- Musket balls and a burnt hull: evidence of real pirates of the Caribbean found in Bahamas The Guardian
- Nassau was the pirate capital of the Caribbean. Wrecks from its ‘Golden Age’ have finally been revealed. National Geographic
- From Pirate Haven to Peaceful Port: Real-life Pirate Shipwreck discovered in the Bahamas The Times of India
- Johnny Depp Happy? Shipwrecks Linked To Real-Life Pirates Of Caribbean Found In Bahamas News18
- Shiver me timbers: evidence of the real pirates of Caribbean found in Bahamas Magzter
Barnaby Joyce rallies anti-abortion activists ahead of tight NSW vote
Sydney crowd told to target National MPs as upper house prepares to vote on a bill outlawing sex-selective terminations
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One Nation’s Barnaby Joyce has joined pro-life campaigners to pile pressure on Nationals MPs to vote to criminalise some abortions ahead of a tight vote in New South Wales.
Anti-abortion activists have threatened to campaign for One Nation against major parties to force new limits on terminating pregnancies on the back of its polling surge.
Continue reading...Israel’s weapons exports reach a record high with sales doubling in the past 5 years – AP News
- Israel’s weapons exports reach a record high with sales doubling in the past 5 years AP News
- Arms and Abraham Accords: Israel Sells More Weapons to Arab Allies Than to U.S. Haaretz
- Israeli arms sales break record for 5th year in row, reaching $19.2 billion in 2025 The Times of Israel
- Israel’s defense exports hit new record Globes - Israel Business News
- Sources: Israeli ties with Middle East states likely to grow due to Iran war The Jerusalem Post
Unpacking Germany’s campaign for a UN Security Council seat – dw.com
- Unpacking Germany's campaign for a UN Security Council seat dw.com
- Philippines’ UN Security Council bid could amplify ASEAN voice on global issues: Analysts CNA
- Candidacy for a seat on the UN Security Council: Is Germany’s credibility at stake? Table.Briefings
- Philippines seeks return to UN Security Council — what does it offer? Rappler
- A General Assembly that backed international rules would put Philippines on Security Council The Strategist | ASPI's analysis and commentary site
‘Outright theft’: legal experts decry $1.8bn Trump anti-weaponization fund
Critics from both sides and legal scholars say ‘slush fund’ is scheme that will help January 6 rioters
A legal and political firestorm is growing over the $1.776bn “anti-weaponization” fund Donald Trump’s justice department has launched to pay alleged victims of “lawfare”, but that ex-DoJ officials and legal experts call “corrupt” and a “slush fund” for Maga allies that benefits the president.
Congressional critics from both parties and legal scholars have attacked the fund as an opaque scheme that will improperly help January 6 insurrectionists, some of whom said they intend to apply for grants, while echoing Trump’s false claims that Joe Biden’s administration was “weaponized” against them.
Continue reading...Democrats oppose Trump officials’ effort to include crypto in 401(k) plans
Change backed by labor department would expose workers to greater financial risk, letter shared with Guardian says
Congressional Democrats are strongly opposing a US Department of Labor proposal that would allow 401(k) investments to include cryptocurrency, private credit and private equity assets, arguing the change will expose workers to riskier and more complex investments.
In a letter shared exclusively with the Guardian, Senator Bernie Sanders, Senator Elizabeth Warren and House education and workforce committee ranking member Bobby Scott of Virginia, argued the rule would expose an estimated $14.2tn of 401(k) retirement savings to volatile assets and would probably not withstand a challenge in court.
Continue reading...Ghana’s anti-LGBTQ+ bill to be scrutinised before approval, president says – BBC
- Ghana's anti-LGBTQ+ bill to be scrutinised before approval, president says BBC
- People ‘panicking’ as Ghana passes sweeping law criminalising LGBTQ+ activity | Global development The Guardian
- Ghana Lawmakers Pass Bill Criminalizing LGBTQ People, Activity Bloomberg.com
- Is Ghana’s most popular and controversial anti-LGBTQ bill becoming its most divisive? The Africa Report
- Ghana lawmakers pass bill banning LGBTQ promotions NewsNation
Ghana’s anti-LGBTQ+ bill to be scrutinised before approval, president says
Passed by MPs, the bill proposes prison sentences for people identifying as part of the LGBTQ+ community.
EU accused of creating ICE-style immigration enforcement system
Officials say law will improve migration management by allowing more deportations of undocumented people
EU politicians have promised to increase deportations of undocumented migrants, under a new law that critics say mimics elements of the Trump administration’s brutal immigration crackdown.
Finalising a key element of an overhauled EU asylum and migration system, politicians have agreed a regulation that will enable national authorities to raid people’s homes to enforce deportation orders.
Continue reading...Ranked: Military Spending by Country in 2025 – Visual Capitalist
- Ranked: Military Spending by Country in 2025 Visual Capitalist
- Beware the Costs of the Global Rearmament Boom Council on Foreign Relations
- Rearming for Resilience: The Global Push to Sustain Military Power Under Pressure: Part II Homeland Security Today
- Assessing the near-term outlook for defence spending in Asia The International Institute for Strategic Studies
- Bomb spending impacts global economy, Justin Wolfers argues Traders Union
In pictures: Motorhome and wine coaster among items embezzled by Murrell – BBC
- In pictures: Motorhome and wine coaster among items embezzled by Murrell BBC
- Former SNP chief Murrell leaves court in handcuffs as new images show items bought with embezzled funds BBC
- Scotland’s former leader rejects blame for estranged husband’s embezzlement of party funds AP News
- Motorhome bought by Murrell with stolen SNP money was driven only 4 miles, court told The Guardian
- Ex-SNP chief used false invoices to cover up his £400,000 embezzlement Financial Times
Instagram AI chatbot tricked by hackers to give access to others’ accounts
Some reports have linked the incident to recent cases of high-profile Instagram accounts being hijacked.
US considering expanding nuclear weapons deployments in Europe – Euronews.com
- US considering expanding nuclear weapons deployments in Europe Euronews.com
- Nuclear weapons could soon be hosted in more NATO nations — what it means for defense stocks CNBC
- US in talks to expand nuclear capable deployments in Europe Financial Times
- US may consider placing nukes in Poland, Baltic States, report says Defense News
- US in talks to expand nuclear weapons deployments in Europe, FT says Reuters
Nightclub promoter, 21, stabbed to death after brawl in Dublin’s tourism district
Qayyum Balogun chased and attacked after gig ended in Grafton Street area following clash between rival groups, police say
A brawl in the heart of Dublin’s tourism district led to a nightclub promoter being chased and stabbed to death.
It happened at about 3am on Monday after a gig ended in the Grafton Street area of the city centre that is popular with tourists.
Continue reading...Aipac affiliate has funded lavish trips to Israel for dozens of Congress members since 7 October, filings reveal
Revealed: AIEF, a charitable affiliate of pro-Israel lobby Aipac, has spent millions on travel for lawmakers from both parties, even as voters’ support for Israel plummets
Dozens of members of Congress and Capitol Hill staffers have enjoyed lavish gifted travel to Israel funded by an Aipac affiliate since 7 October 2023, amid Israel’s expanding wars on its neighbors and despite plummeting levels of support among Americans for the country’s policies, a Guardian analysis has found.
Congressional ethics filings and other public records show the trips, led by the American Israel Education Foundation (AIEF), revolved around one-sided briefings on Middle East politics and Israeli domestic and foreign policy. Lawmakers and their staffers from both parties met Israeli officials, military contractors and civil society figures, including Benjamin Netanyahu and advocates for the annexation of the West Bank and the displacement of Palestinians from Jerusalem.
Continue reading...Ukraine’s New FPVs Hit Targets Sixty Miles Behind Russian Lines – Forbes
- Ukraine’s New FPVs Hit Targets Sixty Miles Behind Russian Lines Forbes
- Thanks largely to robots, Ukraine is now talking about winning, not just surviving Defense One
- Startups shore up Ukraine's defences with sea drone swarms and robot trucks Reuters
- Ukraine turns real-life kills into video game thrills for drone pilots The Washington Post
- Drone racers might seem like ideal combat pilots. But trainers say they have to relearn almost everything. Business Insider
First Thing: Defense department bars reporters from Pentagon press room
Spokesperson claims Trump administration has ‘the most transparent war department in history’ despite ban on journalists using Pentagon facility. Also, more than 1,000 Marilyn Monroes descend on Palm Springs
Good morning.
In another apparent affront to press freedom from the Trump administration, journalists may no longer enter the Pentagon’s press office, which has been designated as a classified space.
How have the media reacted? After the defense department announced sweeping restrictions in October, many longtime reporters refused to agree and began turning over their press passes. The department then announced a “next generation of the Pentagon press corps” featuring 60 journalists from far-right outlets. The New York Times sued the Pentagon over those policies, which designated journalists as “security risks”, and a federal judge found in the Times’s favor in March.
What is making the fund controversial? The terms of the fund do not require the disclosure of how much is paid to whom. Chuck Schumer, the US Senate minority leader, said: “Trump’s nearly $2bn Maga slush fund is his most brazen act of self-dealing yet and one of the most corrupt schemes ever launched by a president.”
Continue reading...Fourth-century coin and mysterious inscriptions found under Notre Dame cathedral: “Dig of the century” – CBS News
- Fourth-century coin and mysterious inscriptions found under Notre Dame cathedral: "Dig of the century" CBS News
- Why the 'dig of the century' is happening underneath Notre Dame Australian Broadcasting Corporation
- Archaeologists digging beneath Notre Dame uncover 2,000 years of history The Independent
- A 'dig of the century' unearths 1,700 years of history under Notre Dame cathedral Yahoo
- France Notre Dame Underground Treasures thegazette.com
He was a reality show villain. Can he be the mayor of one of America’s largest cities?
Republican Spencer Pratt, known for his TV role on The Hills, appears to be in a tight race with two Democrats in Los Angeles.
Zelenskyy asks Trump to send missiles after Russian strikes across Ukraine
At least 18 killed, dozens injured and others trapped under collapsed buildings after attacks on five Ukrainian cities
Volodymyr Zelenskyy has asked Donald Trump to send Patriot missiles to Ukraine after a devastating Russian attack killed at least 18 people and injured dozens more.
Russia launched 73 missiles and 656 drones at Ukraine overnight, according to the air force, including eight hypersonic Tsirkon missiles. The main targets were Kyiv, the central cities of Dnipro and Zaporizhzhia, and the eastern cities of Poltava and Kharkiv.
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