How a Pentagon account on X became Pete Hegseth’s personal cheerleader

Posted on by

Department’s rapid response team is weaponizing the social platform to champion defense secretary and attack rivals

While it’s true no president or political leader has ever used social media quite as prolifically as Donald Trump, no recent secretary of defense has ever weaponized X or any other platform, quite like former Fox & Friends weekend host, Pete Hegseth.

Hegseth is actively reshaping the Pentagon in his own image since taking over, prompting a social media policy that has taken a dramatic turn towards supporting Hegseth’s every move and public appearance.

Continue reading...

In Air India crash, canteen worker hopes for ‘second miracle’ – Reuters

Posted on by
  1. In Air India crash, canteen worker hopes for 'second miracle'  Reuters
  2. Air India plane crash death toll rises to 270  BBC
  3. Air India Crash Victim Families Upset by Slow Recovery Efforts  Bloomberg
  4. A Takeoff, a Mayday Call, and 2 Air India Pilots Who Never Made it Home  The New York Times
  5. FAA Makes Telling Decision on Boeing 787s After Air India Crash  Yahoo
Posted in Uncategorized

Grooming gang victims’ concerns weren’t dismissed, Reeves says – BBC

Posted on by
  1. Grooming gang victims' concerns weren't dismissed, Reeves says  BBC
  2. Britain Agrees to Open New Inquiry Into Child Sex Abuse  The New York Times
  3. 'Retreat over grooming gangs' and 'Say sorry for delay'  BBC
  4. Keir Starmer bows to pressure to launch new grooming gangs investigation  The Guardian
  5. UK PM Keir Starmer orders national enquiry: From Elon to enquiry – a brief history of Pakistani grooming  Times of India
Posted in Uncategorized

Trump ally Ric Grenell says he’d ‘look at’ California bid if Kamala Harris runs

Posted on by

Kennedy Center interim director says he would have consider running for California governor if Harris opts in

Donald Trump loyalist Ric Grenell says he would “have to” strongly consider running for California governor in 2026 if former vice-president Kamala Harris signs up to campaign for the position.

Grenell – a foreign policy adviser to the president and the interim director of Washington DC’s John F Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts – made the remark during an interview airing Sunday on the Politico podcast The Conversation with Dasha Burns.

Continue reading...

Nicolas Sarkozy stripped of Legion of Honour over corruption conviction

Posted on by

Former French president loses country’s highest state award despite Emmanuel Macron’s opposition to move

The former French president Nicolas Sarkozy has been stripped of his Legion of Honour, the country’s highest distinction, after his conviction for corruption was confirmed last year, according to an official decree published on Sunday.

The conservative one-term president has been beset by legal problems since leaving office in 2012. In December France’s highest court upheld his conviction for influence peddling and corruption, ordering him to wear an electronic ankle tag for 12 months.

Continue reading...

One million Australians missing specialist doctor appointments due to cost, report finds

Posted on by

Grattan Institute finds one in 10 Australians now paying $600 a year for specialist appointments

One in 10 Australians pay almost $600 each year to see specialist doctors, with 1 million delaying or skipping appointments due to the cost, according to new analysis.

A report by the Grattan Institute, released on Monday, revealed outpatient fees have soared over the past 15 years. The average initial out-of-pocket psychiatrist fee was $671 in 2023, with some “extreme fee” specialists charging more than triple the scheduled Medicare fee. It found almost 2 million Australians are delaying or skipping specialist appointments each year – about half due to cost – adding pressure to the country’s hospital systems.

Sign up for Guardian Australia’s breaking news email

Continue reading...

Tehran accuses Israel of seeking to expand conflict after attack on gas facility

Posted on by

Dragging conflict into the Gulf is a strategic mistake, says Iran’s foreign minister after drone strike on coastal facility

Iran’s foreign minister has accused Israel of seeking to expand the war beyond Iran by attacking a major gas facility in Bushehr province on the Gulf coast.

Speaking to diplomats in his first public appearance since the initial Israeli strikes, Abbas Araghchi said: “Dragging the conflict into the Persian Gulf is a strategic mistake and its goal is to drag the war outside Iranian territory. Any military development in this region can affect the entire world.”

Continue reading...

China considers lifting sanctions on UK parliamentarians as relations warm

Posted on by

Exclusive: Restrictions to be reviewed as embassy official says ‘UK-China relations are showing a positive momentum’

China is considering lifting the sanctions it imposed on UK parliamentarians in 2021 in the latest sign of warming relations between London and Beijing.

The Chinese government is reviewing the sanctions, which it introduced four years ago, in response to what it called “lies and disinformation” about human rights abuses in Xinjiang, according to two UK government sources familiar with the conversations.

Continue reading...

Israel found Iran carried out key tests for nuke design ahead of strikes — report – The Times of Israel

Posted on by
  1. Israel found Iran carried out key tests for nuke design ahead of strikes — report  The Times of Israel
  2. Diplomacy With Iran Is Damaged, Not Dead  The New York Times
  3. Everything you need to know about Iran’s nuclear program  CNN
  4. ‘Dirty Bomb’ Attack: This Could Be Iran’s Next Move Against Israel  American Enterprise Institute
  5. Was Iran months away from producing a nuclear bomb?  BBC
Posted in Uncategorized