News & Current Events

[ad_1] US President Donald Trump on Wednesday took another fresh swipe at veteran rock star Bruce Springsteen, taking their public feud to a new level.The MAGA supremo shared a doctored video on social media showing himself hitting Springsteen with a golf ball.The video was posted on both Trump’s Truth Social, begins with footage of Trump swinging a golf club and hitting a ball. It then cuts to a clip of Springsteen tripping and rolling onto the stage during one of his concerts. In the edited version, a golf ball is added to the scene, making it look as if Trump’s shot caused Springsteen’s fall.The video follows a series of harsh exchanges between the two, which began after Springsteen’s recent critical remarks about the Trump administration during the opening show of his European tour.“The America I love, the America I’ve written […]

[ad_1] A young woman in Australia has pleaded guilty to setting her longtime friend on fire after he made a misogynistic remark during a night of partying, a court heard earlier this month, reports the New York Post. Corbie Jean Walpole admitted to the arson attack on Jake Loader in New South Wales last year. The court was told Walpole was “overwhelmed” by Loader’s behaviour throughout the evening before she snapped in response to a sexist comment he made at a house party, according to the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC).Loader reportedly told Walpole, “she should stay in the kitchen making scones” if she couldn’t keep up with drinking like the boys. That comment pushed Walpole over the edge.According to the ABC, she went to the garage, grabbed a gallon of petrol, and returned to douse Loader with the flammable liquid. […]

[ad_1] The French parliament moved Wednesday to stop telemarketers making annoying, unsolicited phone calls, with measures due to come into force in just over a year.Under the legislation, passed in a senate vote, it will be up to a company to prove that a call made on their behalf to an individual's telephone was done so with the person's express consent.The only exception would be when the company is calling to carry out an already-agreed contract.According to an October 2024 survey by French consumer group UFC-Que Choisir, 97 percent of people in France have expressed irritation at the cold calls.Often the telemarketers use different phone numbers from different geographic areas as a tactic to place the calls about heat pumps, changing utility or cell phone providers, installing windows, or other transactions.The lawmakers, backed by the government, decided to erect a […]

[ad_1] US accepts Boeing 747 gift from Qatar for Trump (Picture credit: AP) The US defense department has confirmed that it has accepted a Boeing 747 jetliner gifted by Qatar, intended for use as a future Air Force One for US President Donald Trump. Pentagon spokesperson Sean Parnell said in a statement on Wednesday that the plane was accepted “in accordance with all federal rules and regulations.” The aircraft is now being assessed for security upgrades to meet presidential transport requirements.According to The New York Times, the aircraft, estimated to be worth $200 million, requires significant modifications before it can securely carry the president. Air Force secretary Troy Meink admitted during Senate testimony, “Any civilian aircraft will take significant modifications... We’re off looking at that right now.”Concerns are mounting in Congress over the potential for rushed retrofitting under political pressure. […]

[ad_1] Gerald E. Connolly, a senior Democrat from Virginia and a top member of the House Oversight Committee, has died at 75.He passed away peacefully on Wednesday at home, surrounded by family, following a battle with oesophageal cancer.Connolly passed away at his home, according to a statement issued by his loved ones. The family did not reveal the cause of death, though Connolly had shared in 2024 that he was undergoing treatment for cancer of the oesophagus.Last month, he confirmed the cancer had returned and announced he would not seek re-election in 2026.“It is with immense sadness that we share that our devoted and loving father, husband, brother, friend, and public servant, Congressman Gerald E. Connolly, passed away peacefully at his home this morning surrounded by family,” the statement read.Connolly had served as the congressman for Virginia’s 11th district since […]

[ad_1] Families who have lost loved ones to crimes committed by illegal immigrants and gang members are pressing Republican lawmakers to back US President Trump’s proposed “big beautiful bill.”The bill aims to strengthen border security and speed up deportations.In an open letter to Congress, these “angel families” emphasised the urgent need for action to prevent others from suffering similar heartbreak, reports the New York Post. Angel Families is a term used to describe families of victims killed by illegal immigrants in the United States. “We write to you not as politicians or pundits, but as parents — mothers and fathers who have buried our children because the United States government failed to secure its border,” the letter states. “There can be no justice for our children, but there can be accountability. There can be action. And there must be change.”More […]

[ad_1] Former New York Governor and mayoral candidate Andrew Cuomo (AP Image/File Picture) The US department of justice has initiated a criminal investigation into former New York Governor Andrew Cuomo regarding alleged false statements to Congress about nursing home deaths during the COVID-19 pandemic.According to the New York Times report on Tuesday, the Washington, DC, US Attorney's Office began the investigation approximately a month ago. Ed Martin initially led the office before Jeanine Pirro's appointment earlier this month.The House Oversight and Government Reform Committee, under Republican leadership, requested Attorney General Pam Bondi to pursue criminal charges against Cuomo for allegedly making false statements during his June 11, 2024, interview with the House COVID subcommittee.Committee Chairman James Comer (R-Ky.) presented evidence suggesting Cuomo, 67, oversaw a July 6, 2020, audit that significantly underreported deaths in New York care facilities during the […]

[ad_1] In this photo released by the Russian Presidential Press Service on Wednesday, Russian President Vladimir Putin, 2nd left, attends a meeting with volunteers at Kursk region, Russia. (Picture credit: AP) Russian President Vladimir Putin made his first visit to the Kursk region since Moscow declared it had fully ousted Ukrainian forces from the border area, the Kremlin confirmed on Wednesday. The unannounced trip took place on Tuesday, with Putin visiting Kurchatov city and inspecting the under-construction Kursk Nuclear Power Plant-2.During his visit, Putin also met with local volunteers, many of whom were seen wearing symbols of Russia's invasion, the Latin letters “Z” and “V”, as shown in Russian state media broadcasts. Addressing them, Putin said, “What you are doing now during this difficult situation for this region, for this area, and for the country, will remain with you for […]

[ad_1] "German refugee policies are not suitable for current global challenges," concluded Benjamin Etzold this week in Berlin, where he presented the "Global Forced Displacement Report" he co-wrote along with his colleagues from the Bonn International Centre for Conflict Studies (BICC).Rubio Screams, Turns Mic Off During Senate Fight; Murray’s Exchange Makes US State Secy Lose ItRecalling Germany's recent federal election campaign, which was significantly shaped by the issue of immigration, Etzold thinks the debate was too "heated" and too focused on how immigration affects Germany — something he believes is unlikely to change under the new government.The researcher thinks the public debate could be improved by more interest in facts and scientific findings, while the global dimension of displacement is still largely being ignored.Do border controls deter?The migration expert also sharply criticized Chancellor Friedrich Merz's major new policy announcement: The […]

[ad_1] President Vladimir Putin visited Russia's Kursk region for the first time since Moscow claimed that it drove Ukrainian forces out of the area last month, the Kremlin said Wednesday. Putin visited the region bordering Ukraine the previous day, according to the Kremlin. Ukrainian forces made a surprise incursion into Kursk in August 2024 in one of its biggest battlefield successes in the more than three-year war. The incursion was the first time Russian territory was occupied by an invader since World War II and dealt a humiliating blow to the Kremlin. Since the end of 2023, Russia has mostly had the advantage on the battlefield, with the exception of Kursk. Ukraine, the U.S. and South Korea said that North Korea sent up to 12,000 troops to help the Russian army take back control of Kursk, and Russia said on […]