News & Current Events

[ad_1] French President Emmanuel Macron (Left) & Russian President Vladimir Putin PRZEMYSL: President Vladimir Putin's proposal for direct negotiations between Russia and Ukraine, after Kyiv and its European allies called for a 30-day ceasefire, is "not enough", French President Emmanuel Macron said on Sunday. "An unconditional ceasefire is not preceded by negotiations, by definition," Macron told reporters as he stepped off a train in the Polish city of Przemysl on his return from a trip to Ukraine, adding that Putin was "looking for a way out, but he still wants to buy time".Western allies have repeatedly accused Putin of delaying tactics with regards to any potential bid to end the conflict in Ukraine, which has dragged on since February 2022.Asked if this was another such example, Macron replied: "Yes, it is."Macron visited Kyiv on Saturday with the leaders of Germany, […]

[ad_1] Lawmakers who protested at Newark detention centre could be charged after 'mob' scene, says DHS (Picture credit: AP) The department of homeland security (DHS) has launched an investigation into what it described as a violent altercation involving three Democratic lawmakers during a confrontation outside the newly opened Delaney Hall immigration detention centre in Newark, New Jersey. Newark Mayor Ras Baraka was arrested at the scene, and federal officials now say assault charges against members of Congress are “definitely on the table.”Tricia McLaughlin, a DHS spokesperson, was quoted by CNN as saying that the department is reviewing bodycam footage that shows “members of Congress assaulting our ICE enforcement officers, including body-slamming a female ICE officer.” The agency alleges the confrontation erupted after Baraka refused to comply with repeated warnings to leave the premises.According to DHS, the incident escalated when a […]

[ad_1] Four shot, including 3 teens, on SEPTA Bus in Philadelphia (Picture credit: X/@KyleMazzaWUNF) Four people, including three teenagers, were shot on a crowded SEPTA Route 15 bus in Philadelphia’s Fairmount Park neighbourhood on Saturday evening, prompting a citywide manhunt.The shooting occurred around 6:30 pm (local time) near the intersection of 33rd Street and Girard Avenue, not far from the Philadelphia Zoo, reported CBS News. About 30 passengers were on board when a male suspect, described as being in his 40s, opened fire inside the bus.According to Philadelphia police inspector DF Pace, the shooter was seated in the middle of the bus when he turned around and fired toward the back, hitting a group of teenagers. “One was shot in the back, one was shot in the hand and one was shot in the foot,” Pace confirmed, adding that a […]

[ad_1] US President Donald Trump has dismissed Shira Perlmutter, the head of the US Copyright Office, just days after her office raised concerns over the use of copyrighted material in training artificial intelligence models. The move has triggered fierce backlash from Democrats, with accusations of executive overreach and interference in copyright regulation.According to CBS News, Perlmutter was removed shortly after the release of part three of a major AI policy report by the Copyright Office. The report questioned whether the mass use of copyrighted data by AI companies could be justified, noting, “It is an open question... how much data an AI developer needs, and the marginal effect of more data on a model’s capabilities.”Congratulations!You have successfully cast your voteLogin to view resultPerlmutter, who has led the Copyright Office since October 2020, was appointed by Librarian of Congress Carla Hayden, […]

[ad_1] A small sculpture capturing the dramatic aftermath of the July 2024 assassination attempt on US President Donald Trump has been placed on display in the Oval Office.The statue, which depicts the moment Trump raised his bloodied fist and shouted “Fight! Fight! Fight!” to supporters after being shot in the ear, now sits on a side table next to the Resolute Desk.The White House also shared an image of the sculpture on X, captioning it with the president’s rallying cry, “Fight! Fight! Fight!”Congratulations!You have successfully cast your voteLogin to view result— WhiteHouse (@WhiteHouse) The dramatic scene was from Trump’s campaign event in Butler, Pennsylvania, on July 13, when 20-year-old Thomas Matthew Crooks fired multiple shots, grazing the then-presidential candidate’s ear. In the sculpture, Trump is shown with three Secret Service agents, including current director Sean Curran, trying to shield and […]

[ad_1] Ras Baraka, the mayor of Newark, New Jersey, was released from custody Friday night following his arrest while protesting at a private Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) detention facility that is expected to play a key role in Trump's plans for mass deportations.Three Democratic House members were also at the protest but were not arrested. Baraka, 55, who spent several hours in custody, addressed supporters outside the US department of homeland security office in Newark. "The reality is this, I didn't do anything wrong," Baraka said. Alina Habba, Trump's appointee as interim US Attorney in New Jersey, said Baraka "committed trespass and ignored multiple warnings from Homeland Security Investigations to remove himself" from the Delaney Hall detention facility in Newark. Congratulations!You have successfully cast your voteLogin to view resultThe actions escalate a standoff between the Trump administration and Baraka […]

[ad_1] US President Donald Trump claimed on Saturday that “great progress” was made during the first day of high-stakes US-China trade talks in Geneva, signalling what he called a “total reset” in relations between the world’s two largest economies.In a post on Truth Social, the US president wrote, “A very good meeting today with China, in Switzerland. Many things discussed, much agreed to. A total reset negotiated in a friendly, but constructive, manner. We want to see, for the good of both China and the U.S., an opening up of China to American business. Great progress made!!!”The discussions, aimed at easing soaring trade tensions, took place at the Villa Saladin overlooking Lake Geneva and lasted over 10 hours. Congratulations!You have successfully cast your voteLogin to view resultThe US delegation was led by treasury secretary Scott Bessent and trade representative Jamieson […]

[ad_1] A former employee of Elon Musk’s SpaceX is suing the company for allegedly firing him over frequent bathroom use caused by a chronic medical condition. According to The Independednt, Douglas Altshuler, 58, claims he was mistreated and ultimately terminated because of Crohn’s disease — a gastrointestinal illness that often requires urgent and repeated visits to the toilet. Altshuler, who joined SpaceX in 2023, filed a federal lawsuit in California last week. In it, he says he needed to use the bathroom every 35 to 45 minutes during his eight-hour shifts, sometimes up to 14 times a day. According to the complaint, he provided medical documentation to explain his condition, but supervisors started tracking the duration of his toilet breaks and warned him not to exceed 10 minutes per visit. He alleges he was threatened with termination if his bathroom […]

[ad_1] The Trump administration has revoked funding was for a pioneering heart device designed to save the lives of critically ill infants, only days after it was granted by the US department of defense.The $6.7 million grant, awarded to Dr James Antaki and his team at Cornell University on 30 March, was meant to support the next phase of development for the PediaFlow device. The battery-sized pump is designed to help newborns with congenital heart defects survive until they can undergo surgery or receive a transplant. But on 8 April, the department of defense issued a stop-work order, effectively cancelling the funding without offering a reason. The research team now faces an uncertain future, with Antaki warning that staff layoffs and a halt in development are likely if new funding isn’t secured within 90 days.Congratulations!You have successfully cast your voteLogin […]

[ad_1] Venture capitalist Andrew Batey (right) delivers a punch to opponent Chauncey St. John, a crypto entrepreneur, in Denver in Feb. Batey won (NYT photo) Walking into the crowded hotel conference room, Andrew Batey looked like any other tech guy attending ETHDenver, an annual cryptocurrency conference. A venture capital investor based in Florida, Batey, however, was at the conference not to network but to fight one of them - live on YouTube.At the hotel, a short drive from the conference convention center, under the watchful eye of a representative from the Colorado Combative Sports Commission, Batey, 40, stripped down to his boxers.He weighed in at just under 195 pounds, on target for the fight. The bare-chested venture capitalist raised his biceps and flexed for cameras.America's tech elite, not content with unfathomable wealth and rising political influence in Washington, have recently […]