar winner is doing here will be lost in the blowback the unsweetened Trump critic will undoubtedly be subjected to from the MAGA minions and their kingpin in the days to come. Perhaps, but what does De Niro really care? George Mullen is a role the 81-year-old Great American Actor has likely been waiting to play as he goes into the almost sixth decade of his career, and he certainly chews up the screen.

Having said that, while Zero Day is on Netflix, the show is no House of Cards. Yes, Zero Day tries to make your chest rise with patriotic pride at times, and settles a few geopolitical scores, but it’s no West Wing either. There are as many leaps of faith in Zero Day as at an Olympic qualifying meet.

To that, in the short attention span and anecdotal America we live in, just surf the Zero Day wave.

Where you’ll end up at is a very watchable yarn that plays with some big ideas and holds together as a bruised and jaded 21st century version of The American President. In its struggle of the soul, national and personal, with a swig or two of liberal cosplay, Zero Day is maybe even a spiritual sequel to the 1995 Michael Douglas flick. Certainly George Mullen could be Douglas’ Andrew Shepherd 30 years later with a few tweaks here and there and some thick glasses — and that’s just dandy, actually.

Again, not to give anything away among the multitude of twists and turns Zero Day takes, but while De Niro is in almost every scene, damn it is sure great to see Joan Allen back on screen too. Here, as former First Lady and federal bench nominee Sheila Mullen, the three-time Oscar nominee emerges deftly as the series’ secret weapon.

Source : https://deadline.com/2025/02/zero-day-review-robert-de-niro-netflix-1236295639/

Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva on Thursday accused Donald Trump of wanting to “become an emperor of the world”, calling on the US president to respect other countries’ sovereignty.

Post-World War II democracy has been an example of the best governance of the last 70 years, said Lula in an interview with a local radio station, “but the way (Trump) acts, he is trying to become an emperor of the world”.

“He is trying to chime in on all countries and in all public policies,” he added.

Lula’s comments come after Trump lashed out at Ukraine’s leader Volodymyr Zelensky, branding him a “dictator” and blaming him for Russia’s invasion of his country.

Washington has irritated Kyiv by entering into direct talks with Russia in a bid to end the war.

Lula did not give specific examples, but urged Trump to “realize that the sovereignty of each country must be respected.”

Lula, who has not spoken with Trump since he took office in January, reiterated that the United States was an important commercial partner to Brazil and asked for greater gestures of “friendship.”

Source : https://www.barrons.com/news/brazil-s-lula-says-trump-wants-to-be-emperor-of-the-world-498f1c26

The James Bond movie franchise has gotten a shake-up, with Amazon MGM Studios and Michael G. Wilson and Barbara Broccoli forming a new joint venture to house the movie property’s intellectual property rights.

Under the terms of the agreement, Amazon MGM Studios will gain creative control of the James Bond franchise, while Wilson and Broccoli will remain co-owners of the 60-year-old property. In 2022, Amazon acquired MGM, including a vast catalog with more than 4,000 films and 17,000 TV shows.

Since the MGM acquisition, Amazon has held rights to distribute all of the James Bond films, and following completion of the joint venture transaction will control the creative on future productions.

“We are grateful to the late Albert R. Broccoli and Harry Saltzman for bringing James Bond to movie theatres around the world, and to Michael G. Wilson and Barbara Broccoli for their unyielding dedication and their role in continuing the legacy of the franchise that is cherished by legions of fans worldwide. We are honored to continue this treasured heritage, and look forward to ushering in the next phase of the legendary 007 for audiences around the world,” Mike Hopkins, head of Prime Video and Amazon MGM Studios, said in a statement on Thursday.

Wilson added he was stepping back from producing James Bond movies to focus on art and charitable projects. “Therefore, Barbara and I agree, it is time for our trusted partner, Amazon MGM Studios, to lead James Bond into the future,” Wilson said in his own statement.

News of the joint venture comes amid continuing speculation about Bond 26, the next iteration of the 007 franchise, after Daniel Craig hung up the tuxedo for good in 2021’s No Time to Die. Barbara Broccoli echoed that it was time for her to step aside and allow Amazon MGM Studios to take over the creative reins.

Source : https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-news/amazon-mgm-studios-james-bond-franchise-1236141794/

In February 2023, I published an article in The New Republic about Americans, particularly from marginalized communities, who were looking to exit the country amid the rise of gun violence and far-right politics. It had been some time since I’d thought about that piece. But almost exactly one year to the day after it was published, it garnered the attention of HBO’s Real Time With Bill Maher, in which the show’s titular host featured it in a segment that ridiculed the notion of people fretting about their safety in this country, imploring us instead to stay here and make it a better place. Maher took great pains to condescendingly wonder if I knew that being gay is criminalized in dozens of countries—well, duh—and about capital punishment in China. (Unlike, Maher, I actually lived there for three years, so—once again—duh.)

Still, I was more or less flattered by the attention, despite the maladroit purposes to which my original piece was put. But if Maher is reading this, then I’d like to invite him over for a delicious slice of crow pie. Because now that Donald Trump and unelected sidekick Elon Musk are taking a wrecking ball to our country and its democracy, my prediction of two years ago is coming true amid a rise in worrying signs that many people in this country indeed have their eyes on the exits, including those with skill sets we can ill afford to lose.

On February 8, German newsmagazine Der Spiegel reported that the Max Planck Society—one of the world’s top scientific research institutions—is experiencing an uptick in applications from American scientists. Its president said the society regards the U.S. as “a new talent pool” at a time when the Trump administration seeks to cut billions in funding to the National Institutes of Health. There’s a deep historical irony in these recent developments: During the Third Reich, it was the Max Planck Society—then known as the Kaiser Wilhelm Society—that lost its best and brightest to the U.S. and other countries, including Albert Einstein.

A day prior, Irish broadcaster RTÉ reported that Ireland’s Department of Foreign Affairs has seen a 50 percent increase in the number of Americans seeking Irish passports, with some people specifically citing the new administration as a reason. Searches for terms like “dual citizenship” and “jus sanguinis” likewise saw significant spikes on Election Day and Inauguration Day, according to Google Trends. And a representative of Polaron, an Australian company that helps people obtain European citizenship by descent, told me that her firm has also “seen a steep increase in Americans wishing to leave their country, with many more keen to use their EU passport as a plan B.”

Some of the people who worked so hard to establish a new home in the U.S. as refugees are now desperate to get back out: The Guardian reported that Canadian police apprehended more than a dozen people from Venezuela, the Middle East, and Africa trying to cross the border in dangerously cold temperatures without proper clothing, as the Trump administration revoked humanitarian parole for Venezuelans, Haitians, and others, but threw open the door for white South African “refugees.”

These are small statistics and anecdotes. Moreover, most of the initial wave of American emigration will likely feature those with the means to leave—those who possess foreign passports, job opportunities abroad, or lots of disposable income. But this all points in the same direction: With Trump back in office and faithfully executing the blueprint for wrecking the country known as Project 2025 while collaborating with the world’s richest man to trash democracy and wage a war on brain cells in the federal government, a growing number of people in this country see the writing on the wall, and they’re looking for their bug-out plan. According to a Gallup poll released before the election, the 17 percent of Americans who said they wanted to leave the country in 2023 rose to 21 percent in 2024.

One user on TikTok posted a video of herself waiting in the car as her Mexican-American husband applied for dual citizenship at the Mexican consulate in Houston, noting that she plans to as well. “For me, I don’t think it’s going to stop with Mexicans,” she said in the video. “It’s going to keep going on down the list, and at some point, Black folks here in the U.S., we’re going to feel what’s happening—we’re already seeing what’s happening, so I don’t feel exempt.”

That she, her husband and others would want to take such precautions should come as no surprise. As conditions in the U.S. worsen and the country becomes increasingly poorer, increasingly authoritarian, and increasingly violent, there is a good chance that more will consider leaving. It’s not as if the Trump administration has gone out of its way to remind people that all are welcome in his America.

With executive orders, Trump has abolished official recognition of transgender and non-binary people, erasing references to trans people from the official website of the Stonewall National Monument. He has rolled back diversity, equity, and inclusion programs—and even discarded the 60-year-old Executive Order 11246, which bans discrimination based on race and other categories. We’re now careening toward a constitutional crisis as Trump threatens to simply ignore court decisions overturning his executive orders—including a decision that barred Musk and his army of mini-me flunkies from accessing sensitive information on millions of Americans and controlling payment systems at the Treasury Department—a move that would basically end the rule of law.

And as he fired hundreds of Federal Aviation Administration employees weeks after a fatal plane crash in Washington, Trump posted a quote on social media, “He who saves his country does not violate any law”—a quote apocryphally attributed to Napoleon but more recently made famous by Anders Breivik, the Norwegian white supremacist terrorist who murdered 77 people in 2011—in what could be interpreted as a proclamation that he’s above the law, a signal to his followers to commit violence on his behalf, or both.

No less dispiriting has been the cavalcade of mainstream media organizations normalizing the new regime, or the corporations kissing Trump’s ring and doing a 180 on support for DEI and LGBTQ people—not to mention the weak responses from many elected Democrats. It’s things like this that have convinced some people that the shining city on a hill is experiencing severe urban decay.

Brett, a San Diego-based TikTok user who did not disclose his last name, started a channel, Escape the USA, making videos that provide practical advice to Americans hoping to leave the country. While the channel is only a little more than a month old, it already has close to 11,000 followers. Having previously lived in Paris for nearly a year in 2014 following a health scare, he hopes to return to Europe and either find a job or publish his fantasy novel. But he specifically cited the Trump administration as his main reason for wanting to leave and said he began researching how to leave the country after the January 6 Capitol insurrection, and then saving money when Trump announced his candidacy. Now, he sees the potential for history to repeat itself.

“Hitler went after those who were not the same as others: disabled, LGBTQ individuals and clearly Jews,” said Brett, who is also gay and from a Jewish family, in an interview. “[Trump is] already categorizing subsets of individuals. It may not be tomorrow, but it’s definitely bound to happen soon.”

Naturally, descent into full-blown genocidal tyranny is not yet inevitable, particularly as Trump and Musk’s actions have encountered resistance, especially from the courts. And with many Western countries, especially in Europe, experiencing their own problems with far-right politics, the number of safe havens from autocracy is depressingly low, particularly as figures like Musk and Vice President JD Vance openly interfere in German elections by endorsing the far-right Alternative für Deutschland party, as Vance did in a February 14 speech at the Munich Security Conference that left European leaders stunned. Nevertheless, Trump and his cronies have clearly spent their four years out of power carefully studying the authoritarian playbook of leaders like Hungarian autocrat Viktor Orbán. Now, Hungarians are warning us that if we don’t stop Trump, we could suffer their country’s fate. And lest anyone think far-right authoritarians are better at economic management, Hungary is a sign of what’s to come: Their economy is teetering while it hemorrhages people who no longer see a future there for themselves.

I hope we do stop Trump and Musk’s takeover of this country. But we have to be honest and acknowledge that if we fail—and fail we might—it could be a long and difficult time before democracy returns. It took 17 years for that to happen in Chile and 36 years in Spain. The Third Reich lasted “only” 12 years, but Hitler’s spell over Germany didn’t break until after the world’s deadliest war and genocide.

Even if the Democrats retake both houses of Congress and the White House, they will preside over a profoundly broken nation, where Trump distilled centuries’ worth of American poison into a fascist movement that will remain a threat for decades to come, with a best-case scenario being a whiplash cycle every four to eight years of decency and horror.

Obviously, emigrating won’t solve this country’s problems. But many of those problems will take a lot more than an election to solve because they stem from deep structural flaws in our system of government rooted in an antiquated constitution and a political culture contaminated by selfishness, ignorance, cruelty, violence, and authoritarian white, Christian supremacy. This is why it’s seemingly impossible to meaningfully address even serious problems like gun violence, let alone have nice things like universal health care, while other industrialized nations have accomplished both feats and more with little to no fuss. It’s why this country rejected a highly qualified presidential candidate who happened to be a Black woman, in favor of a psychopathic fascist who all but promised to ruin it.

If people wish to stay here and fight for a better country, then all power to them. But it’s also important to understand that many Americans have spent their lives fighting just to exist, and they have now watched 77.2 million fellow citizens spit in their faces by voting for Trump and countless more recklessly enable Trump’s victory by voting third-party, or abstaining from voting altogether. Thus, they may conclude that leaving for the sake of their well-being and sanity is a better choice than struggling in vain to save a country that apparently doesn’t value them from itself.

It’s a very personal choice, whether to stay and fight or go into exile, as New York University historian Ruth Ben-Ghiat illustrated in a January 3 Substack post, after receiving frequent queries from Americans about the possibility of leaving. Most, she wrote, will neither stay and fight nor flee: “You stay put, keep your head down and your criticism of the government private. That way you and your loved ones can minimize any adverse consequences while you ‘wait it out.’” And life in exile is hardly romantic–it’s filled with longing for home and a lot of guilt.

But if people decide it’s better to bug out, that’s really none of Bill Maher’s business, and it’s certainly not his place to scold those who are not straight, white, male multi-millionaires like him. So why get all worked up about it?

The reason it stings some people is because the entire notion of the U.S. being a country people flee from rather than fleeing to turns American exceptionalism on its head. Much like right-wing superpatriots’ reflexive defensiveness when someone points out how far we lag other industrialized nations in areas like health care access or public transportation, it’s a reminder of the hollowness of the refrain that we are “The Greatest Nation in the World”—a pin popping the balloon that is the American ego. Maher inadvertently reinforced this when he correctly pointed out that the U.S. is a nicer place to live than China or Uganda, but had to resort to jokes about bland Dutch food and elderly Italians playing bocce when comparing us to other industrialized democracies. It shows how full of ourselves we remain as a country, even as our political conditions have degraded to the point that some of us see a better life abroad than at home.

Source : https://newrepublic.com/article/191421/trump-emigration-wave-brain-drain

Shares of Walmart Inc. were hit hard Thursday after the retail behemoth provided a disappointing earnings outlook, including a warning for the first year-over-year decline in quarterly profit in three years.

“The company’s guidance assumes a generally stable consumer and continued pressure from its mix of products and formats globally,” Walmart said in a statement.

The downbeat guidance offset beats in profit, sales and same-store sales for the fiscal fourth quarter through January, and a 13% hike to the company’s dividend.

The stock
WMT

-6.53%
dropped 6.5% on Thursday. The selloff came four days after the stock closed at a record high, and was its worst day since it lost 8.1% on Nov. 16, 2023.

The weakness was also weighing on shares of some of Walmart’s rivals, as Costco Wholesale Corp.’s stock
COST

-2.61%
fell 2.6% and Target Corp. shares
TGT

-2.00%
shed 2%, to underperform the S&P 500 index’s
SPX

-0.43%
0.4% decline.

Chief Executive Doug McMillon said on the post-earnings call with analysts that the mix pressure the company has been seeing is from the continued shift in demand toward products that are less profitable (lower margin) — particularly groceries and health and wellness, which includes the pharmacy business — and away from higher-margin general merchandise items.

In the U.S., Chief Financial Officer John David Rainey said, grocery was a “standout” in the latest quarter, with sales growth in the mid-single-digit percentage range, compared with overall comparable sales growth of 4.6%.

For health and wellness, Rainey said growth was even faster, in the mid-teens percentage range, “due largely to GLP-1 sales.” GLP-1 refers to the class of diabetes and obesity drugs that includes Novo Nordisk’s
NVO

+0.41%
Ozempic and Wegovy and Eli Lilly & Co.’s
LLY

+0.70%
Mounjaro and Zepbound.

When asked on the call how President Donald Trump’s tariffs and their potential effects on consumer spending might impact results, Rainey said, according to a FactSet transcript: “We don’t have any explicit assumption in our guidance around tariffs. We feel like we’ll be able to navigate that.”

Walmart said it expects first-quarter adjusted earnings per share of 57 cents to 58 cents, down from 60 cents a year ago and below the FactSet consensus of 64 cents.

That would be the first year-over-year decline in quarterly adjusted EPS since the results for the quarter that ended in April 2022.

For the full year of fiscal 2026, adjusted EPS is projected to be $2.50 to $2.60, which surrounds fiscal 2025 EPS of $2.51 but misses the current FactSet consensus for 2026 of $2.77.

Rainey said the outlook assumes a “relatively stable” economic environment but also acknowledges there are still uncertainties related to consumer behavior and the political landscape.

Also included in the sales-growth outlook were the negative effects of an extra day of sales last year resulting from the leap year and a strengthening of the U.S. dollar, as well as the positive effect of sales from Vizio, whose acquisition was completed on Feb. 20, 2024.

Jefferies analyst Corey Tarlowe said investors shouldn’t be discouraged by Walmart’s outlook, and he recommended buying the stock on the pullback. He believes management is setting 2025 up to be “a year of beats and raises.”

D.A. Davidson’s Michael Baker reiterated his buy rating on the stock, saying investors shouldn’t worry about the outlook given Walmart’s recent history of basically underpromising so it can overdeliver.

“[Walmart] has a recent track record of beating, then guiding the next quarter low, then beating that, and giving initial full-year guidance that ends up being beatable,” Baker wrote in a note to clients. “Thus, we are not overly concerned with the guidance, and to us, the bottom line is that [Walmart’s] business trends remain strong.”

Still, the stock was the Dow Jones Industrial Average’s
DJIA

-1.01%
biggest decliner on the day.

Earnings for the past quarter beat expectations, and the dividend was raised

In the fiscal fourth quarter to Jan. 31, net sales rose 4% to $178.83 billion, while total revenue, which includes membership and other income, increased 4.1% to $180.55 billion. The FactSet consensus was for net sales of $178.71 billion and for total revenue of $180.19 billion.

Walmart’s U.S. sales grew 5% to $123.5 billion, to beat expectations for $122.95 billion. And comparable-store sales, or sales of stores open at least a year, rose 4.6% to beat expectations for a 4.4% rise.

For Walmart’s membership-based warehouse retailer Sam’s Club, comparable sales increased 6.8%, well above expectations for 5% growth, as the number of transactions rose by 5.4% and the average ticket was up 1.3%.

Net income for the quarter slipped to $5.25 billion, or 65 cents a share, from $5.49 billion, or 68 cents a share, in the same period a year ago.

Source :https://www.marketwatch.com/story/walmarts-stock-dives-as-disappointing-outlook-offsets-an-earnings-beat-3215a1e8

U.S. President Donald Trump denounced Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy as a “dictator” on Wednesday and warned he had to move quickly to secure peace or risk losing his country, deepening a feud between the two leaders that has alarmed European officials.
The extraordinary attacks – a day after Trump claimed Ukraine was to blame for Russia’s 2022 invasion – heightened concerns among U.S. allies in Europe that Trump’s approach to ending the Russia-Ukraine conflict could benefit Moscow.

Less than a month into his presidency, Trump has upended U.S. policy on the war, ending a campaign to isolate Russia with a Trump-Putin phone call and talks between senior U.S. and Russian officials that have sidelined Ukraine.
“A Dictator without Elections, Zelenskyy better move fast or he is not going to have a Country left,” Trump wrote on social media, using an alternate spelling for the Ukrainian president’s name.
In response, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha said no one could force his country to give in.

“We will defend our right to exist,” Sybiha said on X.
Later in the day while speaking to investors and executives in Miami, Trump doubled down on his comments, again calling Zelenskiy a “dictator” and suggesting the Ukrainian president wanted to prolong the war to “keep the gravy train going,” a reference to U.S. military aid.
Zelenskiy’s five-year term was supposed to end in 2024, but elections cannot be held under martial law, which Ukraine imposed in February 2022 in response to Russia’s invasion.
Trump’s outburst followed Zelenskiy’s comments on Tuesday that the U.S. president was parroting Russian disinformation when he asserted that Ukraine “should never have started” the war, which began with Russia’s full-scale invasion three years ago.
U.S. Vice President JD Vance on Wednesday warned Zelenskiy against “badmouthing” Trump.

“Everyone who knows the president will tell you that is an atrocious way to deal with this administration,” Vance said in his West Wing office, the Daily Mail reported.
Russia has seized some 20% of Ukraine and is slowly but steadily gaining territory in the east. Moscow said its “special military operation” responded to an existential threat posed by Kyiv’s pursuit of NATO membership. Ukraine and the West call Russia’s action an imperialist land grab.
The Ukrainian leader said Trump’s assertion that his approval rating was just 4% was Russian disinformation and that any attempt to replace him would fail.
“We have evidence that these figures are being discussed between America and Russia. That is, President Trump … unfortunately lives in this disinformation space,” Zelenskiy told Ukrainian TV.
The latest poll from the Kyiv International Institute of Sociology, from early February, found 57% of Ukrainians trust Zelenskiy.
Following Trump’s latest remarks, U.N. spokesperson Stephane Dujarric said Zelenskiy “sits in office after duly-held elections.” When asked who started the war, Dujarric responded that Russia had invaded Ukraine.
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said it was “false and dangerous” for Trump to call Zelenskiy a dictator, German newspaper Spiegel reported.
U.S. security ally Australia, which has provided A$1.5 billion in support to Ukraine in its war with Russia, rejected Trump’s assertions about Ukraine.

Australia’s Defence Minister Richard Marles said “the war in Ukraine must be resolved on Ukraine’s terms, because the aggressor here is Russia”. The country’s opposition leader Peter Dutton said bluntly: “I think President Trump has got it wrong”.
“Australia should stand strong and proud with the people of Ukraine. It’s a democracy, and this is a fight for civilisation. Vladimir Putin is a murderous dictator, and we shouldn’t be giving him an inch,” said Dutton.
A few of Trump’s fellow Republicans in Congress said they disagreed that Zelenskiy was a dictator and that Ukraine bore responsibility for Russia’s invasion. But they stopped short of criticizing Trump directly, with Senate Majority Leader John Thune – a longtime supporter of Ukraine – saying Trump needed “space” to work on a peace deal.

EUROPE LEFT SCRAMBLING

Zelenskiy has suggested giving U.S. companies the right to extract valuable minerals in Ukraine in return for U.S. security guarantees.
He rejected a U.S. proposal last week that would have seen Washington receiving 50% of Ukraine’s critical minerals, including lithium, a key component in electric car batteries. Zelenskiy told reporters on Wednesday that the deal was too focused on U.S. interests, saying “I can’t sell our country.”
Speaking to reporters aboard Air Force One on Wednesday, Trump claimed that Ukraine had “more or less” agreed to the proposal and complained that U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent was treated “rather rudely” while visiting Kyiv. He said he would seek to resurrect the minerals deal.
European officials have been left shocked and flat-footed by the Trump administration’s Ukraine moves in recent days.
At a second meeting of European leaders in Paris, hastily arranged by French President Emmanuel Macron earlier in the day, there were more calls for immediate action to support Ukraine and bolster Europe’s defense capabilities, but few concrete decisions.
Macron and British Prime Minister Keir Starmer will visit Washington next week, according to White House national security adviser Mike Waltz.
Following Trump’s latest attacks, Zelenskiy discussed approaches to a peace settlement with NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte, Macron and Starmer, including the importance of security guarantees.
Starmer expressed support for Zelenskiy as Ukraine’s democratically elected leader, Starmer’s office said on Wednesday.
Keith Kellogg, the U.S. Ukraine envoy, traveled to Kyiv on Wednesday to meet with Zelenskiy and said as he arrived that he understood “the need for security guarantees,” adding that part of his mission would be “to sit and listen.”
The 27-member European Union on Wednesday agreed on a 16th package of sanctions against Russia, including on aluminium and vessels believed to be carrying sanctioned Russian oil.
Trump said he may meet Putin this month. In Moscow, Putin said that Ukraine would not be barred from peace negotiations, but success would depend on raising the level of trust between Moscow and Washington.
Putin, speaking a day after Russia and the U.S. met in Riyadh to hold their first talks on how to end the conflict, also said it would take time to set up a summit with Trump, which both men have said they want.

Source : https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/zelenskiy-says-trump-is-disinformation-bubble-ukraine-2025-02-19/

A $1.4 billion counterfeit luxury market thrives in the United States, with fake designer bags, watches, and accessories sold on street corners from New York to Los Angeles. While most shoppers know these items aren’t authentic, new research reveals surprising insights about who’s most likely to buy them.

Research published in the Journal of the Association for Consumer Research shows that people who know less about fashion and luxury brands are actually more drawn to counterfeit items than those who consider themselves fashion experts. This finding helps explain why the counterfeit market continues to grow despite widespread awareness that buying fake goods is illegal.

The study discovered that when people don’t know much about luxury brands’ history, craftsmanship, and heritage, they’re more likely to convince themselves that buying counterfeits is acceptable. They often justify their purchases by saying the authentic items are overpriced, or that buying fakes doesn’t really harm anyone.

‘Moral disengagement’ drives counterfeit purchases

Led by Ludovica Cesareo, an assistant professor of marketing at Lehigh University, and Silvia Bellezza, an associate professor of business at Columbia University, the study focused on how different levels of fashion knowledge affect people’s attitudes toward counterfeits. The researchers worked with nearly 1,000 participants — including both everyday consumers and members of university fashion clubs — across a series of four studies. They found that fashion expertise dramatically changed how people viewed fake luxury goods.

At the heart of this research is a psychological concept called moral disengagement — the mental gymnastics people use to justify actions they know aren’t entirely right. The researchers found that shoppers with less fashion knowledge were more likely to morally disengage when it came to counterfeit goods. They’d tell themselves things like “I’ll buy the real thing someday” or “Everyone else does it” to make their interest in fakes feel more acceptable.

Cesareo tells StudyFinds Editor-in-Chief Steve Fink that people may be more prone to moral disengagement when it comes to spending money. “People may find it easier to morally disengage in financial transactions because they can rationalize their actions through justifications like affordability, perceived harmlessness, or social norms,” she explains. “Additionally, when products like counterfeits are widely available, consumers may feel a diffusion of responsibility, making it easier to ignore ethical considerations.”

Knowledge is power

This moral disengagement showed up in the study in three main ways. First, people would justify buying counterfeits by pointing to situational factors, like being a student with limited money. Second, they’d spread out the responsibility by saying that since lots of people buy fakes, it couldn’t be that bad. Third, they’d downplay the consequences, convincing themselves that buying counterfeits doesn’t really harm the luxury brands.

Fashion experts, on the other hand, were far less likely to use these mental shortcuts. Their deeper knowledge of the industry made them more aware of how counterfeiting affects everything from brand heritage to worker conditions. They understood that fake goods often fund criminal enterprises and exploit workers in unsafe conditions. This knowledge made it harder for them to morally disengage from the real impacts of counterfeiting.

During one experiment, researchers gave participants a scenario about owning an authentic luxury item and then encountering a counterfeit version being sold on the street. Those with less fashion knowledge often expressed interest in the fake items, reasoning that they could get the same status symbol for a fraction of the price. More knowledgeable participants, however, showed strong negative reactions to the counterfeits, viewing them as cheapening the authentic brand’s value.

The study also revealed interesting patterns in how people talk about luxury brands on social media. Less knowledgeable consumers who encountered counterfeits were actually more likely to post about the authentic brands online. This suggests they might be using social media to validate their connection to luxury brands, even when considering fake versions.

How brands can win the counterfeit war

For luxury brands, these findings point to a new strategy in fighting counterfeits. Instead of focusing solely on legal enforcement or anti-counterfeiting technology, brands might be more successful by targeting consumer knowledge. Local governments should also invest more effort into bringing the reality behind counterfeiting to light.

“Both brands and governments have roles to play,” says Cesareo. “Brands should educate consumers through targeted campaigns that highlight the authenticity and craftsmanship of their products, while governments should strengthen regulations and enforcement against counterfeiting. Public awareness campaigns, such as those run by crime prevention agencies, can also help reduce consumer demand for counterfeit goods.”

Many luxury houses are already moving in this direction, creating museums, exhibitions, and educational programs that showcase their history and expertise.

Louis Vuitton, for example, recently launched a traveling exhibition featuring 200 versions of their iconic trunk, demonstrating the evolution of their craftsmanship over two centuries. Gucci has opened a museum in Florence that traces the brand’s history from its founding as a leather goods shop to its current status as a global fashion powerhouse. These initiatives help consumers understand the value behind authentic luxury goods.

The research suggests this educational approach might be particularly effective with younger consumers who are just beginning to develop their fashion knowledge. By helping them understand the artistry and tradition behind luxury brands, companies might prevent them from viewing counterfeits as acceptable alternatives.

The connection between knowledge and moral reasoning can certainly be applied to to fashion. The researchers suggest that expertise in any field might make people more attuned to ethical issues in that area. Just as fashion experts see the problems with counterfeits more clearly, music aficionados might be more concerned about pirated content, or food experts more troubled by fake ingredients.

As online shopping makes luxury goods more accessible than ever, brands face new challenges in communicating their value to consumers who might never visit a physical store or interact with knowledgeable sales staff. Digital platforms might need to find new ways to convey the heritage and craftsmanship that justify luxury prices.

“We hope consumers can become more aware of their own moral disengagement when purchasing counterfeit goods,” says Cesareo. “Consumers can actively question their justifications for purchasing counterfeits and educate themselves on the negative consequences, such as links to organized crime, poor labor conditions, and economic harm to original brands.”

Source : https://studyfinds.org/why-counterfeit-luxury-goods-appeal-to-consumers/

Ever wondered how much money it would take for someone to quit their job and travel the world? According to new research, the magic number is $287,731. That’s the average amount Americans say they need in the bank before they’d feel comfortable leaving their current life behind to explore the globe.

A nationwide survey by Talker Research on behalf of Travelbinger.com asked 2,000 Americans about what it would take to make their travel dreams a reality. The results show that different generations have very different ideas about the cost of freedom.

Young adults from Generation Z would take the leap for around $211,000, while Baby Boomers want a more substantial cushion of $335,000 before they’d consider trading their current lifestyle for a world of adventure. This difference isn’t too surprising when you consider that older adults often have more financial responsibilities and established careers they’d need to leave behind.

The survey revealed some interesting extremes in people’s attitudes toward travel. About a third of Americans (32%) say they’d need more than $500,000 before they’d even consider such a dramatic life change. On the flip side, some people are ready to embrace adventure on a much tighter budget – one in six Americans (18%) would pack their bags for less than $50,000.

Money isn’t everything, though. The survey found that 17% of Americans wouldn’t leave their current life behind for any amount of money. For these folks, the comforts of home and their established routines matter more than the allure of far-off destinations.

The researchers also asked people how they’d spend a million dollars if they had to use it all on travel. The responses showed that Americans are a generous bunch – the most popular choice (37%) was taking family and friends along for the ride on a dream vacation. Who wouldn’t want to share an amazing experience with their loved ones?

Road trips remain a classic American dream, with 24% saying they’d use their million dollars to explore the U.S. or another country by car. Many would seek out the world’s most famous sights, with 21% wanting to visit landmarks and 19% hoping to explore historical wonders like the Great Pyramids, the Colosseum, and the Taj Mahal.

Some people prefer to take their time and really get to know a place. About 18% said they’d try “slow traveling” – spending months in each location instead of rushing from one tourist spot to the next. The same percentage would rather take frequent weekend trips to new places or work through a travel bucket list filled with adventures like African safaris, Northern Lights viewing, or diving the Great Barrier Reef.

Luxury isn’t off the table either. Many respondents dreamed of high-end experiences, with 17% wanting to splurge on fancy hotels and resorts. But it’s not all about comfort – 12% said they’d use their travel budget to volunteer or give back to the communities they visit.

The survey uncovered plenty of other travel dreams too. Some people want to experience different cultures (11%) or visit every continent (11%). Others would splash out on luxury cruises (13%), private jets (8%), or around-the-world plane tickets (8%). A small group (8%) would use their budget to attend major global events like the Olympics or World Cup.

Not everyone shares these wanderlust dreams, though. A small but notable 4% of people said they’d give back a million-dollar travel budget, saying they have zero interest in exploring the world. This matches up with the earlier finding that some Americans just prefer to stay put, regardless of the financial incentives.

Source : https://studyfinds.org/money-give-up-life-travel-world/

Egyptologists have discovered the first tomb of a pharaoh since Tutankhamun’s was uncovered over a century ago.

King Thutmose II’s tomb was the last undiscovered royal tomb of the 18th Egyptian dynasty.

A British-Egyptian team has located it in the Western Valleys of the Theban Necropolis near the city of Luxor. Researchers had thought the burial chambers of the 18th dynasty pharaohs were more than 2km away, closer to the Valley of the Kings.

The crew found it in an area associated with the resting places of royal women, but when they got into the burial chamber they found it decorated – the sign of a pharaoh.

“Part of the ceiling was still intact: a blue-painted ceiling with yellow stars on it. And blue-painted ceilings with yellow stars are only found in kings’ tombs,” said the field director of the mission Dr Piers Litherland.

He told the BBC’s Newshour programme he felt overwhelmed in the moment.

“The emotion of getting into these things is just one of extraordinary bewilderment because when you come across something you’re not expecting to find, it’s emotionally extremely turbulent really,” he said.

“And when I came out, my wife was waiting outside and the only thing I could do was burst into tears.”

Dr Litherland said the discovery solved the mystery of where the tombs of early 18th dynasty kings are located.

Researchers found Thutmose II’s mummified remains two centuries ago but its original burial site had never been located.

Thutmose II was an ancestor of Tutankhamun, whose reign is believed to have been from about 1493 to 1479 BC. Tutankhamun’s tomb was found by British archaeologists in 1922.

Thutmose II is best known for being the husband of Queen Hatshepsut, regarded as one of Egypt’s greatest pharaohs and one of the few female pharaohs who ruled in her own right.

Dr Litherland said the “large staircase and a very large descending corridor” of the tomb suggested grandeur.

“It took us a very long time to get through all that,” he said, noting it was blocked by flood debris and the ceilings had collapsed.

“It was only after crawling through a 10m (32ft) passageway that had a small 40cm gap at the top that we got into the burial chamber.”

There they discovered the blue ceiling and decorations of scenes from the Amduat, a religious text which was reserved for kings. That was another key sign they had found a king’s tomb, Dr Litherland said.

They set to work clearing the debris – expecting that they would find the crushed remains of a burial underneath.

But “the tomb turned out to be completely empty”, said Dr Litherland. “Not because it was robbed but because it had been deliberately emptied.”

They then worked out that the tomb had been flooded – “it had been built underneath a waterfall” – just a few years after the king’s burial and the contents moved to another location in ancient times.

It was through sifting through tonnes of limestone in the chamber that they found fragments of alabaster jars, which bore the inscriptions of the names of Thutmose II and Hatshepsut.

These fragments of alabaster “had probably broken when the tomb was being moved,” said Dr Litherland.

“And thank goodness they actually did break one or two things because that’s how we found out whose tomb it was.”

The artefacts are the first objects to be found associated with Thutmose II’s burial.

Dr Litherland’s said his team had a rough idea of where the second tomb was, and it could still be intact with treasures.

The discovery of the pharaoh’s tomb caps off more than 12 years of work by the joint team from Dr Litherland’s New Kingdom Research Foundation and Egypt’s Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities.

Source : https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c5ym30v356po

On a cold January afternoon, a young pharmacy student, Shin Jeong-min, waited restlessly outside South Korea’s Constitutional Court, as the country’s suspended president arrived to fight his impeachment.

While Yoon Suk Yeol testified, she chanted along with hundreds of his incensed and worried supporters, who have rallied around him ever since his failed attempt to impose martial law. “Release him now. Cancel his impeachment,” they shouted.

“If the president is impeached and the opposition leader is elected, our country will become one with North Korea and Kim Jong Un,” Jeong-min said, citing a theory popular among President Yoon’s most fanatical followers: that the left-leaning opposition party wants to unify with the North and turn South Korea into a communist country.

At 22 years old, Jeong-min stands out from the legion of elderly Koreans who have always feared and despised the North, and make up the bulk of those who hold these far-right conspiratorial beliefs.

That generation of Koreans, now in its 60s and 70s, lived through the Cold War and remembers bitterly the devastating aftermath of North Korea’s invasion in the 1950s.

When Yoon declared martial law in early December, he played on these fears to justify his power grab.

Without citing evidence, he claimed that “North Korean communist forces” had infiltrated the opposition party and were trying to overthrow the country. They needed to be “eradicated”, he said, as he moved swiftly to ban political activity and put the army in charge.

Two months on from his failed coup, an anti-communist frenzy is gripping Yoon’s supporters, young and old.

Even some who had never given North Korea or communism much thought are now convinced their dynamic democracy is on the brink of being turned into a leftist dictatorship – and that their leader had no choice but to remove people’s democratic rights in order to protect them from both Pyongyang and Beijing.

“This a war between communism and democracy,” said one office worker in his 40s, who had slipped out of work to join the protest at the court.

Another man, in his 30s, adamantly argued the president had to be returned to office as soon as possible. “He’s going to arrest all the North Korean spies,” he said.

Such threats were once very real. During the 1960s and 70s, spies would regularly attempt to infiltrate the government.

In 1968, a group of North Korean commandos crawled across the border and tried to assassinate then President Park Chung-hee. A tree atop Seoul’s Bugak mountain still bears the bullet marks from the intense gun battles that raged for nearly two weeks.

In the 1980s, during the final years of South Korea’s violent military dictatorship, a radical far-left student movement began to praise Pyongyang for its “superior” political system. They were labelled regime “sympathisers”.

It was also common for authoritarian leaders to accuse their political adversaries of being North Korean conspirators.

“Anti-communism became the dominant ideology of South Korea’s military dictators, who used it to control society and justify restricting people’s freedom,” said Shin Jin-wook, a sociology professor at Chungang University.

Today, these threats have dissipated. Pyongyang’s nuclear weapons and advanced cyber-hacking abilities pose the greater risk, and you would struggle to find anyone in South Korea who wants to emulate life in the North. The political left and right are merely divided over how to deal with their troublesome neighbour.

While the approach of Yoon’s conservative People Power Party has been to try to threaten the North into submission with military superiority, the left-leaning Democratic Party prefers to engage with Pyongyang, believing the two countries can peacefully co-exist.

The president has been accused of exploiting people’s historic fears. “Yoon’s rhetoric almost completely matches that of past dictators, and he is the first president to use this anti-communist ideology so blatantly since Korea became a democracy in 1987,” said Mr Shin.

Not only has Yoon accused the parliament, led by the opposition Democratic Party, of being riddled with Pyongyang sympathisers, but he has dangled the idea that North Korea, with help from China, rigged last year’s parliamentary election.

“This is fake news cooked up by Yoon to demonise the opposition and justify his completely undemocratic move,” one Democratic Party lawmaker, Wi Sung-lac, told the BBC.

“We have a long history of fighting for democracy and freedom in Korea. We are the ones who managed to thwart Yoon’s attempt to destroy Korea’s democracy,” he said, referring to the opposition politicians who pushed past troops and climbed over the parliament’s walls during martial law to vote down the motion.

Such ideas were previously pedalled by extreme conservative groups, said Lee Sangsin, a polling expert at the Korea Institute for National Unification.

“These groups were isolated. People didn’t take much notice,” he explained. “But because Yoon is the president, his words carry weight, and many people have accepted what he said.”

This was evident at one of the pro-Yoon weekend rallies we attended last month. Far from being die-hard conspiracy theorists, nearly everyone we spoke to said Yoon had changed their thinking.

“At first I didn’t support Yoon, but martial law opened my eyes,” said Oh Jung-hyuk, a 57-year-old musician, there with his wife. “We can see how deeply embedded leftist forces are in our society.” One woman in her 40s told us she previously had doubts about Chinese vote rigging but had researched the issue after martial law and “realised it was true”.

Yoon’s supporters often point to real events – how the previous Democratic Party President, Moon Jae-in, met Kim Jong Un to try to orchestrate a peace deal; that the current Democratic leader, Lee Jae-myung, is being investigated for helping to send millions of dollars to North Korea – then use these as evidence of a greater plot.

“This far-fetched conspiracy theory that China rigged the election is becoming more and more accepted,” said the sociology professor Mr Shin. “One of the most basic consensuses in a democracy is the premise of fair and free elections, and now we have people distrusting that. This is very extreme.”

As Yoon’s unsubstantiated claims have taken root, his support seems to have grown. Although the majority of people in South Korea still want him permanently removed from office, the number has fallen. Last week it stood at 57%, compared to 75% in the week after the martial law declaration.

Through his anti-communist rhetoric, Yoon has also effectively tapped into a simmering distrust of China. To fear North Korea now means to be wary of China too.

At a recent weekend rally in Seoul, many supporters had swapped their trademark “Stop the Steal” election fraud placards for ones that read “Chinese Communist Party OUT”.

“I believe China is interfering in all South Korea’s political affairs. It’s pulling the strings behind the scenes,” said 66-year-old Jo Yeon-deok, who was holding one of the signs.

According to the polling expert, Mr Lee, “a growing portion of the public now believes China wants to turn South Korea into some kind of vassal state”.

For those in their 20s and 30s who have never experienced real danger from North Korea, China is a more believable threat. Last year the Pew Research Centre found that South Korea and Hungary were the only two countries where the young had a more negative view of China than the old.

But contrary to the information they are being fed, young people’s fears have nothing to do with communism, said Cho Jin-man, a political scientist at Duksung Women’s University.

Until recently South Koreans felt their country was superior to China, Mr Cho explained – but as Beijing has become stronger and more assertive they have started to see it as a threat, especially since the US started treating it as such.

On top of that, young people have a lot of grievances: they’re struggling to find work or afford a home, and feel resentful when they see their universities catering to Chinese students.

Communism, Mr Cho believes, is being used as a convenient catch-all bogeyman to stir up fear and hate. This message is amplified by far-right YouTube channels, particularly popular with young men.

“North Korea and China are my biggest concerns,” said Kim Gyung-joo, a 30-year-old IT developer, who came alone to one of the rallies. He used to be left-wing like his friends, he said, and was initially very critical of the president’s martial law order. But after researching the issue on YouTube he realised martial law was “unavoidable”.

Source : https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c1lv3g51n9yo

Last spring, when tens of thousands of Georgians were protesting against what they saw as a clear sign of Russian influence on the country’s politics, Georgia’s parliament rushed through amendments to the nation’s tax code.

Transparency International (TI) Georgia, the anti-corruption watchdog, wrote at the time that the change – which allows tax-free transfer of assets from offshore accounts to Georgia – may have been introduced to serve the interests of the country’s richest person and former prime minister, Bidzina Ivanishvili.

He is the founder and honorary chairman of the country’s ruling party, Georgian Dream.

“Now it is clear, those changes were made for him,” says senior economics analyst at TI Georgia, Beso Namchavadze.

With an estimated wealth of $4.9bn (£3.9bn), Mr Ivanishvili made his money in 1990s Russia, in computing, metals and banking. Most of his wealth is believed to be tucked away in offshore companies.

Georgia was plunged into political crisis and daily street protests last May when the country’s MPs passed the contentious “transparency on foreign influence bill”, often dubbed the “foreign agents law”.

Under this legislation, media and non-governmental organisations that receive more than 20% of their funding from abroad have to register as “organisations acting in the interest of a foreign power”, submit themselves to stringent audits, or face punitive fines. It was widely seen as a move to prevent US and other Western influence on the country.

Protests then continued when the Georgian Dream-led government won disputed parliamentary elections in October. Protests were spurred again at the start of December when it said it would be putting EU accession talks on hold.

Hundreds of peaceful protests were arrested and severely beaten up by the police.

In response to this crackdown, the US government announced sanctions against Mr Ivanishvili at the end of last year.

There is also the possibility of sanctions from the UK. Last month James MacClearly, a Liberal Democrat MP, introduced an Early Day Motion in the UK parliament calling on the government to impose sanctions on Mr Ivanishvili.

The motion expressed “deep concern at the suspension of Georgia’s EU accession process and the increasing use of excessive force against peaceful protesters”.

TI Georgia estimates that if the UK imposed sanctions on Mr Ivanishvili his entire business empire would be affected, because he has holding companies registered in two British Overseas Territories – British Virgin Islands and Cayman Islands.

“All his big business, which he has in Georgia, in the hospitality sector, in the energy sector, all the parent companies of these Georgian companies, the last beneficiaries are registered in these so-called offshore territories,” says Beso Namchavadze.

He adds that TI Georgia believes that Mr Ivanishvili and other family members are continuing to transfer ownership of companies they previously controlled through offshore entities to newly established firms in Georgia.

In January of this year, paintings and other artwork worth nearly $500m were imported into Georgia, according to data published by the Ministry of Finance.

Many believe the artwork was from Mr Ivanishvili’s valuable collection.

“For everybody who knows him it’s pretty clear that this is something that he values the most out of all the assets, and all the wealth, that he has,” says Tina Khidasheli, Georgia’s ex-defence minister and the head of the non-governmental organisation Civic Idea.

“He is going to bring paintings back and he does not want to pay tax on it.”

The head of Georgia’s parliamentary committee on finance and budget, Paata Kvijinadze, recently defended the tax-free transfer of assets from offshore accounts to Georgia.

“If anyone benefited from this law, I am happy about it,” he said in a post on social media. “This is exactly what the law was meant to be: to bring companies from offshore zones and attract more investments into the country”.

In response to the proposed UK sanctions, Georgia’s ruling party issued a statement defending Mr Ivanishvili, saying that a threat of sanctions was “without any foundation” against the party founder who brought “democratic breakthrough to the country”.

Separately, Mr Ivanishvili’s lawyer announced last month that his client is suing Swiss bank Julius Baer for, among other reasons, misinterpreting “the so-called” American sanctions, which the lawyer described as “political blackmail”.

The US sanctions on Mr Ivanishvili call for his assets to be frozen, and place restrictions on US citizens and companies from doing business personally with him, but they do not affect his companies or family members.

For more than a decade Mr Ivanishvili has been involved in legal battles with another Swiss bank, Credit Suisse, over fraud and mismanagement of his money.

Some believe that the billionaire’s mistrust of the West and increased use of conspiracy theories at home, such as accusing adversaries of being part of the “global war party”, or “deep state”, originate in his long-standing financial grievances.

Ever since he became convinced that Credit Suisse was part of a grand conspiracy against him, says Tina Khdasheli. “Bidzina Ivanishvili held Georgia hostage to his personal financial issues.”

Experts say that even though Mr Ivanishvili’s current official position is the honorary chairman of the ruling party, there is a clear understanding that he remains the number one person in Georgian politics. Sanctions against him are therefore seen as sanctions against the entire government.

Nika Gilauri was prime minister of Georgia from 2009 to 2012. He now leads a private company called Reformatics, which advises governments around the world on economic reform.

Mr Gilauri says that Georgia’s continuing political instability and international isolation is negatively impacting the economy. “We are seeing a very negative effect on FDI, foreign direct investment, if you take nine months of 2024 compared to nine months of 2023, we have a 40% drop. So going forward this is going to continue to get worse.”

But the Georgian government paints a different picture.

Last month Georgia’s Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze signed a $6bn inward investment agreement with UAE property group Emaar.

Levan Davitashvili, the Minister of Economy described it as the “largest foreign investment deal” in decades, which was expected to contribute 1.5% growth to the economy.

Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze has even suggested that 10% growth was now “absolutely realistic” for the Georgian economy.

But recently published research by Policy and Management Consulting Group (PMCG), a Georgian research firm, said that the prospect for the next six months was “extremely negative”.

It highlighted the impact of the continuing political turmoil, and said that the suspension of EU membership talks “was negatively viewed by all surveyed economists”.

Source : https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cj91xgylkwlo

Actress Kim Sae-ron’s death in an apparent suicide has renewed criticism of South Korea’s entertainment industry, which churns out stars but also subjects them to immense pressure and scrutiny.

Kim – who was found dead aged 24 at her home in Seoul on Sunday – had been bombarded with negative press coverage and hate online after a drink-driving conviction in 2022. Police have not provided further details about her death.

Experts found the circumstances leading to it depressingly familiar. Other celebrities also ended up taking their lives after careers upended by cyberbullying.

As Kim was laid to rest on Wednesday, analysts say they are not optimistic her death will lead to meaningful change.

South Korea’s entertainment industry is enjoying massive popularity. Today, there are more than an estimated 220 million fans of Korean entertainment around the world – that’s four times the population of South Korea.

But there is also increasing spotlight on the less glamorous side of the entertainment industry.

South Korea is known for its hyper-competitive culture in most spheres of life – from education to careers. It has one of the highest suicide rates among developed countries. While its overall suicide rate is falling, deaths of those in their 20s are rising.

This pressure is heightened in the case of celebrities. They face immense pressure to be perfect, and are subjected to the demands of obsessive “super fans” who can make or break careers.

That is why even the slightest perceived misstep can be career ending. Kim Sae-ron became so unpopular, scenes featuring her were edited out of shows such as Netflix’s 2023 drama Bloodhounds.

“It is not enough that the celebrities be punished by the law. They become targets of relentless criticism,” Korean culture critic Kim Hern-sik told the BBC.

He referred to K-pop artists Sulli and Goo Hara, who died by suicide in 2019 after long battles with internet trolls, even though they did not have known brushes with the law.

Sulli had offended fans for not conforming to the K-pop mould, while an internet mob had targeted Goo Hara over her relationship with an ex-boyfriend.

Trials are under way to see if “comedy on prescription” can help improve people’s mental health and reduce NHS costs by being an alternative to antidepressants.

Craic Health has secured funding for a scheme which uses stand-up shows and workshops to help people who are isolated, lonely and vulnerable.

Its project is aimed at helping the government work with the comedy industry, communities and organisations on comedy-based social prescriptions, in the hope the health service can use them more widely.

The work is being supported by Stroud MP Dr Simon Opher, who helped pioneer social prescriptions in Gloucestershire.

Speaking in parliament, he has warned of “the pandemic of over-prescription” and outlined how “making people laugh can avoid the need for medication” in parliament.

He said: “I’ve particularly specialised in using the arts to make people better so that could be poetry, visual arts or sometimes even drama, and I’ve also used things like gardening, I’ve prescribed allotments to people and that sort of thing.

“But this is the first time that we’ve tried comedy and that’s what’s exciting about this.”

A total of 8.7 million people in England took antidepressants in 2023/24, according to NHS figures – an increase of 2.1% compared to the previous year.

The drugs should not be routinely offered as the first treatment for less severe depression unless it is the person’s preference, National Institute for Health and Care Excellence guidelines state.

“One in five adults are on antidepressants and that’s partly because there’s no other treatment really often available,” Dr Opher said.

Craic founder Lu Jackson said comedy is a “cortisol decreaser, dopamine producer, potent releaser of serotonin, endorphins and good neuropeptides”.

Source : https://news.sky.com/story/comedy-on-prescription-trials-start-to-see-if-stand-up-can-be-an-anti-depressants-alternative-13312989

The father of a British journalist who is missing in Brazil has said her disappearance is “very worrying” and he is “very concerned”.

Derek Peet told Sky News his daughter Charlotte Alice Peet, 32, flew to the South American country, where she had worked as a freelance correspondent, without telling her family.

“I wouldn’t say that it was normal, there was something on her mind obviously otherwise she would have let us know,” he said.

Ms Peet told a friend she was in Sao Paulo on 8 February but was planning to go to Rio de Janeiro before she disappeared.

Days later her family contacted the friend saying they had lost contact with the journalist and her mother reported her missing to police.

“She was then traced to Gatwick Airport and was found to have boarded a plane to Sao Paulo and then the trail went cold,” said Mr Peet.

“It’s very worrying but I don’t have any more to say, I’m very concerned but I just don’t know what’s going on, we’re just trying to pick up the pieces really.”

Ms Peet has worked as a foreign correspondent in Brazil, for organisations including broadcaster Al Jazeera and The Times newspaper, according to her LinkedIn profile.

The ACIE, the association of foreign press correspondents in Brazil, has issued a statement expressing concern about her disappearance, and to express sympathy for her family and friends.

It said the case was initially registered with police in Rio on Monday but referred to Sao Paulo, the last place she was known to have been before disappearing.

The Sao Paulo Public Security Secretariat said that the state department of homicide and protection of the person would assist in the case, according to the statement.

Charlotte worked in Rio more than two years ago as a freelance correspondent, then went back to London before returning to Brazil in November last year.

She is said to have contacted a friend in Rio on WhatsApp saying she needed a place to stay but was told the friend could not host her.

Ms Peet’s family have provided information about her flight to Brazil and a photo of her passport to help with the search.

Source : https://news.sky.com/story/very-worrying-female-british-journalist-32-missing-in-brazil-13312420

An 11-year-old girl in Texas died by suicide after allegedly being bullied by her classmates over her family’s immigration status—who reportedly went so far as to threaten to call the authorities on her parents.

Jocelynn Rojo Carranza, who played the French Horn, loved to swim, and enjoyed Friday movie nights with her family, died in hospital at the Medical City of Dallas on Feb. 8 according to an online obituary. Her mother, Marbella Carranza, found her unresponsive in their home in Gainesville, Texas five days prior.

“All week I’ve been waiting for a miracle; waiting for my daughter to get better,” Marbella told CNN affiliate KUVN. “But unfortunately there was nothing that could be done.” Jocelynn’s funeral was held Wednesday morning.

A student of Gainesville Intermediate School, Jocelynn was allegedly bullied by her classmates who said “they were going to call immigration so they could take her parents away and she would be left alone,” according to her mother. She did not comment on the family’s immigration status during her interview with KUVN.

“It appears the school was aware of it all, but they never, they never told me what was happening with my daughter,” Marbella continued, noting that she learned Jocelynn was attending counseling sessions at the school after investigators informed her. “It appears she would go once or twice a week to counseling to report what was happening.”

“[I want] justice because it’s not fair,” she added. “The school was negligent for not keeping me informed of what was going on with my daughter.”

Gainesville Intermediate School did not immediately respond to the Daily Beast’s request for comment.

The Gainesville Independent School District Police is currently investigating the bullying allegations, according to CNN.

The area’s Independent School District also told the outlet in a statement: “Whenever we receive a report of bullying, we respond swiftly to ensure all students are safe physically and emotionally. While we cannot release any information about specific students or incidents, our schools have several policies in place to combat bullying and resolve conflicts.”

Source : https://www.thedailybeast.com/11-year-old-girl-dies-by-suicide-after-bullies-threaten-to-call-ice-on-family/

Volodymyr Zelensky is a “cornered rat”, according to one of Vladimir Putin’s closest allies, ex-Russian President Dmitry Medvedev.

After Donald Trump turned against the Kyiv president, the Ukrainian leader could set off a nuclear dirty bomb, baselessly claimed Medvedev, who is now a top Kremlin security official.

His rant came as Russian propaganda went into overdrive capitalising on links between Trump and Putin by demanding a “military coalition” of Washington and Moscow to “divide Europe to hell”.

Gloating Medvedev’s onslaught on Zelensky suggests that Putin believes he is on the brink of winning the war – or at least major Ukrainian concessions – and that the Ukrainian leader is floundering.

“The rat is cornered,” he said. “Its behaviour can be completely unpredictable. It scurries around, squeaks frantically and, as a rule, in such cases, eventually rushes into a counterattack.

“Therefore, any provocation can be expected from a shaking rodent with running eyes in order to disrupt the settlement and to continue the war to the last Ukrainian.

“He urgently needs to turn the tables…and for this purpose all means are good. Up to strikes on their cities, on their civilian population or even the use of weapons of mass destruction like ‘dirty bomb’.”

Medvedev, Kremlin president from 2008-2012, who heads the Putin-obedient United Russia party and is deputy head of the powerful security council, called Zelensky a “puppet pretending to be the president of a disintegrated country” who is now “in an extremely unpleasant situation”.

His main patron – the US – is “really angry with him, which is to be expected after being bitten by the rabid Kyiv critter”.

Trump wants to know what happened to the “plundered” American money, said Medvedev, and was demanding compensation in the form of rare metals.

Separately, leading Putin TV propagandist Vladimir Solovyov has switched from loathing to loving America after witnessing the Trump administration’s handling of attempts to end the war, which include brushing aside Europe.

He told his viewers across 11 time zones on Russian state TV: “Why not create a military coalition of Russia and America and divide Europe to hell?

“Well, who needs it? It’s possible – I think it’s a great idea, right?

Source : https://www.the-express.com/news/world-news/164106/putin-believes-winning-war-ukraine-trump-us

Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin’s peace talks send a chilling ripple of déjà vu, a historian has warned, sending Europe “back to 1938”.

A top history expert has accused the two leaders of “land grabbing”, with events in recent days bearing a chilling echo of when dictators Hitler and Mussolini signed away territory which the UK and France agreed to as to not exacerbate tensions. The US and Russia leaders have already appeared to have charged ahead with Ukraine peace talks, effectively locking out Kyiv and other European leaders.

The Trump administration has said the UK and Europe would not play a part in any negotiations as they looked set to plough ahead with talks in Riyadh this week, prompting fierce criticism and concerns. Prime Minister Keir Starmer is set to visit Washington DC next week after urging America to provide a “backstop” to any settlement brokered between Kyiv and Moscow. On Tuesday, Mr Trump said the US does not “need” to deploy peacekeeping troops and suggested Ukraine “should never have started” the war.

A British historian has already issued an urgent warning about history repeating itself, and has also likened the current situation to Hitler and Mussolini’s “land-grabbing” of the Sudetenland territory in September 1938. Professor Anthony Glees is an expert in European affairs and security who has previously spoken far and wide about the lessons taught by Hitler’s dictatorship.

He told The Mirror: “I believe most sensible people the length and breadth of Europe are viewing these preparatory talks with a foreboding not experienced since 1938 when the UK & France met Hitler and Mussolini at Munich to sign away lands belonging to free Czechoslovakia to try to appease the fascist dictators. It was sold as ‘peace with honour’ and a ‘peace in our time’.

“But within months Hitler swallowed all of Czechoslovakia and within a year Europe was at war and millions died. Even Neville Chamberlain doubted his own deal because he began rapid rearmament programmes on his return to the UK.”

Prof Glees added: “That’s the picture Europe has before its eyes right now. A small but brave free democracy fighting for its life is forced to be a bystander as its sovereignty is destroyed by Trump and Putin, both land grabbers, both megalomaniacs, brothers in bullying others.

“It’s outrageous that Trump has humiliated Zelensky in the past and now, literally, tramples over him. Whilst we know Putin is fully aware of the history of the last century, Trump, Hegseth and JD Vance are either clueless about what happens when free nations are sacrificed to war lords or (more likely) they couldn’t care less.”

Source : https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/world-news/land-grabbers-donald-trump-vladimir-34706009

NATO members continued their largest combat exercises of 2025 on Wednesday, testing their ability to rapidly deploy large-scale forces on the 32-nation alliance’s eastern border as worries grow over its most powerful member, the United States.

The drills in Romania, which borders Ukraine, come as a shaken Europe grapples with a new U.S. course under President Donald Trump. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has demanded that allies dramatically ramp up military spending and said U.S. security priorities lie elsewhere — casting doubts on Washington’s longstanding security guarantees provided to Europe.

Days before the third anniversary of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, the Steadfast Dart 2025 drills comprise about 10,000 military personnel from nine nations as part of NATO’s new Allied Reaction Force. They are taking place over six weeks in Romania, Bulgaria and Greece.

Although the Trump administration has not announced plans to pull U.S. forces from the region, Hegseth’s remark that “European allies must lead from the front” left NATO partners contemplating a potential new reality in which the U.S. is no longer the powerful, nuclear-armed backstop for the continent’s security.

Radu Tudor, a defense analyst in Bucharest, said a U.S. rollback of its military presence in Romania would be “a gift” to Russian President Vladimir Putin.

“The whole eastern flank of NATO (would) become weaker in front of Russia’s aggressive behavior,” he said, adding that it would push Romania to ask NATO allies to contribute troops and weapons to plug the gap left by several thousand American troops.

Adm. Stuart B. Munsch, commander of the Allied Joint Force Command, said threats to NATO “have become increasingly complex and unpredictable” over the past decade.

“To address this complex security environment, NATO has undergone a significant war-fighting transformation. We have taken our defensive plans from concept to reality,” Munsch told reporters at the training base on Wednesday. “This exercise … represents the culmination of our efforts and the beginning of our new force that will defend every inch of alliance territory.”

European allies have also expressed concern over being sidelined from talks between Washington and Moscow’s top diplomats on Tuesday in Saudi Arabia on working towards ending the war in Ukraine.

The fast-moving developments prompted France’s president to convene select EU countries and the U.K. for talks this week in Paris.

NATO has bolstered Europe’s eastern flank

Wednesday’s combat exercises in Romania saw live-fire training and trench warfare drills. Greek and Spanish marines led exercises last week in Greece, including a mock amphibious assault.

NATO’s new Allied Reaction Force, established last July, is designed to deploy at scale within 10 days and combines conventional forces with cyber and space-based technologies. Britain leads the operation with 2,600 military personnel and 730 vehicles.

The drills also include Romania, Bulgaria, France, Greece, Italy, Slovenia, Spain and Turkey and involve 1,500 military vehicles, more than 20 aircraft and more than a dozen naval assets.

Source : https://apnews.com/article/romania-nato-europe-russia-ukraine-us-f192b88b03f56d81fed0770fca445ba9

Two single-engine fixed-wing planes collided midair at the Marana Regional Airport Wednesday morning around 8:30 a.m., according to the Town of Marana. A press release from the town says four people total were on the two planes.

Two people in a Lancair 3600 were killed in the crash. The two in a Cessna 172 were uninjured, according to the town of Marana. KGUN 9 was on-scene following the story throughout the day.

The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) and FAA are investigating.

KGUN 9’s Craig Smith provides insight into the type of plane involved in the crash, and the investigation that will take place:

New York City health officials ruled out a health scare after two patients were rushed to a Manhattan facility suspected of having Ebola.

Two patients were rushed to a Manhattan CityMD urgent care facility around 11:15 a.m. on Sunday. Reports circulated that one of the patients was potentially exposed to Ebola, a highly infectious disease, according to the New York Fire Department.

The Ebola scare comes after health officials warn of a “quad-demic” ravaging the country this winter in addition to the continual spread of the bird flu, which has impacted poultry and cattle farms and contributed to rising egg costs.

The two suspected ebola patients were transported to a hospital by first responders in hazmat suits, prompting fears among locals.

However, New York City’s health department officials concluded after conducting tests that neither patient had or was exposed to the Ebola virus.

NYC Health Department Acting Commissioner Dr. Michelle Morse addressed the incident in a statement released Sunday afternoon.

“The two patients that sought services at CityMD on February 16 at 153 East 125th Street do not have Ebola,” she wrote.

“Neither patient had exposure to Ebola or other factors that would indicate risk.

Source : https://www.the-express.com/news/health/163861/ebola-norovirus-nyc-cases

Brazil’s prosecutor-general on Tuesday formally charged former President Jair Bolsonaro with attempting a coup to stay in office after his 2022 election defeat, in a plot that included a plan to poison his successor and current President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva and kill a Supreme Court judge.

Prosecutor-General Paulo Gonet alleges that Bolsonaro and 33 others participated in a plan to remain in power. The alleged plot, he wrote, included a plan to poison Lula and shoot dead Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes, a foe of the former president.

“The members of the criminal organization structured a plan at the presidential palace to attack institutions, aiming to bring down the system of the powers and the democratic order, which received the sinister name of ‘Green and Yellow Dagger,’” Gonet wrote in a 272-page indictment. “The plan was conceived and taken to the knowledge of the president, and he agreed to it.”

Bolsonaro is often seen in Brazil’s yellow-and-green national soccer jersey and the colors have become associated with his political movement.

Bolsonaro’s defense team said it met the accusations with “dismay and indignation,” adding in a statement that the former “President has never agreed to any movement aimed at deconstructing the democratic rule of law or the institutions that underpin it.”

Bolsonaro’s son, Flávio Bolsonaro, who is a senator, said on the social platform X that the indictment was “empty” and there was no evidence of wrongdoing. He accused the Prosecutor-General’s Office of serving “the nefarious interests of Lula.”

In November, Brazil’s Federal Police filed a 884-page report with Gonet detailing the scheme. They allege a systematic effort to sow distrust in the electoral system, drafting a decree to provide legal cover for the plot, pressuring top military brass to go along with the plan and inciting a riot in the capital.

In the indictment, Gonet described the alleged crimes as part of a chain of events articulated with an overarching objective of stopping Bolsonaro from leaving office, “contrary to the result of the popular will at the polls.”

The Supreme Court will analyze the charges and, if accepted, Bolsonaro will stand trial.

The far-right leader denies wrongdoing. “I have no concerns about the accusations, zero,” Bolsonaro told journalists earlier on Tuesday during a visit to the Senate in Brasilia.

“Have you seen the coup decree, by any chance? You haven’t. Neither have I,” he added.

As well as participating in a coup d’état, the 34 defendants are accused of participating in an armed criminal organization, attempted violent abolition of the democratic rule of law, damage qualified by violence and serious threat against the state’s assets, and deterioration of listed heritage, according to a statement from the Prosecutor General’s press office.

Gonet said the criminal organization he charged “had as leaders the (then) president himself and his running mate, Gen. Braga Netto.”

“Both accepted, stimulated, and performed acts that are described in our criminal legislation as attacking the existence and the Independence of (the branches) of power and of the democratic rule,” Gonet wrote in his report.

The crimes have varying penalties. If Bolsonaro is convicted of attempting a coup and the violent abolition of the democratic rule of law, he could be sentenced to up to 20 years in prison, according to the country’s criminal code.

The indictments, based on manuscripts, digital files, spreadsheets, and message exchanges, expose a scheme to disrupt democratic order, according to the prosecutor-general’s office.

The charges are “historic,” said Luis Henrique Machado, a criminal attorney and professor at the IDP university in Brasilia, adding that he expects the Supreme Court to accept the charges and put Bolsonaro on trial sometime before the end of next year.

“The charges show Brazil’s institutions are robust, independent and agile,” Machado said. “They are a role model for other countries where democracy is at risk.”

Source : https://apnews.com/article/bolsonaro-charges-formal-accusations-1751e6b6060ccfcc92d0e6d453650e0d

Lois Shafier dropped her mobile phone into a deposit box, happy in the knowledge that for the next two hours she would be completely offline. No pings, beeps or distractions.

“I’m bad at switching off. I have a proper addiction to my phone,” she told AFP, as she headed into an evening out organised by the “Offline Club” in London.

Tickets were snatched up when they went on sale for the two-hour “digital detox” night, with more than 150 young adults aged mostly between 20 and 35 eager to ditch their screens for an IRL evening — meeting up in real life.

They each paid £9.50 ($11.97) for the chance to switch off their phones and make in-person human connections.

“We are the technology generation, but we’re tired of it. We want to reconnect with the real world,” said Bianca Bolum.

The 25-year-old jeweller had come on her own and was hoping to meet new people.

According to the UK’s telecoms regulator Ofcom, young Brits aged between 25 and 34 spend an average of four hours and three minutes a day glued to their smartphones.

But Liliann Delacruz, 22, said she spent about 10 hours a day texting with her family and friends, surfing the net and checking her socials.

The evening was a chance to “get outside my bubble.”

Scattered around the room in a local London church were tables stacked with board games, as an excited hum echoed around the walls.

Engineer Harry Stead, 25, said he found leaving his phone at the door “freeing”.

“I don’t realise the addiction and then too often I feel the urge to look at my phone and scroll,” he told AFP, adding he suffered from “FOMO” (“Fear of missing out”).

Shafier, 35, had come with a friend and they sat chatting together as they sewed.

If she had been at home, her phone would have been next to her. “I hate I use my phone so much. I’m angry at myself,” she said.

As soon as the evening was over though, she switched her phone back on, scanning her screen.

Ironically the participants found out about the club via social media, often Instagram posts.

Organiser Ben Hounsell, 23, said he was not against technology or calling for everyone to get rid of their phones.

“A lot of people are realising that just getting away from your phone for a few hours can be super beneficial in a number of ways,” he said.

Since the club launched at the end of October, more than 2,000 people have taken part.

“It’s really just growing super rapidly in London. Every event seems to sell out instantly,” he said.

The club has also opened branches in Paris, Barcelona and Dubai. The first Offline Club was launched in Amsterdam by Ilya Kneppelhout and two friends.

“The loneliness epidemic and the mental health epidemics are on the rise. So people really seek connection, genuine connection with others away from screens,” said Kneppelhout.

“A lot of us have social media and phone addictions because we’re using it even though we don’t want to… and we’re using it even though we know it doesn’t make us feel better.”

Kneppelhout has been inspired by book clubs such as Reading Rhythms in New York or the Silent Book Club where people gather to read together.

Those seeking a longer detox can even join retreats in several countries lasting days.

Some influencers, ever present on social media, are leading the way. French woman Lena Mahfouf announced to her millions of followers in November that she was taking a month-long break.

Venetia La Manna, an online activist for sustainable fashion, disconnects from her phone every weekend, and lets her followers know with the hashtag #offline48.

“I’m able to be more present with my loved ones, I sleep better, I have more time to be creative, to be in nature and to be with my community.”

For most people, “the real issue isn’t necessarily harm to mental health; it’s missed opportunities. What didn’t you do because you were scrolling?” said Anna Cox, a professor of human-computer interaction at University College London.

Source : https://www.barrons.com/news/digital-detox-young-adults-flock-to-london-offline-nights-195a3751

U.S. President Donald Trump’s administration said on Tuesday it had agreed to hold more talks with Russia on ending the war in Ukraine after an initial meeting that excluded Kyiv, a departure from Washington’s previous approach that rallied U.S. allies to isolate Russian President Vladimir Putin.
As the 4-1/2-hour meeting in the Saudi capital was underway, Russia hardened its demands, notably insisting it would not tolerate the NATO alliance granting membership to Ukraine.

Later on Tuesday, Trump said he was more confident after the talks and he would probably meet with Putin before the end of the month.
“Russia wants to do something,” Trump told reporters in Palm Beach, Florida. He brushed aside Ukraine’s concern about being left out of the meeting and said Kyiv should have entered talks much earlier.
“I think I have the power to end this war,” said Trump.
The talks in Riyadh were the first time U.S. and Russian officials met to discuss ways to halt the deadliest conflict in Europe since World War Two. Ukraine has said it will not accept any deal imposed without its consent, and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz reiterated “there must be no decision over the heads of Ukraine.”

Even before the talks took place, some European politicians accused Trump’s administration of handing free concessions to Moscow last week by ruling out NATO membership for Ukraine and saying it was an illusion for Kyiv to believe it could win back the 20% of its territory now under Russian control.
U.S. National Security Adviser Mike Waltz told reporters in Riyadh that the war must come to a permanent end, and this would involve negotiations over territory.
“Just a practical reality is that there is going to be some discussion of territory and there’s going to be discussion of security guarantees,” he said.
High-level teams would begin talks on ending the conflict and would separately work to restore the countries’ respective diplomatic missions in Washington and Moscow to ease the talks going forward, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said.

Rubio said he came away from the initial talks convinced that Russia was “willing to begin to engage in a serious process” but that reaching peace would involve concessions from all sides.

RUSSIA OFFERS NO CONCESSIONS

Russian officials did not mention offering any concessions and U.S. officials did not claim to have scored any in Tuesday’s meeting, leading observers to doubt whether the talks would turn into serious peace negotiations.
Addressing Ukrainian and European concerns, Rubio said no one was being sidelined and any solution must be acceptable to all parties.
Rubio later spoke to the top diplomats of France, Germany, Italy, Britain and the EU to brief them on the talks, State Department spokesperson Tammy Bruce said.

Both sides said no date had been set for a meeting between Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin, which both men say they want.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said he had postponed a visit to Saudi Arabia planned for Wednesday until next month. Sources familiar with the matter said the decision was made to avoid giving “legitimacy” to the U.S.-Russia talks.
Kyiv says talks on how to end the war should not be held behind Ukraine’s back.
Ukraine ultimately will have a vote on whether to accept a deal negotiated between Washington and Moscow, and could reject a bad one, cautioned Evelyn Farkas, executive director of the McCain Institute and a former senior Pentagon official.
“In the worst case scenario, Ukraine will keep fighting. If their defences crumble, I don’t think that the American people want to see those pictures on television and to be held responsible,” Farkas said.
As European countries discuss the possibility of contributing peacekeepers to back any Ukraine peace deal, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said in Riyadh that Moscow would not accept deployment of NATO troops there, whatever flag they were operating under.
“Of course, this is unacceptable to us,” he said.
The comments by Lavrov signalled that Russia will keep pressing for further concessions in the negotiations. The opening encounter on Tuesday saw Lavrov and Kremlin foreign policy aide Yuri Ushakov – two veterans who have spent a combined 34 years in their current roles – negotiate with three Trump administration officials in their first month on the job.
“So far I have seen zero evidence that Putin is willing to give one inch in order to negotiate a peace deal,” Michael McFaul, who served as U.S. ambassador to Russia under former President Barack Obama, wrote on X.

POTENTIAL ‘ECONOMIC PARTNERSHIPS’

Lavrov said there was “high interest” in lifting economic barriers between the two countries. After the invasion, the U.S. and other Western countries imposed waves of sanctions on Moscow.
Rubio said European countries have also imposed sanctions, so they would have to be involved in talks on lifting the measures. If the conflict ultimately ended, he added, it would “unlock” opportunities for U.S.-Russian cooperation, including “some pretty unique, potentially historic economic partnerships.”
The fast-moving diplomacy, beginning with a Putin-Trump phone call only six days ago, has triggered alarm in Ukraine and European capitals that the two leaders could cut a quick deal that ignores their security interests, rewards Moscow for its invasion and leaves Putin free to threaten Ukraine or other countries in the future.
Tuesday’s talks also sparked concern in Washington, which has backed Ukraine’s defence with billions of dollars of military aid approved by the U.S. Congress on a bipartisan basis.
“Russia has won Round One,” U.S. Representative Jake Auchincloss, a Massachusetts Democrat who is a co-chair of the bipartisan House Ukraine caucus, told Reuters.

Source : https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/europe-says-it-is-committed-ukraine-ahead-russia-us-talks-2025-02-18/

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy postponed his visit to Saudi Arabia in order to not give “legitimacy” to Tuesday’s meeting between U.S. and Russian officials in Riyadh, two sources familiar with the matter told Reuters.
Speaking earlier on Tuesday in Turkey, Zelenskiy said he had postponed his visit to the kingdom, which was originally planned for Wednesday, until March 10, saying he did not want “any coincidences”.

“(Ukraine) didn’t want to appear to give anything that happened in Riyadh any legitimacy,” one of the sources said.
Zelenskiy said in Ankara that he had not been invited to Tuesday’s meeting between delegations of top U.S. and Russian officials, which included the foreign ministers of both countries. The United States and Russia said after the talks they had agreed to press ahead with efforts to end the war in Ukraine.
“We want no one to decide anything behind our backs… No decision can be made without Ukraine on how to end the war in Ukraine,” Zelenskiy said.

U.S. President Donald Trump, who took office on January 20, has repeatedly vowed to swiftly end the war. He has pushed for an immediate start to peace talks, but comments from his top officials have raised questions over what he has planned.
U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth told NATO allies last week that it was unrealistic for Ukraine to join the NATO alliance as part of a negotiated settlement with Russia and that Kyiv’s hopes of restoring its internationally recognised borders were an “illusionary goal”.
Hegseth appeared to backtrack on those remarks the day after making them, but his comments left some Ukrainians worried that the U.S. could decide their country’s fate behind its back.

Source : https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/zelenskiy-postponed-saudi-arabia-visit-not-give-legitimacy-us-russia-meeting-2025-02-18/

A judge on Tuesday declined to immediately block Elon Musk’s government efficiency department from directing firings of federal workers or accessing databases, but said the case raises questions about Musk’s apparent unchecked authority as a top deputy to President Donald Trump.
Washington-based U.S. District Judge Tanya Chutkan denied – for now – a request by more than a dozen states for a judicial order barring the Department of Government Efficiency, or DOGE, from accessing computer systems at seven federal agencies or purging government workers while litigation plays out.

Musk, the world’s wealthiest person, spearheads DOGE, which has taken the lead role in carrying out the Republican president’s plans for downsizing and overhauling the federal government.
In her decision, Chutkan wrote that the states “legitimately call into question what appears to be the unchecked authority of an unelected individual and an entity that was not created by Congress and over which it has no oversight.” But the judge said the states had not shown why they were entitled to an immediate restraining order.

The lawsuit sought to bar DOGE from accessing information systems or firing employees at the departments of Labor, Education, Health and Human Services, Energy, Transportation and Commerce, and at the Office of Personnel Management.
Chutkan could eventually rule in favor of the states but said in her ruling that their request for an emergency court order was too broad and speculative.
Representatives for the White House did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
Arizona Attorney General Kris Mayes, one of the officials who brought the case, said in a statement that her office will “continue to fight in court to protect the rights of all Arizonans from unconstitutional executive overreach.”
Representatives for the other attorneys general did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

DOGE has swept through federal agencies, slashing thousands of jobs and dismantling various programs, since Trump returned to office last month and put Musk in charge of rooting out what they see as wasteful spending as part of the president’s dramatic overhaul of government.
The states argued that Musk wields the kind of power that can be exercised only by an officer of the government who has been nominated by the president and confirmed by the Senate under language in the U.S. Constitution called the Appointments Clause. They said DOGE itself has not been authorized by Congress and that its actions put the states’ ability to carry out educational and other programs at risk.
The lawsuit accused Musk’s team of unlawfully accessing data at federal agencies and directing a purge of some of the country’s 2.3 million federal workers. It was filed by more than a dozen states and announced by state attorneys general from New Mexico, Michigan and Arizona.
“The court is aware that DOGE’s unpredictable actions have resulted in considerable uncertainty and confusion for Plaintiffs and many of their agencies and residents. But the ‘possibility’ that defendants may take actions that irreparably harm plaintiffs is not enough,” Chutkan said.
Chutkan, who was appointed by Democratic former President Barack Obama, also oversaw a criminal case against Trump over his efforts to reverse his loss in the 2020 U.S. election, which the Justice Department dropped after he won in November.
Around 20 lawsuits have been filed in various federal courts challenging Musk’s authority, which have led to mixed results.
U.S. District Judge Jeannette Vargas in New York extended a temporary block on DOGE on Friday that prevented Musk’s team from accessing Treasury systems responsible for trillions of dollars of payments.

Source : https://www.reuters.com/world/us/trump-scores-win-suit-challenging-elon-musks-cost-cutting-powers-2025-02-18/

Pope Francis has the onset of double pneumonia, the Vatican said on Tuesday, complicating treatment for the 88-year pontiff and indicating a further deterioration in his fragile health.
Francis has been suffering from a respiratory infection for more than a week and was admitted to Rome’s Gemelli Hospital on February 14.
The Vatican said in a statement that the pope had undergone a chest CAT scan on Tuesday afternoon which had revealed “the onset of bilateral pneumonia that requires further pharmacological therapy”.

Bilateral pneumonia is a serious infection that can inflame and scar both lungs, and makes breathing more difficult.
“Laboratory tests, chest X-ray, and the clinical condition of the Holy Father continue to present a complex picture,” the Vatican said.
It reiterated that the pope was suffering from a “polymicrobial infection”, saying this required corticosteroid and antibiotic therapy, which was “making treatment more challenging”.
“Nevertheless, Pope Francis remains in good spirits,” the Vatican statement added.

The pope is especially prone to lung infections because as a young adult he developed pleurisy and had part of one lung removed.

A Vatican official, who declined to be named because of the sensitivity of the issue, said earlier in the day that the pontiff had not been put on a ventilator and was breathing on his own.
Ahead of the latest statement, the Vatican announced that all public engagements on the pope’s calendar had been cancelled through Sunday.
The pope had been due to lead several events over the weekend for the 2025 Catholic Holy Year, which runs through to next January.
The Vatican said on Monday that doctors had changed the pope’s drug therapy for the second time during his hospital stay to tackle a “complex clinical situation”.
Doctors say a polymicrobial infection occurs when two or more micro-organisms are involved, and can be caused by bacteria, viruses, or fungi.

The Vatican has said Francis will stay in hospital for as long as necessary.
The pope has been plagued by ill health in recent years, including regular bouts of flu, sciatica nerve pain and an abdominal hernia that required surgery in 2023.

Source : https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/vatican-cancels-popes-weekend-engagements-he-battles-complex-infection-2025-02-18/

Former Brazil President Jair Bolsonaro was charged on Tuesday with leading a plot to overthrow the government and undermine the country’s 40-year-old democracy after his 2022 election loss, complicating his narrow chances of a political comeback.
The charges come after a two-year police investigation into the election-denying movement that culminated in riots by Bolsonaro supporters in the capital in early 2023, a week after President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva took office.

Prosecutor General Paulo Gonet charged the far-right firebrand and his running mate, General Walter Braga Netto, with leading a “criminal organization” that wanted to create a new order in the country, including with plans to poison Lula.
A total of 34 people were charged in the plot, including several military officials, such as Bolsonaro’s former national security adviser, retired General Augusto Heleno, and former Navy Commander Almir Garnier Santos, according to the charge sheet.
“The responsibility for acts harmful to the democratic order falls upon a criminal organization led by Jair Messias Bolsonaro, based on an authoritarian project of power,” it added.

Lawyers representing Bolsonaro said in a Tuesday statement that he never supported any movement aimed at dismantling Brazil’s democratic rule of law or the institutions that uphold it.
Analysts consider it unlikely Bolsonaro will be arrested before his trial, unless Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes, who is overseeing the case, deems him a flight risk.
The case echoes the criminal charges faced by U.S. President Donald Trump that accused him of seeking to overturn his own re-election loss in 2020. That case was repeatedly delayed and ultimately dropped after Trump was returned to power in last November’s U.S. election.

The charges against Bolsonaro come just months after Brazil’s federal police concluded a two-year investigation into his role in the election-denying movement that culminated in the riots by his supporters that swept the capital, Brasilia, in early 2023, a week after President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva took office.
At the time, many protesters admitted that they wanted to create chaos to justify a military coup that they considered imminent. Late last year, police arrested five alleged conspirators suspected of planning to assassinate the leftist Lula before he took office.
Prosecutors have said the Bolsonaro-led plot included plans to poison Lula, a one-time union leader who previously served two terms as president.
Lula narrowly defeated the right-wing standard-bearer in the late 2022 presidential election.

A PLOT TO TAKE CONTROL

“They sought total control over the three branches of government; they outlined a central office that would serve the purpose of organizing the new order they intended to establish,” the charging document noted, referring to those who allegedly pushed the coup plot.
Bolsonaro, a former army captain, has repeatedly denied breaking any laws, and calls allegations against him a witch hunt by his political opponents.
Meanwhile, Senator Flavio Bolsonaro, a son of the former president, in a post on X on Tuesday night derided the charges as an “unconstitutional and immoral mission to attend to Alexandre de Moraes’ whims and Lula’s nefarious interest.”
Tuesday’s indictment marks the first time Bolsonaro has been charged with a crime, though he has faced several legal challenges to his conduct as president since he lost his reelection bid.
Two previous decisions by Brazil’s Federal Electoral Court have already blocked him from running for president until 2030.
Bolsonaro’s lawyers have two weeks to respond to the charges before the Supreme Court decides whether it will accept the charges and potentially hold a dramatic, televised trial.
If convicted, Bolsonaro faces at least a dozen years behind bars.

DIMMING COMEBACK HOPES

“There’s a 99% chance that the Supreme Court will accept the charges,” said Vera Chemim, a constitutional lawyer in Sao Paulo. “But to convict Bolsonaro, the Supreme Court will need robust evidence.”
Bolsonaro’s former running mate, General Braga Netto, was arrested two months ago after police accused him of interfering in the investigations. In a statement late Tuesday, his lawyers called the charges a “fantasy” that will not erase his “unblemished history” over four decades of service in the Brazilian Army.
A lawyer for former Navy chief Garnier Santos said he will comment once he had fully reviewed the charges, while a lawyer for General Heleno, Bolsonaro’s national security adviser, did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
A Supreme Court conviction could mark an insurmountable obstacle to Bolsonaro’s hopes to run in the 2026 presidential election, in a potential rematch against Lula.
A 2010 law that Bolsonaro himself voted to pass when he was a member of Congress bars anyone convicted by an appeals court from running for office.
Two sources close to Bolsonaro said the former president has little hope the courts will rule in his favor. Instead, his allies hope to mobilize political support to increase the pressure on courts and lawmakers to clear a path for a comeback.
On Tuesday, hours before prosecutors presented the charges against him, Bolsonaro met with opposition senators to discuss a bill that would lower the length of time politicians are barred from elections if they commit irregularities.

Source : https://www.reuters.com/world/americas/brazil-general-prosecutor-charges-bolsonaro-alleged-coup-plot-2025-02-19/

Johnson & Johnson (JNJ.N) faces a critical test on Tuesday over its $10 billion proposal to end litigation alleging that its baby powder caused ovarian cancer, as it tries to convince a judge to sign off on its third attempt to resolve thousands of lawsuits through a subsidiary’s bankruptcy.
U.S. Bankruptcy Judge Christopher Lopez in Houston will decide the fate of the company’s latest Chapter 11 after a weeks-long court hearing weighing competing demands to approve the settlement or end the bankruptcy altogether.

J&J is attempting to use a subsidiary’s bankruptcy to resolve lawsuits from more than 62,000 plaintiffs alleging its baby powder and other talc products were contaminated with asbestos and caused ovarian and other cancers, a claim that J&J denies.
Courts have rejected J&J’s two previous efforts to resolve the talc litigation through a subsidiary’s bankruptcy, but the company is trying again in a different bankruptcy court. It says the third effort can succeed where the others faltered because its subsidiary, Red River Talc, now has votes showing a broad level of support for its settlement proposal.

“We have the vote,” Red River Talc’s attorney Allison Brown said in court on Tuesday. “There is enormous support for a historic and unprecedented plan.”
Opponents of the deal say the vote was rigged to ensure J&J’s preferred outcome.
Adam Silverstein, an attorney representing plaintiffs who oppose the bankruptcy deal, said on Tuesday that J&J challenged every vote against its plan, while blindly accepting votes in its favor.
J&J allowed votes to be changed from “no” to “yes” but ignored an attorney who sought to change his votes from “yes” to “no,” Silverstein said. The company also violated its own voting rules to accept “yes” votes from attorneys who could not produce medical records or could not show that they had authority to vote on their clients’ behalf, he added.

“It’s a blatant double standard,” Silverstein told Lopez.

Lopez will consider evidence on a wide range of topics, including the validity of the votes that J&J gathered last year and whether such a wealthy company should be able to use a subsidiary’s bankruptcy to protect itself from lawsuits.
The current court hearing will last until the end of February, and Lopez has indicated he will issue a written opinion after the hearing concludes.
J&J argues that bankruptcy offers a faster and fairer way to put money into the hands of cancer victims, who would otherwise face lengthy legal battles in a “lottery-like” court system that results in large verdicts for some plaintiffs and nothing for others.
Erik Haas, J&J’s vice president for litigation, said in a statement that the bankruptcy proposal has “overwhelming support” from cancer victims and “affords claimants a far better recovery than they stand to recover at trial.”
Opponents of the deal argue that the bankruptcy settlement should not bind those who do not like the terms and would prefer to take their chances in court.
By pushing the deal through a subsidiary’s bankruptcy, J&J is trying to force women with ovarian cancer to accept lower settlement payments based on a deeply flawed vote, according to opponents.
The key witnesses in the hearing will include plaintiffs’ lawyers who support and oppose the deal.

Source : https://www.reuters.com/legal/jj-begins-crucial-battle-over-10-billion-baby-powder-settlement-2025-02-18/

The British couple detained in Iran have been charged with espionage, according to the Iranian judiciary news agency.

The pair, named by their family on Monday as Craig and Lindsay Foreman, are accused of “cooperating with covert institutions linked to the intelligence services of hostile and Western countries”.

Iranian state media said last week that the couple were in custody in the southeastern city of Kerman on security-related charges.

The UK’s Foreign Office said it was “deeply concerned” by reports of the espionage charge.

“We continue to raise this case directly with the Iranian authorities,” it said in a statement. “We are providing them with consular assistance and remain in close contact with their family members.”

According to Ms Foreman’s social media, the couple were on a motorbiking trip across the globe to Australia as part of a positive psychology mission.

On Tuesday the Mizan news agency quoted a spokesperson for the judiciary who said the couple “were monitored with the cooperation of security agencies and arrested”.

The statement, translated from Persian, claimed that “the individuals entered Iran under the guise of tourists and, under the guise of investigative and research work, have collected information in several provinces of the country”.

Without revealing sources, officials also allege that “these individuals were cooperating with covert institutions linked to the intelligence services of hostile and Western countries”.

“The connection of these individuals with several institutions affiliated with intelligence services has been confirmed,” the statement added.

State media published a photograph reportedly showing the couple meeting the UK’s ambassador to Iran Hugo Shorter last Wednesday.

Two people sitting across a table, opposite to Mr Shorter, could not be identified as their faces were blurred.

In December, Ms Foreman posted about how they were about to face “one of the most challenging” parts of their trip: Iran and Pakistan and issued an update in January about her visit to Isfahan, a city in central Iran.

The couple had planned to travel to the Balochistan province of Pakistan, but had been warned by Khalid Mehmood, 30, about the potential dangers.

The Foreign Office is currently warning people not to travel to Iran, because of the risk of “arrest, detention and a death sentence”. It also advises against all travel to Balochistan, except the province’s southern coast.

A Foreign Office spokesperson previously said: “We are providing consular assistance to two British nationals detained in Iran and are in contact with the local authorities.”

Iran’s elite Revolutionary Guards have arrested dozens of foreign visitors and dual nationals in recent years, mostly on espionage and security-related charges.

Source : https://news.sky.com/story/british-couple-detained-in-iran-charged-with-espionage-13311789

THE FAMILY of a mum and her two sons held captive by Hamas in Gaza are in “turmoil” as the terror group claimed they are dead and their bodies will be sent back to Israel.

Ariel Bibas, five, and his baby brother Kfir, two, were snatched with their mother Shiri, 33, during the terrorist group’s bloody rampage on October 7.

Their father Yarden, 35, was also taken after Hamas brutes smashed him over the head with a hammer.

Shiri’s despairing face as she was kidnapped clutching her two children became a symbol for the horror of Oct 7.

And meanwhile Kfir’s adorable smile gave hope as the whole world pleaded for their safe return.

But now Hamas appear to have confirmed the worst – saying the trio’s dead bodies will be released along with six living hostages on Thursday.

Israel have yet to confirm the identities of those to be released.

The Bibas family released a statement shortly after Hamas’ claim saying they are “in turmoil”.

“Until we receive definitive confirmation, our journey is not over,” the family said.

Yarden Bibas, Shiri’s husband and the boys’ father, was freed earlier on February 1.

He spent 484 days in Gaza’s terror tunnels on his own, as he was quickly separated from his family.

Relatives had not had proof of life for months even for Shiri and the boys.

And they had been fearing the worst when the terror group claimed that she and the children had been killed in an Israeli air strike and all other child hostages were released.

But there was no proof that they were dead so the family clung to the slim hope that they were alive as they campaigned for their freedom.

That hope was extinguished with confirmation that the mother and boys – who had been on the list for release in the first six-week phase of the ceasefire – were dead.

The family sheltered inside their home on Kibbutz Nir Oz when Hamas fiends rampaged through southern Israel on October 7.

They kept anxious relatives elsewhere in Israel updated by text message as gunmen stormed through neighbours’ homes.

At 9.43am accountant Yarden messaged his sister, occupational therapist Ofri Bibas Levy, 38, to say: “They’re coming in.”

She never heard from him again.

A short time later a horrific video emerged of Shiri looking utterly terrified and crying as she clung to her two sons while Hamas gunmen led them away from the family home.

Moments later Yarden was smashed over the head with a hammer and with blood streaming down his face was hauled to Gaza, also captured on camera and posted online.

On the one year anniversary of the massacre – when relatives were still praying for the family’s safe return – Ofri told The Sun: “The last year has been a nightmare.

“I could never imagine something like that would happen to me and my family.

“We live every day with a constant feeling of fear – and uncertainty.

“It’s the not knowing which is the worst – are they alive? Are they dead? Are they being tortured?

“Did they get to eat today, something to drink? When was the last time they even saw sunlight?”

After the terror group claimed that Shiri and the boys were dead, she said: “It was a real shock to hear that but after a few days we thought okay, they say that, but we don’t know for sure.

“And even if there is a 1% chance of that not being true, we decided as a family that we’re going to keep fighting and keep demanding and keep shouting for them.

“That keeps us able to still hope in some way.”

Photos from brighter times before October 7 show a typical, happy family, the young boys laughing and smiling as they play with each other and their parents.

In one cute snap, the parents and their sons cuddle up on a sofa all wearing Batman outfits.

Before they received the tragic news, Ofri said: “Ariel is a fully energetic boy who loves tractors and vehicles and superheroes and playing with any kind of water.

“His red head gets a lot of attention everywhere he goes. But he’s also very shy.

“Kfir was a sweet baby, very cuddly and he loved to be tickled. He was very cute.

“Yarden and Shiri are the most amazing parents.”

Heartbreakingly, two-year-old Kfir never celebrated a birthday outside of Gaza.

The family had urged Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for months to strike a ceasefire deal which would see the hostages return home.

They were delighted when it was finally signed but had mixed emotions because they still had no idea if the family was alive.

Israel announced it will receive the bodies of four hostages from Hamas on 20 February.

Source : https://www.the-sun.com/news/13569979/israeli-child-hostages-confirmed-dead-hamas/

Two years after ChatGPT took the world by storm, China’s DeepSeek has sent ripples through the tech industry by collapsing the cost for developing generative artificial intelligence applications.

But as the global race for AI supremacy heats up, India appears to have fallen behind, especially in creating its own foundational language model that’s used to power things like chatbots.

The government claims a homegrown equivalent to DeepSeek isn’t far away. It is supplying startups, universities and researchers with thousands of high-end chips needed to develop it in under 10 months.

A flurry of global AI leaders have also been talking up India’s capabilities recently.

After being initially dismissive, OpenAI CEO Sam Altman this month said India should be playing a leading role in the AI revolution. The country is now OpenAI’s second largest market by users.

Others like Microsoft have put serious money on the table – committing $3bn (£2.4bn) for cloud and AI infrastructure. Nvidia’s Jensen Huang also spoke of India’s “unmatched” technical talent as a key to unlocking its future potential.

With 200 startups working on generative AI, there’s enough entrepreneurial activity under way too.

But despite having key ingredients for success in place, India risks lagging behind without basic structural fixes to education, research and state policy, experts say.

China and the US already have a “four to five year head-start”, having invested heavily in research and academia and developed AI for military applications, law enforcement and now large language models, technology analyst Prasanto Roy told the BBC.

Though in the top five globally on Stanford’s AI Vibrancy Index – which ranks countries on metrics such as patents, funding, policy and research – India is still far behind the two superpowers in many key areas.

China and the US were granted 60% and 20% of the world’s total AI patents between 2010 and 2022 respectively. India got less than half a percent.

India’s AI startups also received a fraction of the private investment that US and Chinese companies got in 2023.

India’s state-funded AI mission, meanwhile, is worth a trifling $1bn compared with the staggering $500bn the US has earmarked for Stargate – a plan to build massive AI infrastructure in the US – or China’s reported $137bn initiative to become an AI hub by 2030.

While DeepSeek’s success has demonstrated that AI models can be built on older, less expensive chips – something India can take solace from – lack of “patient” or long-term capital from either industry or government is a major problem, says Jaspreet Bindra, founder of a consultancy that builds AI literacy in organisations.

“Despite what has been heard about DeepSeek developing a model with $5.6m, there was much more capital behind it.”

Lack of high-quality India-specific datasets required for training AI models in regional languages such as Hindi, Marathi or Tamil is another problem, especially given India’s language diversity.

But for all its issues, India punches far above its weight on talent – with 15% of the world’s AI workers coming from the country.

The issue though, as Stanford’s AI talent migration research shows, is that more and more of them are choosing to leave the country.

This is partly because “foundational AI innovations typically come from deep R&D in universities and corporate research labs”, Mr Bindra says.

And India lacks a supporting research environment, with few deep-tech breakthroughs emerging from its academic and corporate sectors.

The enormous success of India’s payments revolution was due to strong government-industry-academia collaboration – a similar model, he says, needs to be replicated for the AI push.

The Unified Payment Interface (UPI), a digital payment system developed by a government organisation, has revolutionised digital payments in India, allowing millions to transact at the click of a button or by scanning a QR code.

Bengaluru’s $200bn outsourcing industry, home to millions of coders, should have ideally been at the forefront of India’s AI ambitions. But the IT companies have never really shifted their focus from cheap service-based work to developing foundational consumer AI technologies.

“It’s a huge gap which they left to the startups to fill,” says Mr Roy.

He’s unsure though whether startups and government missions can do this heavy lifting quickly enough, adding that the 10-month timeline set by the minster was a knee-jerk reaction to DeepSeek’s sudden emergence.

“I don’t think India will be able to produce anything like DeepSeek at least for the next few years,” he adds. It is a view many others share.

India can, however, continue to build and tweak applications upon existing open source platforms like DeepSeek “to leapfrog our own AI progress”, Bhavish Agarwal, founder of one of India’s earliest AI startups Krutrim, recently wrote on X.

Source : https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cp8qglr9r74o

Asha Roy, 17, was excited to take part in a women’s football tournament, but her hopes were dashed as Islamists forced the organisers to cancel the match in northern Bangladesh.

Shortly before the game began earlier this month, the Islami Andolan Bangladesh group announced a protest rally against the event in Rangpur region, saying it was un-Islamic.

Fearing trouble, local police stepped in and the women’s team members were asked to return to their home for their safety.

“I was frustrated and frightened. We had never faced such a situation before. It was disappointing that we came back without playing,” Ms Roy told the BBC.

Bangladesh, a Muslim-majority nation, is currently undergoing a political transition after widespread protests ousted its authoritarian government last year.

An interim administration is currently in charge but there are concerns that Islamist groups, which had been pushed to the fringes, have become emboldened again.

The women’s football match was the third to be cancelled in northern Bangladesh in less than two weeks due to the objections of religious hardliners.

In the Dinajpur area, roughly 70km (43 miles) west of Rangpur, Islamists protesting against a game clashed with locals who supported it, leaving four people injured.

For girls such as Asha Roy, who come from rural areas, football and other sports are a source of female empowerment and a way out of poverty. Those who shine can be selected to play for sponsored teams and some go on to represent Bangladesh internationally.

Many girls have been inspired to take up football thanks to the success of the national women’s team, who are considered heroes after winning two consecutive South Asia Football Championships in recent years.

Ms Roy’s teammate, Musammat Tara Moni, said she would not stop playing despite the threats.

“It’s my dream to represent our national team. My family supports me, so I am not losing hope,” the 16-year-old said.

For their coach Nurul Islam, the objections came as a surprise. “I have taken the team to many tournaments for the past seven years, but it’s the first time we have faced a situation like this,” he said.

The Islamists insist that the match they stopped was against their religious values and say that they are determined to prevent any future football games.

“If women want to play football, they should cover their entire body, and they can play only in front of female spectators. Men cannot watch them play,” Maulana Ashraf Ali, the leader of the Islami Andolan Bangladesh in the Taraganj area of Rangpur, told the BBC.

Mr Ali also insisted that the group “definitely” want hard-line Islamic Sharia law in Bangladesh.

The cancellation of the women’s football matches caused an uproar on social media, leading the authorities to reorganise one of them. They have also launched an investigation into the incidents but say the fear of radicalism is exaggerated.

“There is no truth in the allegations that the government is pandering to Islamists,” Shafiqul Alam, press secretary to interim leader Muhammad Yunus, told the BBC.

Mr Alam pointed out that hundreds of women’s sports matches were held as part of a national youth festival in January, and that they were played across the country without any trouble.

Some people are not reassured. Samina Luthfa, assistant professor of sociology in the University of Dhaka, told the BBC the cancellation of the women’s football matches was “definitely alarming”.

“The women of Bangladesh will not stop playing football and will not stop from going to work or doing their things,” she said, adding that “everyone will fight” efforts to remove women from public spaces.

Other decisions made by the interim government since it assumed power in August in relation to Islamist extremism have also raised concerns.

They include revoking a ban on the country’s largest Islamist party, Jamaat-e-Islami, which was introduced in the last days of former prime minister Sheikh Hasina’s government.

Jashimuddin Rahmani, the leader of banned Islamist militant group Ansarullah Bangladesh (ABT) – now known as Ansar al Islam – was released in August after a court granted him bail. He was sentenced to five years in prison in connection with the killing of a secular blogger in 2013, but had been kept behind bars because of other pending cases.

According to local media reports, several other people accused of having links with extremist groups have also been given bail in the past few months.

“Though security forces say they will monitor those released, it will be difficult for them to put everybody under surveillance given the limitations,” says Dr Tawohidul Haque, a crime analyst from the University of Dhaka.

While most Bangladeshis practise moderate Islam and secular values dominate society, Islamic extremism is not a new phenomenon in the country. A decade ago, religious zealots targeted secular bloggers, atheists, minorities, foreigners and others in a spate of attacks – killing dozens and sending others fleeing abroad.

In one such incident, a group of Islamist gunmen stormed the Holey Artisan Bakery in Dhaka in 2016, killing 20 people.

It is not just women’s football games that have been targeted recently either. Last week, dozens of Islamist students vandalised a book stall at Dhaka’s famous Ekushey Book Fair.

The protesters were angry over the display a book by the exiled feminist author Taslima Nasrin, who has in the past received death threats from Islamist groups for what they say are her blasphemous writings.

Muhammad Yunus condemned the incident saying the attack “shows contempt for both the rights of Bangladeshi citizens and for the laws of our country.” The police are investigating.

Meanwhile, one of the country’s best-known actors, Pori Moni said she was stopped from inaugurating a department store in the northern town of Tangail after reported objections from religious groups.

“Now I’m really feeling helpless, as well as insecure. It’s part of my job to take part in opening a showroom or a similar event. No one has stopped me all these years,” Ms Moni told the BBC Bengali service.

Similar events involving two other actors, Apu Biswas and Mehazabien Chowdhury, have also been cancelled following threats by Islamists.

Minority groups like the Sufi Muslims say they are also witnessing increasing attacks on their places of worship. Islamist extremists view Sufism as heretical.

“About a hundred of our shrines [mazars] and centres have been attacked in the past six months,” Anisur Rahman Jafri, Secretary General of the Sufism Universal Foundation, told the BBC.

“We have not seen this kind of sudden extremist attack on us since the country’s independence in 1971,” he added, warning that the country was at risk of “Talibanisation” if the situation continued.

Police said only 40 shrines were damaged and that they had stepped up security around religious sites.

The authorities have also been struggling to maintain law and order in the wake of Sheikh Hasina’s departure. Earlier this month, thousands of protesters vandalised homes and buildings connected to Hasina and senior leaders of her Awami League party.

People from other groups and parties, including Islamists, joined in other demonstrations in the capital, Dhaka, and across the country.

Source : https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cdxnwnye7wko

A couple in north-east Pakistan has been detained on suspicion of murdering a 13-year-old girl who worked for them as a maid, for allegedly stealing chocolates.

The girl who goes only by one name, Iqra, succumbed to multiple injuries in hospital last Wednesday. A preliminary police investigation said she had been tortured.

The case in Rawalpindi has sparked widespread outrage and posts with the hashtag #JusticeforIqra having garnered tens of thousands of views, and reignited a debate over child labour and the mistreatment of domestic workers.

Laws pertaining to child labour can vary across the country, but children under the age of 15 cannot be employed as domestic workers in the province of Punjab.

“I felt completely shattered inside when she died,” Iqra’s father, Sana Ullah, told the BBC.

He said that he had received a call from the police about Iqra last Wednesday. When he rushed to the hospital, he saw Iqra lying on a bed, unconscious. She died minutes later.

Iqra began working as a maid from the age of eight. Her father, a 45-year-old farmer, said he had sent her to work because he was in debt.

After working for a few employers, she went to work for the couple two years ago, who have eight children of their own. She was earning about £23 ($28) per month.

Police said Iqra had been accused of stealing chocolates from her employers, adding that a preliminary investigation showed that Iqra had been tortured.

Police also say there was evidence of frequent abuse. Pictures and videos obtained by the BBC showed multiple fractures in her legs and arms, as well as a serious injury to her head.

An autopsy is being conducted to assess the full extent of her injuries, and the police has told the BBC that they were still awaiting the final medical report.

“My heart cries tears of blood. How many… are subjected to violence in their homes every day for a trivial job of a few thousand?” activist Shehr Bano wrote on X. “How long will the poor continue to lower their daughters into graves in this way?”

Others have pointed out that her murder was allegedly triggered by something so minor.

“She died over chocolate?” asked one Pakistani user on X.

“This is not just a crime, it’s a reflection of [a] system that enables [the] rich to treat [the] poor as disposable,” another said.

Iqra’s employers, Rashid Shafiq and his wife Sana, have been arrested, along with a Quran teacher, who worked for the family. The teacher had brought Iqra to the hospital and left after telling hospital staff that the girl’s father had died and her mother was not around.

Police told the BBC it was unclear if she believed this to be the truth.

Iqra’s father says he wants to see “those responsible for my daughter’s death punished”.

Despite the public outrage such cases usually garner, they are typically settled out of court and it’s rare for suspects to be successfully prosecuted.

In 2018, a judge and his wife were sentenced to three years in jail for torturing their then 10-year-old maid in what had been a highly publicised case that sparked outrage across the country. But they later had their sentences reduced to one year.

Tayyaba was found with severe injuries, which the Pakistan Institute of Medical Science said included burns to her hands and feet. Pictures of the girl also showed cuts and bruising to her face, along with a swollen left eye. She told prosecutors she was beaten for losing a broom.

Under Pakistani law, victims or their families have the right to forgive suspects in a number of serious crimes. To do so, they have to state in court that they forgive a suspect “in the name of God”.

In reality, legal observers say that the primary motive for that “forgiveness” is normally financial, and paying victims is not illegal.

Source : https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cx2k2ly8j75o

Depending on how you read it, New Zealand’s latest tourism tagline can be a well-meaning plea for people to visit – or a threat to kick Kiwis out.

“Everyone Must Go!” reads a slogan printed across posters of people in New Zealand’s majestic landscapes – part of a NZ$500,000 ($285,000; £227,000) campaign unveiled on Sunday.

But what was meant as a catchy call to action aimed at Australian tourists has been accused of being tone-deaf, as New Zealand deals with record emigration rates and unemployment.

The government has defended the campaign, with Prime Minister Christopher Luxon saying he “[appreciates] there’s lots of chat about whether everyone loves the slogan or not”.

“The fact that we’re talking about it is a good thing. It’s a great thing,” he added.

Cushla Tangaere-Manuel, tourism spokesperson for the opposition Labour Party, told local news outlet Radio New Zealand (RNZ) that the new slogan “makes New Zealand sound like we’re in a clearance bin at a sale”.

“The irony of that messaging is, that’s how Aotearoa New Zealanders are feeling right now,” she said, pointing to the “many cuts” that residents have experienced.

Job cuts to the public sector over the past year, as part of the government’s austerity push, have affected thousands of people.

Meanwhile, people are moving out of the country in record numbers. Official figures show that there were nearly 130,000 departures last year – though that was offset by the arrival of nearly 160,000 immigrants.

“New Zealanders are voting with their feet, leaving in record high numbers,” Labour MP Barbara Edmonds wrote on X on Monday. “Is their real tourism plan ‘Everyone Must Go’ – for Kiwis?”

Others associated the slogan with demand for lavatories.

“I think ‘Everyone Must Go’ might refer to the need for toilets in some of our high-tourist spots. I mean, the queues are ridiculous,” Green Party MP Celia Wade-Brown told RNZ.

“They don’t go kayaking, they don’t go diving, but, my goodness, they queue at the toilets.”

Tourism minister Louise Upston said in a statement on Sunday that “the campaign tagline of ‘Everyone must go’ lets Australia know that New Zealand is a ‘must visit’ destination, and that we’re ready and waiting to welcome them now”.

Source : https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/ce8j88gym3ro

The United States and Russia agreed in high-level talks Tuesday to re-establish embassy staffing in a reversal of American policy by President Donald Trump, fueling fears in Kyiv and building up Moscow’s hopes of re-entering the international mainstream.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio said that both countries had agreed to re-establish “the functionality of our respective missions in Washington and Moscow” and that Washington would create a high-level team to work on a path to ending the war in Ukraine.

Rubio said negotiators has also agreed to “begin to discuss and think about and examine both the geopolitical and economic cooperation that could result from an end to the conflict in Ukraine,” which he said could only happen once the war came to an end.

His comments came after he led a U.S. delegation in a four-and-a-half hour meeting attended by Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and other Kremlin officials in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

Lavrov told reporters the meeting was “very useful” as he confirmed efforts to “remove obstacles” to diplomatic efforts that he blamed on the Biden administration.

Under the Trump administration, he had “reason to believe that the American side has begun to better understand our position.”

Separately, Yuri Ushakov, President Vladimir Putin’s foreign policy adviser, said the talks had paved a way for a possible meeting between Trump and Putin, although he did not say when that might take place, according to the Russian state news agency TASS.

Trump announced last week that he and Putin had held a 90-minute phone conversation. The meeting Tuesday in Riyadh is a major turning point in Washington’s relationship with Moscow, which has been diplomatically and financially isolated since it invaded Ukraine in February 2022.

Attention in Europe is still focused on the war in Ukraine, the deadliest conflict on the continent since World War II.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and other European leaders expressed alarm and dismay at being shut out of the talks Riyadh. One of Kyiv’s main concerns is that Russia will be given the go-ahead to keep some of the 20% of Ukraine it has occupied.

“Ukraine did not know anything about it,” Zelenskyy warned ahead of the meeting.

Kyiv “regards any negotiations on Ukraine without Ukraine as ones that have no result, and we cannot recognize … any agreements about us without us,” he said.

Zelenskyy said Tuesday that he would delay a trip scheduled for Wednesday that was arranged in advance and not related to the U.S.-Russia talks.

“I will not go to Saudi Arabia,” he said. “We contacted our partners in Arabia — I have a good relationship with them. We just contacted each other and agreed that I would be there on an official visit on March 10. And we expect the USA in Kyiv.”

Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen warned that Russia could use the pause to remobilize and mount a fresh attack on Ukraine or target other countries in Europe.

“Russia is threatening all of Europe now, unfortunately,” Frederiksen said, reflecting the view of many in Europe that Putin would seek to dominate, if not outright occupy, more countries.

In Kherson, a port city in southern Ukraine that has come under heavy Russian shelling throughout the war, residents balanced their hopes for an end to the fighting with fears about Trump’s decision to leave Kyiv out of negotiations.

“It’s confusing. It’s going quickly and we don’t see where it’s going,” Yulia Ishuk, who worked at a restaurant in the port city of Odesa before the war and now runs a rehab center for soldiers, told an NBC News crew on the ground.

“Without our president, Zelenskyy … it’s kind of like games behind our backs and we don’t like it because we don’t understand that,” Ishuk, 47, said. “We don’t understand what’s going on.”

As negotiators had discussions in Riyadh, Washington’s special envoy for Ukraine and Russia, Keith Kellogg, was in Brussels on Tuesday, where he was meeting with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen ahead of a trip to Ukraine.

Zelenskyy, in Abu Dhabi on Monday, said he wanted to take Kellogg “to the front line” and have him meet with intelligence officials and diplomats so he could “bring more information back to America.”

Kellogg’s visit comes after France on Monday hosted an emergency meeting of European Union countries and Britain to decide how to respond after the Trump administration said they would not be part of the talks with Russia.

French President Emmanuel Macron said he had spoken with both Trump and Zelenskyy following an emergency meeting of European leaders Monday.

“We seek a strong and lasting peace in Ukraine,” Macron said in a post on X. “To achieve this, Russia must end its aggression, and this must be accompanied by strong and credible security guarantees for the Ukrainians.”

Noting his conversation with Macron, Zelenskyy said in a post on X on Monday that the two shared a “common vision” of “robust and reliable” security guarantees for Ukrainians.

“Any other decision without such guarantees — such as a fragile ceasefire — would only serve as another deception by Russia and a prelude to a new Russian war against Ukraine or other European nations,” he warned.

The high-level talks in Riyadh came after Russia released American Kalob Byers, a Trump administration official confirmed to NBC News on Tuesday. Byers had been detained in the country on suspicion of drug smuggling since early February.

Source : https://www.nbcnews.com/news/world/us-russia-talks-ukraine-europe-invasion-rcna192544

Elon Musk has no power to put anyone in jail, but his fantasy about a “long prison sentence” for “60 Minutes” reporters is dangerous nonetheless.

If you want to know why, just ask Elon Musk.

He has repeatedly (and correctly) posted that “free speech is the bedrock of a functioning democracy.” In fact, those were among his first words when he took control of Twitter, now X.

Musk has described himself as a “free speech absolutist.” He has decried speech restrictions in other countries. Yet his recent statements about the American media contradict his self-image.

In a few short weeks, Musk has become the most vicious media-basher of the Trump administration, sometimes going even further than President Trump has.

He has attacked a Wall Street Journal journalist who broke news about a DOGE staffer’s racist and eugenic remarks, saying the journalist should be “fired immediately.” He has argued that taxpayer-funded media outlets like Radio Free Europe should be shut down, disparaging the workers as “radical left crazy people.” And he has pushed conspiracy theories about media outlets committing “crimes” without any specifics.

Musk’s posts matter because he has the attention and affection of millions. When he makes statements that are antithetical to American values, some of his fans feel emboldened to do the same.

Notably, though, when he assailed “60 Minutes” in an anti-democratic tirade Sunday night, scores of usually Musk-friendly followers replied to him with criticism, pointing out his past promotion of “free speech” and accusing him of hypocrisy.

A representative for Musk did not respond to a request for comment.

Musk vs. “60 Minutes”

A production of CBS News, “60 Minutes” is the most-watched newsmagazine on American TV. Trump is currently suing CBS and its parent company Paramount Global over the program’s interview with then-Vice President Kamala Harris last fall. Trump claims CBS doctored the interview to help Harris beat him in the election; CBS denies the charge, and legal experts interviewed by CNN say the suit is a frivolous attempt to intimidate the network and the wider news media.

On Sunday night “60 Minutes” led off its broadcast with correspondent Scott Pelley’s report about Trump’s first four weeks, with a focus on USAID and the human impact of DOGE’s dismantling of the department.

The newsmagazine said Musk and DOGE did not respond to requests for interviews.

But after the report aired, Musk replied to a “60 Minutes” tweet, seemingly in a bid to discredit the reporting.

“60 Minutes are the biggest liars in the world! They engaged in deliberate deception to interfere with the last election,” Musk wrote, alluding to that Harris interview. “They deserve a long prison sentence.”

Musk didn’t back up his assertions. He can’t, because there is no evidence that CBS ran interference for Harris. On the contrary, there is ample evidence that CBS asked her tough questions; engaged in standard editing practices; and aired a hard-hitting interview.

Musk has first-hand experience with “60 Minutes.” In a 2018 interview with correspondent Lesley Stahl, years before he actually acquired Twitter, Musk said “I use my tweets to express myself. Some people use their hair. I use Twitter.”

So do many others – but Musk is now in a unique position, not only as the richest man in the world, but as a special government employee in the Trump administration.

Musk vs. free speech

By positioning himself as Mr. Free Speech, but then proclaiming that disfavored journalists “deserve” to be jailed, Musk is lending credence to those who say he doesn’t truly care about democracy, he values only oligarchy.

His prison post prompted Aaron Terr, director of public advocacy at The Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression, to write to Musk, “Throwing journalists in jail over their reporting is what authoritarian governments do in countries like China, Russia, and Iran. Here in the US, you’ll have to settle for using your enormous public platform to criticize the media. As you’ve been doing. You know, counterspeech.”

This is not the first time Musk has encouraged prosecutions of people he dislikes. He has publicly hoped for criminal action against companies that “boycotted” X and asserted that a nonprofit group “should be prosecuted for interference in US elections by a foreign entity.”

Those posts last year led to an initial round of criticism that he wasn’t living up to his “free speech absolutist” posture.

President Trump and Vice President JD Vance have come under similar scrutiny. Last month Trump signed several executive orders policing language at the same time he signed one titled “Restoring Freedom of Speech and Ending Federal Censorship.”

“Conservatives who just moments ago abhorred any form of censorship are now 100% chill with the government banning words,” USA Today national columnist Rex Huppke wrote last weekend.

In a high-profile speech in Munich, Germany last week, Vance accused European allies of censoring free speech at roughly the same time the Trump administration was banning The Associated Press from attending Trump Q&As and photo ops.

When progressive commentator Mehdi Hasan pointed this out on Monday, Vance replied on X; called Hasan a “dummy”; and said “I think there’s a difference between not giving a reporter a seat in the WH press briefing room and jailing people for dissenting views. The latter is a threat to free speech, the former is not. Hope that helps!”

Hasan pointed out that Musk “just called for a ‘long prison sentence’ for CBS journalists, for edits he didn’t like. Did you not get the memo?” Vance did not engage further.

A CBS spokesperson declined to comment on Musk’s provocation.

Musk arguably gets a pass, much of the time, because he posts so darn much. On Monday he tweeted more than 94 times and retweeted others at least another 36 times.

Source : https://edition.cnn.com/2025/02/18/media/elon-musk-60-minutes-prison/index.html

An Italian court has ordered a journalist to pay €5,000 in damages to the prime minister, Giorgia Meloni, for mocking her height over social media in what was defined as “body shaming”.

Giulia Cortese, a journalist based in Milan, was also given a suspended fine of €1,200 over the jibe, which dated back to October 2021, a year before Meloni’s far-right coalition government came to power.

The pair clashed after Cortese, 36, published a mocked-up photo of Meloni with the fascist dictator Benito Mussolini in the background on Twitter, now X. In reaction, Meloni wrote on Facebook that the “falsified photo” was of “unique gravity” and that she had instructed her lawyer to pursue legal action against the journalist.

In two further tweets on the same day, Cortese wrote messages that translate as: “The media pillory you created on your Facebook page qualifies you for what you are: a little woman,” and “You don’t scare me, Giorgia Meloni. After all, you’re only 1.2 metres (4 ft) tall. I can’t even see you.”

Cortese was acquitted over the tweet comparing Meloni to Mussolini, but convicted of defamation over the latter two, which the Milan judge said amounted to “body shaming”.

Cortese said that being convicted over a “joke phrase” was “scandalous”. “There’s [a] climate of persecution. I don’t feel I have the freedom any more to write about this government, because once you are identified as an inconvenient journalist for this government, they don’t let anything pass,” Cortese told the Guardian.

Cortese can appeal but is undecided about whether to do so. “Going ahead with it risks costing me a lot, and I don’t know how it would end,” she said.

Meloni’s lawyer said she would donate the €5,000 to charity when a definitive sentence was confirmed and the money was paid.

According to various Italian news outlets, Meloni is 1.63 metres (5ft 3in) tall.

It is not the first time she has taken legal action against a journalist or someone who has criticised her publicly. Since coming to power, her government has been accused of making strategic use of defamation suits to silence journalists and public intellectuals.

In a high-profile case last autumn, the anti-mafia writer Roberto Saviano was found guilty of libelling Meloni and fined €1,000 for calling her “a bastard” over her migration policies. The case dated back to a TV interview in December 2020 in which Saviano, author of the bestselling book Gomorrah, castigated Meloni and her fellow far-right leader Matteo Salvini on TV over their vitriol towards charity-run ships rescuing people in the Mediterranean.

Meloni is also suing the Palestinian journalist Rula Jebreal, who has Italian and Israeli citizenship, over a tweet dating from September 2022. In addition, Jebreal is being sued by Fabio Rampelli, a politician from Meloni’s Brothers of Italy party, and vice-president of the lower house of parliament, over a tweet in January.

Source : https://www.theguardian.com/world/article/2024/jul/18/italian-journalist-ordered-pay-damages-mocking-giorgia-meloni-height

In Tulsi, a village in central India, social media has sparked an economic and social revolution. It’s a microcosm of YouTube’s effect on the world.

As villagers head into the fields of Tulsi, a village outside Raipur in central India, on a muggy September morning, 32-year-old YouTuber Jai Varma asks a group of women to join him for his latest video. They gather around him – adjusting their sarees and sharing a quick word and a smile.

Varma places an elderly woman on a plastic chair, asks another to touch her feet and a third to serve water, staging a scene of a rural village festival for fans who will enjoy his content from cities and countries thousands of kilometres away. The women, familiar with this kind of work, are happy to oblige. Varma captures the moment, and they return to their farmwork.

A few hundred metres away, another group is busy setting up their own production. One holds up a mobile phone, filming as 26-year-old Rajesh Diwar moves to the rhythm of a hip-hop track, his hands and body animated in the expressive style of a seasoned performer.

Tulsi is like any other Indian village. The small outpost in the central state of Chhattisgarh is home to one-storey houses and partially paved roads. A water storage tank peers out above the buildings, overseeing the town. Banyan trees with concrete bases serve as gathering spots. But what sets Tulsi apart is its distinction as India’s “YouTube Village”.

Some 4,000 people live in Tulsi, and reports suggest more than 1,000 of them work on YouTube in some capacity. Walk around the village itself and it’s hard to find someone who hasn’t appeared in one of the many videos being filmed there.

The money that YouTube brings has transformed the local economy, locals say, and beyond financial benefits, the social media platform has become an instrument for equality and social change. The residents who’ve launched successful YouTube channels and found new streams of income include a number of women who previously had few opportunities for advancement in this rural setting. Under the banyan trees, conversations have turned to technology and the internet.

February 2025 marks the 20th anniversary of YouTube. Approximately 2.5 billion people use the platform per month by some estimates, and India is one of YouTube’s biggest markets by far. Over the decades, YouTube has changed not only the web but the entire way we think about creating and consuming human culture. In a way, Tulsi village is a microcosm of YouTube’s effect on the world itself, where for some, their entire lives revolve around online videos.

“It is keeping the children away from bad habits and crime,” says Netram Yadav, 49, a farmer in Tulsi and one of the many admirers of the village’s burgeoning social media scene. “These content creators have made everyone in the village proud for what they have been able to achieve and do.”

THE BBC was accused of being a propaganda tool for Hamas yesterday in a furious row over a documentary.

Its prime-time Gaza: How to Survive a Warzone featured children living in the strip since the October 7 attack on Israel.

But the main narrator — 13-year-old Abdulla Eliyazouri — is reportedly the son of Hamas deputy minister of agriculture Dr Ayman Al-Yazouri.

And one of the cameramen is said to have previously posted messages saluting the October 7 massacre and videos showing off Hamas weapons.

The hour-long documentary was broadcast on Monday on BBC2 and is available for the next year on iPlayer.

Investigative journalist David Collier, who revealed the identities of those involved, said: “How did the BBC let a son of a Hamas minister walk around looking for sympathy and demonising Israel for an hour in a documentary?

“The BBC is publishing Hamas propaganda.

“The current hierarchy at the BBC has turned a once respected state broadcaster into a propaganda outlet for a radical Islamic terror group.”

Tory peer Baroness Foster also blasted the Beeb, saying: “A total lack of accurate research resulted in an hour of propaganda and lies.”

Abdulla previously featured in a Channel 4 report in November 2023, soon after Israel’s bombardment of Gaza began.

He appeared under a different name with a man called Khalil Abushammala, who was said to be his father.

But Abushammala is actually his uncle and director of a group which campaigns for Palestinian prisoners.

Source : https://www.thesun.co.uk/news/33445084/bbc-hamas-gaza-doc-bias-fury/

Pop star Shakira will perform in Peru on Monday after cancelling a Sunday show due to being hospitalized, the singer announced on social media.
After being hospitalized for most of Sunday due to an “abdominal issue,” Shakira said that the doors of the stadium will open at 1600 local time (1900 GMT) and the concert will begin at 2025 Lima time.
She was scheduled to perform in Lima on Sunday and Monday as part of her “Las mujeres ya no lloran world tour.”

Shakira said in a social media post that she went to the emergency room on Saturday night but did not give any details about the abdominal issues.
“People who had tickets have already gotten their spirits back, as they feel happy to be able to enjoy this show today,” said Isabela Torres, a fan outside the National Stadium in Lima.

Source : https://www.reuters.com/world/americas/shakira-perform-peru-monday-after-sunday-cancellation-due-hospitalization-2025-02-17/

Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni is clashing with the country’s judiciary in the same way her old political ally and mentor Silvio Berlusconi used to, promising a once-in-a-lifetime overhaul of the legal system.
But whereas Berlusconi failed to impose his will on Italy’s fiercely independent magistrates and prosecutors, Meloni could yet come out on top, unburdened by the crushing conflict of interest that pegged back her billionaire predecessor.

The judiciary is resisting pressure to change, calling a rare strike later this month over the planned reform.
Separately, courts are challenging a flagship government initiative to redirect migrants away from Italy to Albania.
Meloni’s rightist government has cried foul, accusing the powerful judges of playing politics, and has said it will not back down, drawing comfort from opinion polls that show many voters support its uncompromising stance.
“Basically, they want to govern themselves. But there’s a problem. If I make a mistake, the Italians can vote me out of office. If they make a mistake, no one can say or do anything. No power in a democratic state works like that,” Meloni told a TV channel owned by the Berlusconi family in late January.

Italy’s justice system is one of the most dysfunctional in Europe, where, despite recent improvements, it still takes four times the European average to reach a final ruling in civil cases and 3.5 times the average to secure a definitive verdict in criminal trials, according to 2022 data.
While centre-left governments have tended to focus on improving the efficiency of the courts, Berlusconi, who faced dozens of trials largely tied to his media empire up to his death in 2023, repeatedly pushed to curb prosecution powers.
Opponents denounced these efforts as an attempt to curtail his legal woes, and while he succeeded in making it harder to convict white-collar criminals, he failed in his effort to break the links that bind prosecutors and judges.

Unlike in the United States or Britain, judges and prosecutors in Italy share the same career track and are overseen by the same self-governing body, which will not stand for government interference.

IMPARTIALITY

Meloni, who took power in 2022 at the head of a coalition that includes Berlusconi’s Forza Italia party, has revisited the old plan of splitting up the judiciary, saying it will make judges more impartial by cutting their ties with prosecutors.
“This is the reform of all reforms,” said Francesco Paolo Sisto, the deputy justice minister and Forza Italia politician.
“You would never see a soccer referee coming from the same city as one of the two teams on the field. They must be from a different city. Likewise, a judge must be third-party and impartial,” he told Reuters.
In a sign of their discontent, the judiciary has called a one-day strike on Feb. 27, accusing the government of seeking to gain power over prosecutors and dictate what crimes they want to investigate, or steer clear of.

“This will only be harmful. The separation of careers will turn the public prosecutor into a super-police officer, and they will lose the culture of impartiality,” said Nicola Gratteri, the chief prosecutor in Naples who is famed for his battles against the ‘Ndrangheta mafia.
The government has accused some prosecutors and judges of flexing their judicial powers to force a retreat and the battle looks set to dominate domestic politics for months.
A court in January blocked for the third time a government initiative to detain migrants in camps in Albania, frustrating Meloni’s plans to deter people from seeking refuge in Italy and leaving the project in legal limbo.
That same week, a prosecutor stunned Meloni by placing her and three cabinet colleagues under investigation following a government decision to release a Libyan police chief wanted by the International Criminal Court.

HURDLES

Andrea Delmastro Delle Vedove, an undersecretary at the Justice Ministry and member of Meloni’s Brothers of Italy party, said the magistrates wanted to sabotage the reform. “It seems blatantly obvious to me that this is the case,” he told Reuters.
Magistrates deny this and say they are only applying the law.
Supreme Court prosecutor Marco Patarnello wrote to colleagues last October warning them that Meloni was a “far more dangerous” adversary than Berlusconi because she was not mired in legal investigations and was acting out of “political vision”.
The message, which was leaked to the media and confirmed by Patarnello, acknowledged that public opinion was no longer behind the magistrates, unlike in the 1990s.
The bill has already been approved by the lower house of parliament, and now goes before the Senate. Because it involves changing the constitution, it needs two readings in both chambers and will then almost certainly be put to a referendum.

Source : https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/italys-meloni-takes-judiciary-echo-berlusconi-2025-02-17/

When police in western France searched surgeon Joel Le Scouarnec’s home after he raped his 6-year-old neighbour in 2017, they found a cache of sex dolls, wigs and child pornography.
They said they also discovered electronic diaries that appeared to detail nearly three decades of rapes and sexual assaults on hundreds of his young patients in hospitals across the region.
In 2020, Le Scouarnec was sentenced to 15 years in prison for the rape and sexual assault of his child neighbour, as well as his two nieces and a 4-year-old patient.

However, the investigation continued into the alleged victims logged on his files. Prosecutors eventually charged him with the aggravated rape and sexual assault of 299 people, many of whom were children, and some of whom were anesthetized when the abuse allegedly took place.
On February 24, Le Scouarnec, 74, will face trial on those charges in the Breton town of Vannes, in France’s largest ever child sexual abuse case.
Prosecutors say Le Scouarnec has admitted to investigators many of the accusations he faces. His lawyers declined to comment ahead of the trial.

The trial comes at a time of reckoning around sex crimes in France after the conviction of Dominique Pelicot, who was found guilty in December of drugging his wife and inviting dozens of men over to their home to rape her. Fifty other men were also convicted of rape in a case that shocked the world.
Le Scouarnec’s case will raise tough questions for France’s publicly run healthcare system, victims and rights groups say. Despite a conviction for child pornography in 2005, Le Scouarnec continued to work in public hospitals until his arrest in 2017.
The Health Ministry didn’t respond to a request for comment.
Francois, a plaintiff in the case who was 12 when Le Scouarnec allegedly abused him, said he hoped the case would provide some answers from a system that he said failed him.
“I realize I shouldn’t have been operated on by this surgeon,” said Francois, who asked to be identified only by this name. “I feel betrayed by authorities … Why did nobody forbid this surgeon from working with children?”

After discovering Le Scouarnec’s logs in 2017, investigators began tracking down potential victims by matching diary descriptions with hospital records. Although many of the anesthetized patients had no recollection of the alleged abuse, psychiatrists have documented symptoms of post-traumatic stress in victims, according to court documents.
Mathis Vinet was 10 in 2007 when his father and grandfather drove him to the Quimperle hospital with stomach pain.
The grandfather, Roland Vinet, 78, remembers meeting Le Scouarnec, and thinking nothing of the surgeon’s order that Mathis spend the night alone in the hospital, he told Reuters.
In his diary, Le Scouarnec recalled sexually assaulting a little boy that same day and the following one, inappropriately touching his genitals each time, according to a court document.
Mathis was never the same after the hospital visit, Vinet said, eventually falling into a life of alcohol and drugs. He died of an overdose at 24 in 2021, three years after learning from the police about the abuse he allegedly had suffered, and having flashbacks.
Vinet and his wife, who are plaintiffs in the case, said they believed Mathis took his own life. They blame Le Scouarnec for their grandson’s death.
Reuters couldn’t establish the role the surgeon’s alleged actions played in Mathis’ death.

CHILD PORN CONVICTION

Le Scouarnec was given a suspended four-month jail sentence when he was convicted in 2005 for possessing child pornography. He secured a job as a surgeon at the Quimperle public hospital the following year.
A psychiatrist at the hospital alerted management to his concerns about Le Scouarnec’s behaviour in 2006, a court document said, but the surgeon continued to work with children.
The Quimperle hospital didn’t respond to a request for comment.
The prosecutor in Lorient, Stephane Kellenberger, whose office led the investigation into Le Scouarnec’s alleged crimes, said he has opened a separate preliminary probe to ascertain if there was any criminal liability by agencies or individuals who could have prevented the abuse.

Source : https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/after-shocking-pelicot-crimes-french-surgeon-face-trial-child-sex-abuse-case-2025-02-17/

At least 31 people have died after a bus crash in Bolivia, police have said.

An officer said the driver appeared to have lost control of the vehicle, causing it to drop more than 2,600 ft (800m) off a precipice in the southwestern area of Yocalla.

Among the injured, 10 adults and four children were taken to hospital, with several in intensive care, a healthcare official said.

Source : https://news.sky.com/story/at-least-31-dead-after-bus-crash-in-bolivia-13311649

Costa Rica said on Monday it was willing to receive migrants from the US who are nationals of other countries. Previously, Panama and Guatemala also offered to do the same.

The country’s presidential office said in a statement that 200 migrants from central Asia and India would be arriving in a commercial flight from the US on Wednesday.

What is the Costa Rica plan?

They will then be moved to the countries of their origin.

“The Government of Costa Rica agreed to collaborate with the US in the repatriation of 200 illegal immigrants to their country. These are people originating from Central Asia and India,” the statement said.

The first set of deportees arriving on Wednesday will be put up in a temporary migrant center, close to the border with Panama.

The operation will be funded by the US government under the supervision of the International Organization for Migration (IOM).

What about Guatemala and Panama?

During US Secretary of State Marco Rubio’s tour of Latin America, Panama and Guatemala had agreed a similar arrangement.

No migrants have arrived yet in Guatemala, but Panama received 119 migrants last week, originating from China, Pakistan, Afghanistan and so on.

Throughout his political career, US President Donald Trump has taken a hard stance against migrants. After taking office this January, he vowed to deport “millions and millions” of migrants.

Source : https://www.dw.com/en/costa-rica-to-take-india-central-asia-deportees-from-us/a-71645143

Nepalese Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli said Monday evening his government dispatched two officers to counsel Nepali students after the death of a young woman at an Indian university campus sparked protests.

The Nepalese student, Prakriti Lamsal, was found dead in her dorm room at a well-known private university, the Kalinga Institute of Industrial Technology (KIIT), in the eastern Indian city of Bhubaneshwar, on Sunday evening.

Students at the university took to protesting against the incident overnight, asking management for a thorough investigation into the matter, but said they were met with “suppression,” according to the Nepal Students’ Union (NSU).

Turmoil after KIIT asks Nepalese students to ‘vacate’ premises

The university issued a bulletin following protests, asking Nepalese students to “vacate the university campus immediately on February 17,” before rescinding the order Monday evening.

Indian media outlets reported that Nepalese students at the university were asked to board buses so they could be taken to various railway stations and then travel home.

The university administration later issued another appeal on X, writing that it had taken steps to restore normalcy on the campus, adding: “An appeal is made to all our Nepali students who have or plan to leave the campus to return and resume the classes.”

The NSU union told DW that they were “positive about the reversal of the order” but still had concerns about the safety of the students, adding that university authorities had assured the union the people involved in the incident had been suspended.

Source : https://www.dw.com/en/kiit-nepalese-students-death-sparks-anger-at-india-college/a-71642337

A man believed to be the world’s first openly gay Muslim imam has been shot dead while sitting in a car in South Africa, in what many are calling an assassination due to his teachings.

Muhsin Hendricks was killed on Saturday in the southern city of Gqeberha after being ambushed by two men in a pick-up truck. Police said the attackers had their faces covered.

Security footage of the shooting shows one of them jumping out of the vehicle, running up to the car Hendricks was in, and firing multiple times through a side window.

Police have not determined a motive, but political parties and LGBTQ+ organisations claim Hendricks was targeted because he founded a mosque in Cape Town for gay people and campaigned for LGBTQ+ inclusion in Islam. Homosexuality is forbidden in the Islamic faith.

South Africa’s Justice Ministry said it was investigating claims that Hendricks was assassinated.

Hendricks was internationally known and spoke at the International Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans and Intersex Association’s (ILGA) conference in South Africa last year.

Julia Ehrt, executive director of ILGA, said the organisation was “in deep shock at the news of the murder of Muhsin Hendricks and calls on authorities to thoroughly investigate what we fear may be a hate crime.

“He supported and mentored so many people in South Africa and around the world in their journey to reconcile with their faith.”

The ILGA said Hendricks had spoken about how some people were demanding his mosque be shut down, calling it the “gay temple”.

The Democratic Alliance, South Africa’s second-largest political party, said: “The nature of the killing strongly suggests a professional hit.”

Hendricks came out as a gay imam in the mid-1990s, later founding a support network and a mosque for gay Muslims.

Through his Al-Ghurbaab Foundation, he campaigned for their inclusion, referring to himself as “the world’s first openly queer imam”.

Explaining his decision, he said: “When I was looking at the way queer Muslims were negotiating this dilemma between Islam and their sexual orientation and identity, I felt compelled to do something about it.

“And I thought, for me to help would probably be for me to be authentic with myself and come out. I think it’s possible to be queer and Muslim or queer and Christian.”

Source : https://www.express.co.uk/news/world/2015557/muhsin-hendricks-openly-gay-imam-shot-dead-south-africa

Japan’s government approved on Tuesday (Feb 18) new targets to cut the country’s greenhouse gas emissions through 2040, alongside a revised energy plan and an updated industrial policy for the same period.

The measures, which seek to bolster long-term policy stability for businesses, focus on promoting decarbonisation, ensuring a stable energy supply and strengthening industrial capacity to drive economic growth.

Under the new climate policy, Japan aims to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 60 per cent from 2013 levels by 2035 and by 73 per cent by 2040, extending its 2030 goal of a 46 per cent cut.

The emissions-cutting target sparked calls for deeper reductions from experts and ruling coalition members when it was first proposed, as the world’s fifth-biggest carbon emitter struggles to reduce its dependence on fossil fuels.

Despite more than 80 per cent of 3,000 public comments supporting a more ambitious target, the environment and industry ministries finalised the goal without changes, citing prior deliberations by climate experts.

As part of global efforts to combat climate change, Japan plans to submit its new target, known as a Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC) under the Paris Agreement, to the United Nations this month.

The revised energy policy aims for renewables to account for up to 50 per cent of Japan’s electricity mix by fiscal year 2040, with nuclear power contributing another 20 per cent as the country pushes for clean energy while meeting rising power demand.

Japanese utilities have struggled to restart nuclear reactors since the 2011 Fukushima disaster, limiting nuclear power to just 8.5 per cent of Japan’s electricity supply in 2023.

The new energy plan removes the previous goal of minimizing reliance on nuclear and calls for building next-generation reactors.

A new national strategy integrating decarbonisation and industrial policy through 2040, aligned with the emission target and energy plan, was also approved by the cabinet.

It aims to develop industrial clusters in areas rich in renewable energy, nuclear power, and other low-carbon power sources.

Source : https://www.channelnewsasia.com/east-asia/japan-approves-new-climate-energy-industry-policies-2040-4943891

Top US and Russian diplomats will meet in Saudi Arabia on Tuesday for talks on resetting their countries’ fractured relations and making a tentative start on trying to end the Ukraine war.

Both sides played down the chances that the first high-level meeting between the countries since US President Donald Trump took office would result in a breakthrough.

Still, the very fact the talks were taking place has triggered concern in Ukraine and Europe following the United States’ recent overtures towards the Kremlin.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said Kyiv was not invited to the discussions in Riyadh, while European leaders were gathering in Paris for emergency talks on how to respond to the radical pivot by the new US administration.

Preparations for a possible summit between presidents Trump and Vladimir Putin are also expected to be on the agenda.

Trump is pushing for a swift resolution to the three-year conflict in Ukraine, while Russia sees his outreach as a chance to win concessions.

Zelensky said Kyiv “did not know anything about” the talks in Riyadh, according to Ukrainian news agencies, and that it “cannot recognise any things or any agreements about us without us”.

He said on social media that any peace deal would need to include “robust and reliable” security guarantees, which France and Britain have called for but not all European powers support.

Russia said ahead of the meeting that Putin and Trump wanted to move on from “abnormal relations” and that it saw no place for Europeans to be at any negotiating table.

Russia’s Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and senior Putin aide Yuri Ushakov will meet with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, National Security Advisor Mike Waltz and Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters the talks would be “primarily devoted to restoring the whole complex of Russian-American relations”, alongside discussions on “possible negotiations on a Ukrainian resolution, and organising a meeting between the two presidents”.

Moscow, which for years has sought to roll back NATO’s presence in Europe, has made clear it wants to hold bilateral talks with the United States on a plethora of broad security issues, not just a possible Ukraine ceasefire.

Before invading in February 2022, Putin was demanding the military alliance pull its troops, equipment and bases out of several eastern members that were under Moscow’s sphere of influence during the Cold War.

The prospects of any talks leading to an agreement to halt the Ukraine fighting are unclear.

Both Russia and the United States have cast the meeting as the beginning of a potentially lengthy process.

“I don’t think that people should view this as something that is about details or moving forward in some kind of a negotiation,” US State Department spokesperson Tammy Bruce said.

Russia’s Ushakov told state media the talks would discuss “how to start negotiations on Ukraine.”

Both Ukraine and Russia have ruled out territorial concessions and Putin last year demanded Kyiv withdraw its troops from even more territory.

Zelensky will travel to Turkey on Tuesday to discuss the conflict with President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, and then Saudi Arabia a day later.

He does not plan to hold talks with either the US or Russian delegations, his spokesman said Monday.

Zelensky said last week he was prepared to meet Putin, but only after Kyiv and its allies had a common position on ending the war.

As European leaders gathered in Paris for an emergency security summit, Russia’s Lavrov said Monday he saw no point in them taking part in any Ukraine talks.

The significance of the talks taking place in Riyadh was not lost on analysts.

A diplomatic pariah under the former US administration, it has been brought back into the fold with Trump’s return.

“Europe’s the traditional meeting place for the Americans and the Russians, but that’s not an option in the current environment,” said James Dorsey of the National University of Singapore.

Source : https://www.ibtimes.com/saudi-arabia-hosts-us-russia-talks-no-seat-ukraine-3764053

Protestors across the nation gathered outside Tesla showrooms on Saturday to protest CEO Elon Musk’s leadership of President Donald Trump’s government cost-cutting initiative.

Demonstrators in cities like New York, Seattle, and Los Angeles carried signs with the phrase “Stop Musk,” signaling concerns over his close ties to Trump’s agenda, reported the Guardian.

Protests against DOGE have been taking place in Washington, D.C. since February 3. Critics argue that Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) is illegally dismantling agencies and firing federal workers.

“We’re under attack by billionaires,” said one ex-federal worker, Hanna Hickman, who was recently fired under DOGE’s unwavering purge.

Musk’s $200 million campaign contribution to Trump’s election campaign has raised alarms among Tesla investors, fearing sales declines in liberal strongholds like California.

The Financial Times said Tesla’s stock value has declined by 12% since the beginning of this year. Tesla experienced its first annual sales decline last year.

Meanwhile, Tesla sales in Germany dropped nearly 60% after Musk inserted himself into the nation’s elections and aligned himself with far-right politics.

Musk even drew the ire of German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, who gave a rather dismissive take on Musk’s scrutiny on German politics, “Don’t feed the troll.”

Celebrities joined the backlash–Sheryl Crow sold her Tesla, saying, “You are who you hang out with.”

Musk’s political stance could reshape Tesla’s customer base–potentially trading liberal buyers for conservative ones.

Trump signed an order to kill the Department of Labor’s Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs (OFCCP), which was initially investigating Tesla for workplace discrimination.

Time Magazine mocked Trump’s administration by putting a photo of “President Elon Musk” on the cover of the publication in response to his growing presence in American politics.

Musk’s bid to buy Sam Altman’s OpenAI, which a lawsuit revealed he left after a failed attempt to merge the company with Tesla, has led to Altman publicly speaking about the spat.

Trump’s staff said the president was “furious” at Musk for panning his $500 billion artificial intelligence (AI) deal dubbed the Stargate project involving OpenAI.

“They don’t actually have the money,” Musk said in an X post referencing the project that includes Soft Bank acting as chair and OpenAI as a key initial tech partner.

Source : https://www.latintimes.com/protestors-gather-outside-tesla-showrooms-across-nation-stop-musk-575841

Argentine President Javier Milei is facing impeachment calls – and legal action accusing him of fraud – over his promotion of cryptocurrency on social media.

Milei posted on X, formerly Twitter, about the $LIBRA coin on Friday, which he said would help fund small businesses and start-ups.

He shared a link to buy it, causing its price to shoot up. But within a few hours, he deleted his post and the cryptocurrency nosedived in value, losing investors most of their money.

Some opposition members of Congress say they plan to start proceedings to impeach Milei. Meanwhile, lawyers filed complaints of fraud in Argentina’s criminal court on Sunday.

Some people online have accused Milei of what is known as a “rug pull” – where promoters of a cryptocurrency draw in buyers, only to stop trading activity and make off with the money raised from sales. They pointed out that the link used to buy the coins referenced a phrase the president uses in his speeches.

But Argentina’s presidential office said on Saturday that the decision to remove the post was to avoid “speculation” following public reaction to the launch of the cryptocurrency.

It said Milei was not involved in the cryptocurrency’s development, and that the government’s Anti-Corruption Office would investigate and determine whether anyone had acted improperly, including the president himself.

Jonatan Baldiviezo, one of the plaintiffs who filed the legal action, told Associated Press “the crime of fraud was committed, in which the president’s actions were essential”.

Source : https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cp9x9j89evxo

Olympic shooter Manu Bhaker has been named BBC Indian Sportswoman of the Year for 2024 after a global public vote.

The 22-year-old was recognised for her historic achievement in becoming the first Indian woman to win two medals at a single Olympic Games.

Bhaker became the first Indian woman to win an OIympic medal in shooting when she won bronze in the women’s 10m air pistol in Paris.

Two days later she won a second bronze – alongside Sarabjot Singh in the mixed 10m air pistol.

Bhaker has previously won the BBC’s ISWOTY Emerging Athlete of the Year award.

On accepting her latest award, Bhaker said: “I have had a journey of ups and downs. I hope I can inspire women, all athletes and people with big dreams.

“Your journey doesn’t end if you are struggling. You write your own story.”

Her fellow shooter Avani Lekhara was presented with the BBC ISWOTY Para-sportswoman of the Year award.

The 23-year-old is the first Indian woman to win three Paralympic medals, with gold in Paris following a gold and bronze at Tokyo 2020.

Indian President Droupadi Murmu said: “I appreciate the entire team of the BBC for the praiseworthy initiative of organising BBC Indian Sportswoman of the Year.

“The extraordinary athletes who have been recognised through this initiative have not only excelled in their sports but have also inspired young women to pursue their dreams fearlessly.”

BBC director general Tim Davie, who hosted the awards ceremony, said: “Manu Bhaker’s historic Olympic performance is a defining moment for Indian sports. Her journey from a promising young shooter to a record-breaking Olympian inspires athletes across the country and beyond.

“We are also honoured to celebrate Avani Lekhara as the Para-sportswoman of the Year. Her resilience and record-breaking success continue to pave the way for greater inclusion and excellence in Para-sports.

“The BBC’s commitment to audiences in India makes our relationship here a special one, and we are proud to celebrate the achievements of India’s incredible sportswomen.”

Archer Sheetal Devi won the Emerging Athlete Award after becoming India’s youngest Paralympic medallist.

The 18-year-old added a bronze medal at the Paris Games to two golds and one silver at the 2022 Asian Para Games, and a silver at the World Para Archery Championships.

Mithali Raj was given the Lifetime Achievement Award for her record 18-year captaincy of the Indian women’s cricket team.

Raj, 42, led the team from 2004 to 2022 and is the longest-serving captain in international cricket history.

Source : https://www.bbc.com/sport/articles/cj656x4le9ro

The choice by the Trump administration of Saudi Arabia as the location for key talks on Ukraine underscores how far the Kingdom has come diplomatically from the near pariah state it became after the murder of the Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi in 2018.

The shadow that cast over the country and its de facto leader, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman in particular, appears to have lifted, although there are still concerns occasionally raised at international forums over Saudi Arabia’s human rights record.

On many fronts – in entertainment and sport in particular – the country has spent huge amounts of money to further its ambitions to be a major player on the world stage.

Diplomatically, the Saudi leadership has also been enhancing its role. During the Biden years, the Kingdom increased its pivot away from reliance on the US as its key international ally.

The Saudis made clear that they would follow what they perceive as their interests first and foremost – striking up closer relationships with countries viewed as key rivals to the US, such as Russia and China.

The return of Donald Trump to the White House will have been welcomed by the Saudis.

His first foreign visit in his first term was to Saudi Arabia – and the transactional nature of his foreign policy is more conducive to the current Saudi leadership.

One of the possible achievements that Mr Trump would most like to chalk up on his record would be a peace deal between the Saudis and Israel – which would be the culmination of the Abraham Accords that he initiated in his first term.

But the war in Gaza has subsequently got in the way and may well raise the price that Saudi Arabia will demand for a peace agreement.

The Saudis were very quick to announce their definitive rejection of Mr Trump’s plan for Gaza – to remove all the Palestinians and rebuild it as a resort.

It has spurred the Kingdom to try to come up with a workable alternative plan with other Arab states – which would see Gazans remain in place as the enclave is rebuilt and would lead to a two state solution of the conflict.

Source : https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cp9x97yvjp4o

Novak Djokovic says a majority of tennis players have lost faith in the anti-doping authorities following Jannik Sinner’s three-month ban, and there’s a widespread feeling that “favoritism” is being shown to the sport’s biggest stars.

The 24-time major winner called on the World Anti-Doping Agency and the International Tennis Integrity Agency to overhaul their processes for dealing with doping cases “because the system and the structure obviously doesn’t work.”

“Right now there is a lack of trust generally from the tennis players, both male and female, toward WADA and ITIA and the whole process,” Djokovic said at the Qatar Open.

Top-ranked Sinner reached a deal with WADA on Saturday to accept a ban that will have him back playing in time for the French Open in May without having to miss a single Grand Slam tournament. That came after the International Tennis Integrity Agency had decided not to suspend Sinner for what it judged was accidental contamination by a banned anabolic steroid last March.

The short ban for Sinner came after five-time Grand Slam champion Iga Swiatek accepted a one-month suspension in November after testing positive for a banned substance that she said was accidentally consumed because of a contaminated nonprescription medication. Both bans are much shorter than what other athletes in tennis and in other sports have normally received in similar cases.

“It’s not a good image for our sport, that’s for sure,” Djokovic, the long-time No. 1 in men’s tennis, said. “There’s a majority of the players that I’ve talked to in the locker room, not just in the last few days, but also last few months, that are not happy with the way this whole process (for Sinner) has been handled.

“A majority of the players don’t feel that it’s fair. A majority of the players feel like there is favoritism happening. It appears that you can almost affect the outcome if you are a top player, if you have access to the top lawyers and whatnot.”

Sinner had been scheduled to play in Qatar before accepting the ban.

The handling of Sinner’s case had already raised questions about double standards, and when the ban was announced it was widely criticized by other players. The positive tests weren’t publicly revealed until August because Sinner successfully appealed against being provisionally banned from playing. He then won the U.S. Open in September and the Australian Open in January.

Sinner’s explanation for the positive test was that trace amounts of Clostebol in his doping sample was due to a massage from a trainer who used the substance after cutting his own finger, which WADA accepted.

Djokovic said he didn’t question Sinner’s and Swiatek’s innocence but that he and other players are frustrated about the inconsistent handling of doping cases.

He pointed to the case of former women’s No. 1 Simona Halep — who was given a four-year ban by the ITIA in 2022 after a positive test before it was later reduced to nine months — and British player Tara Moore, who was suspended in May 2022 while an investigation lasted 18 months before an independent tribunal determined that her positive test for a banned substance was caused by contaminated meat.

Source : https://apnews.com/article/novak-djokovic-jannik-sinner-doping-3407d7dc8b961ae3962fec4f5055a864

AT least 11 people are dead as brutal ice, harsh wind, and dangerously cold temperatures have wracked the country in an arctic blast.

A week-long arctic outbreak is bringing the coldest weather this winter has seen from the North Pole down to multiple states across the country.

More than 65 million Americans have been issued cold weather alerts in 13 states from Texas to Minnesota.

The extreme weather has brought freezing rain to states including Kentucky, Tennessee, and Virginia.

The flash floods in Kentucky have killed at least 11 people, Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear confirmed on Monday.

“All of Kentucky still has standing water in different areas,” Beshear said in a storm briefing.

“Over 300 roads still impacted and closed, so everyone, be careful.”

The flooding was so extreme in Detroit, Michigan, that people had to be rescued from their homes, according to ABC affiliate WXYZ.

Frozen cars in Detroit were stuck in icy flood water standing at least two feet high, a terrifying video posted on X showed.

The chilly rain will be followed by snow flurries before record-low temperatures are expected to hit the US in the coming polar vortex.

A polar vortex is swirling cold air around the North and South Poles that can be pushed down into the South.

In a normal winter, the polar vortex is stretched into the US maybe two or three times, according to the Associated Press.

However, this is the tenth icy event so far this winter – and it’s set to be the coldest.

“Everything, all the stars align, all the wind directions in the atmosphere are dragging the cold polar air out of the Canadian Arctic,” Meteorologist Ryan Maue said, according to the AP.

“It’s the depths of winter. Everything signals extreme biting, winter cold.

“Obviously this isn’t the first polar vortex episode of the winter, but it looks to be the most severe.”

The polar vortex will move temperatures well below zero for states across the Midwest and East Coast.

Temperatures are expected to plunge to -45 degrees Fahrenheit with wind chill in areas including northeastern Montana and North Dakota.

Your face will fall off at these temperatures.”

The wind chill is expected to make the temperatures even lower.

Areas in North Dakota, South Dakota, and Minnesota face an “extreme cold warning,” according to the National Weather Service.

Source : https://www.the-sun.com/news/13561817/arctic-outbreak-cold-temperatures-dead-flood-waters-weather/

The Washington Post has rejected a provocative “Fire Elon Musk” ad campaign, planned by the advocacy group Common Cause. The campaign was scheduled to appear in the Tuesday edition of the paper.

What Happened: Common Cause had entered into a $115,000 deal with the Washington Post to feature the ad. The campaign, co-developed with the Southern Poverty Law Center Action Fund, was set to cover the front and back page of the Tuesday paper, along with a full-page ad inside the paper, reported The Hill.

The ad featured a large image of Musk laughing, with the White House in the background and the text: “Who’s running this country: Donald Trump or Elon Musk?”. It also contained a call to action for readers to urge their senators to have Trump dismiss Musk.

Virginia Kase Solomón, President of Common Cause, stated that the Post’s advertising sales representative had been informed about the ad’s content and had initially shown no issues with running it. However, the Post later declined to run the wrap ad without providing an explanation.

The Post’s decision has sparked questions among the advocacy group, with Kase Solomón questioning if the rejection was due to the ad’s criticism of Musk or potential backlash from the president.

The Post’s advertising guidelines state that advertisers must comply with laws and regulations for political ads and that the publication may require proof of factual claims. The Post declined to comment to The Hill on the decision, citing its policy against discussing internal matters related to specific ad campaigns.

Why It Matters: Jeff Bezos, owner of the Washington Post, had previously dismissed concerns about Musk’s influence on the Trump administration. Furthermore, Bezos had expressed optimism about Trump’s second term and pledged to assist in cutting regulations.

Source : https://www.benzinga.com/25/02/43760885/jeff-bezos-owned-washington-post-turns-down-ad-campaign-that-asked-whos-running-this-country-donald-trump-or-elon-musk

SEMINOLE, Texas — When Aganetha Unger pulled up her large, white van to the emergency measles testing site, several of her eight children were coughing.

“We had some sickness in the house, not very bad, but some fever, some cough,” said Unger, who is Mennonite. One child, she said, had a fever of 103 degrees.

Her youngest getting tested was a 2-month-old, wrapped tightly in a pink blanket on her mom’s lap. When the EMS team swabbed her nose, she didn’t cry.

It was Thursday, eight days after the Texas Department of State Health Services first reported a measles outbreak on the rural, western edge of the state.

On Friday, the number of confirmed cases rose to 49, up from 24 earlier in the week, the state health department said. The majority of those cases are in Gaines County, which borders New Mexico.

Most cases are in school-age kids, and 13 have been hospitalized. All are unvaccinated against measles, which is one of the most contagious viruses in the world.

The latest measles case count likely represents a fraction of the true number of infections. Health officials — who are scrambling to get a handle on the vaccine-preventable outbreak — suspect 200 to 300 people in West Texas are infected but untested, and therefore not part of the state’s official tally so far.

The fast-moving outbreak comes as Robert F. Kennedy Jr. takes the helm of the Department of Health and Human Services. Kennedy, a vaccine skeptic, has long sown distrust about childhood vaccines, and in particular, the measles-mumps-rubella (MMR) vaccine, falsely linking it to autism.

During his confirmation hearings, Kennedy said he was not anti-vaccine. “I am pro-safety,” he said. “All of my kids are vaccinated, and I believe vaccines have a critical role in health care.”

HHS did not respond to a request for comment from Kennedy about the outbreak.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention can send in its experts to assist only if the state requests help. So far, Texas has not done so, the CDC said.

The CDC has sent about 2,000 doses of the MMR vaccine to Texas health officials at their request. However, most doses so far are being accepted by partially vaccinated kids to boost their immunity, rather than the unvaccinated.

Without widespread vaccination, experts say, the outbreak could go on for months.

Measles epicenter

The city of Seminole is the seat of Gaines County, Texas, and the epicenter of the current measles outbreak. It’s located in a vast, flat region filled with ranchers and peanut and cotton farmers.

There’s also a large Mennonite population, a religious sect that believes in “total separation from the outside world,” according to the Texas State Historical Association. These Mennonites chose to settle in Gaines County, in part, for its lack of regulation on private schools. This includes vaccine mandates.

As of the 2023-24 school year, Gaines County had one of the state’s highest vaccine exemption rates, at nearly 18%, according to health department data.

“We have a high, high number of unvaccinated,” said Tonya Guffey, the chief nursing officer at Seminole District Hospital. “It’s not that they’re not educated. It’s just what their belief is.”

Guffey noted that many of the unvaccinated people in the area were Mennonite. “We educate, we encourage, we do what we can for the community, but it’s their choice,” she said.

The pandemic also appears to have driven down vaccination rates.

“We have some outside of that group of people that are unvaccinated, and the Covid vaccine did play a part in that,” Guffey said.

Guffey, who was born and raised in Gaines County, has been in health care for over 30 years and said she’s never seen a measles outbreak before. Still, she wasn’t surprised by the size of the outbreak currently spreading across the county.

“With the large population of unvaccinated that we have,” Guffey said, “it’s not out of the numbers that you would expect.”

‘Hub’ city concerns

Measles cases were limited to rural areas surrounding Lubbock, Texas, the largest city in the region, until Friday afternoon, when Lubbock Public Health confirmed its first case.

The “hub” city, as it’s nicknamed, is where all of the big grocery and big box stores are.

People who live in Gaines County regularly head into Lubbock to shop and do other business. That includes a large number of unvaccinated people who may have been exposed to measles.

“Communities who don’t vaccinate are not necessarily isolated to their area. They commute to Lubbock,” said Dr. Ana Montanez, a pediatrician at Texas Tech Physicians in Lubbock. “By doing that, they’re taking the disease with them.”

Several of Montanez’s young patients were exposed recently, she said, one just by sitting in the same clinic waiting room with another child who was later confirmed to have measles. That child had traveled from another county for care.

Two doses of the MMR vaccine are needed for virtually full protection against the virus. The first is given at around age 1, but the second isn’t given until around age 5. That leaves kids slightly vulnerable for the several years that they are in between doses.

Doctors have the option of giving the second dose early, however, if a child has been exposed to the virus. That’s what Montanez has done for a few of her vulnerable patients. She also continues to counsel families who aren’t vaccinating their children about the benefits of the shots.

Source : https://www.nbcnews.com/health/health-news/measles-outbreak-west-texas-grows-unvaccinated-rcna192163

The Trump administration has urged Romanian authorities to lift travel restrictions on influencer Andrew Tate and his brother, Tristan Tate, as they await trial on charges including human trafficking, sexual misconduct, and money laundering, according to a report by the Financial Times.

The 37-year-old is currently under house arrest in Romania and is awaiting trial on human trafficking charges. His brother, 36, and two Romanian women are also awaiting trial.

Newsweek reached out to the U.S. State Department and Tate’s publicist for comment via email on Monday.

Why It Matters

The brothers, who hold dual United States and United Kingdom citizenship, were arrested alongside two Romanian women in December 2022 on charges of human trafficking, sexual misconduct, and money laundering, all of which they deny. Andrew Tate also faces an additional rape charge.

Their case has garnered significant attention within right-wing social media circles, where they are portrayed as martyrs of political persecution. With a strong following in the “manosphere”—an online movement that promotes male dominance and opposes feminism—the brothers have become influential figures among conservative social media users.

What To Know

U.S. officials initially broached the subject during a phone call with the Romanian government, advocating for the return of the Tates’ passports and permission for them to travel while awaiting court proceedings, the FT reported.

This diplomatic effort was further amplified when Richard Grenell, President Donald Trump’s U.S. envoy for special missions, met with Romanian Foreign Minister Emil Hurezeanu at the Munich Security Conference last week.

While Hurezeanu declined to comment on the specifics of their discussion, his spokesperson emphasized the independence of the Romanian judiciary, stating that courts operate based on the law and due process.

Grenell, acknowledging his support for the Tates to the FT, has publicly criticized the role of U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) funds in Romania, suggesting they have been “weaponized against people and politicians who weren’t woke.”

Andrew Tate has previously said he would move back to the U.S. following Trump’s election victory in November.

Vice President JD Vance recently criticized Romanian authorities for annulling a presidential election in December, calling it an example of Europe’s alleged crackdown on right-wing figures.

Source : https://www.newsweek.com/trump-administration-pressuring-romania-over-andrew-tate-reports-2032237

European leaders insisted Monday they must have a say in international talks to end the war in Ukraine despite the clear message from both Washington and Moscow that there was no role for them as yet in negotiations that could shape the future of the continent.

Three hours of emergency talks at the Elysee Palace in Paris left leaders of Germany, the United Kingdom, Italy, Poland, Spain, the Netherlands, Denmark, NATO and the European Union without a common view on possible peacekeeping troops after a U.S. diplomatic blitz on Ukraine last week threw a once-solid trans-Atlantic alliance into turmoil.

U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer called for U.S. backing while reaffirming he’s ready to consider sending British forces on the Ukrainian ground alongside others “if there is a lasting peace agreement.”

There was a rift though with some EU nations, like Poland, which have said they don’t want their military imprint on Ukraine soil. Macron was non-committal.

Dutch Prime Minister Dick Schoof acknowledged the Europeans “need to come to a common conclusion about what we can contribute. And that way we will eventually get a seat at the table,” adding that “just sitting at the table without contributing is pointless.”

Starmer said a trans-Atlantic bond remained essential. “There must be a U.S. backstop, because a U.S. security guarantee is the only way to effectively deter Russia from attacking Ukraine again,” he said.

Top U.S. officials from the Trump administration, on their first visit to Europe last week, left the impression that Washington was ready to embrace the Kremlin while it cold-shouldered many of its age-old European allies.

tions

Gen. Keith Kellogg, Trump’s special envoy for Ukraine and Russia, said Monday he didn’t think it was “reasonable and feasible to have everybody sitting at the table.”

“We know how that can turn out and that has been our point, is keeping it clean and fast as we can,” he told reporters in Brussels, where he briefed the 31 U.S. allies in NATO, along with EU officials, before heading to Kyiv for talks on Wednesday with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

His remarks were echoed by Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, who was equally dismissive about a role for Europe. “I don’t know what they have to do at the negotiations table,” he said as he arrived in Saudi Arabia for talks with U.S. officials.

Last week, Vice President JD Vance and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth in a flurry of speeches questioned both Europe’s security commitments and its fundamental democratic principles.

French President Emmanuel Macron, who has long championed a stronger European defense, said their stinging rebukes and threats of non-cooperation in the face of military danger felt like a shock to the system.

The tipping point came when Trump decided to upend years of U.S. policy by holding talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin in hopes of ending the Russia-Ukraine war.

Shortly before the meeting in Paris Monday, Macron spoke with Trump, but Macron’s office would not disclose details about the 20-minute discussion.

Europeans stand by their support to Ukraine

Starmer, who said he will travel to Washington next week to discuss with President Trump “what we see as the key elements of a lasting peace,” appears to be charting a “third way” in Europe’s shifting geopolitical landscape — aligning strategically with the U.S. administration while maintaining EU ties. Some analysts suggest this positioning could allow him to act as a bridge between Trump and Europe, potentially serving as a key messenger to the White House.

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz told reporters a possible peace agreement with Russia cannot be forced on Ukraine. “For us, it must and is clear: This does not mean that peace can be dictated and that Ukraine must accept what is presented to it,” he insisted.

Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez said that any peace agreement would need to have the active involvement of the EU and Ukraine, so as to not be a false end to the war “as has happened in the past.”

He went on: “What cannot be is that the aggressor is rewarded.”

A strong U.S. component, though, will remain essential for the foreseeable future since it will take many years before many European nations can ratchet up defense production and integrate it into an effective force.

Sending troops after a peace deal?

Highlighting the inconsistencies among many nations about potential troop contributions, Scholz said talk of boots on the ground was “premature.”

“This is highly inappropriate, to put it bluntly, and honestly: we don’t even know what the outcome will be” of any peace negotiation, he added.

European nations are bent though on boosting their armed forces where they can after years of U.S. complaints, and most have increased defense spending to 2% of gross domestic product, but the path to reaching 3% is unclear.

Source : https://apnews.com/article/eu-europe-ukraine-nato-security-summit-trump-060c8661c59f8f75b96711d3889ce559