Trump ousts DHS secretary Kristi Noem and replaces her with Republican senator

Posted on March 5, 2026 by Admin

Noem’s tenure was marked by killings of US citizens by federal agents, a rumored affair and $220m spent on ads

Donald Trump on Thursday announced he was replacing Kristi Noem as the homeland security secretary, capping weeks of bipartisan complaints about her leadership after immigration agents killed two US citizens and reports emerged that she was involved in a personal relationship with a top deputy.

Noem’s firing was the first major personnel shake-up of Trump’s second term. The president made it public in a post on Truth Social, in which he said Markwayne Mullin, a Republican Oklahoma senator, would take over from Noem starting on 31 March – though Congress would need to vote to confirm the choice first. The secretary, who he said “has served us well, and has had numerous and spectacular results (especially on the Border!)”, would become special envoy for “the Shield of the Americas”, a security initiative Trump said he planned to announce over the weekend.

Dismay as Hegseth urges Latin American allies to join ‘offense’ against cartels

Posted on March 5, 2026 by Admin

Critics sceptical Pentagon chief’s plan for increased military force – amid rising US intervention – will stop drug gangs

Pete Hegseth, the US defence secretary, has urged Latin American countries to adopt a more aggressive approach against drug cartels, warning that the Trump administration may otherwise act unilaterally in the region.

Hegseth’s remarks come in a context of escalating US intervention in the region, both militarily and in elections, which culminated in the capture of Venezuelan dictator Nicolás Maduro – the first US ground military attack on a South American country.

EU agrees to chop meaty names from vegetarian and vegan food products

Posted on March 5, 2026 by Admin

Lawmakers will outlaw use of 31 meat-related names as part of efforts to help livestock farmers in food supply markets

EU lawmakers have agreed to ban meaty names such as steak and bacon for vegetarian and vegan foods, but “veggie burgers” and “meat-free sausages” will remain on the table.

Negotiators from the European parliament and EU council of ministers found a recipe for compromise on rules for food names on Thursday, although critics said they were creating needless complexity.

RFK Jr urges medical schools to increase nutrition education training

Posted on March 5, 2026 by Admin

As part of his Maha agenda, health secretary wants schools to incorporate 40 hours of instruction

Health secretary Robert F Kennedy Jr unveiled a new effort on Thursday aimed at increasing the amount of nutrition education taught in medical schools.

For months, Kennedy has urged medical schools to expand their nutrition curriculum and warned that institutions refusing to do so could face cuts to federal funding, while those that adopt the changes may receive public acknowledgment.

Starmer is facing a cocktail of dissent that is growing ever more potent

Posted on March 5, 2026 by Admin

After the Greens’ byelection win, PM’s failure to make a progressive offer has angered Labour’s soft-left majority

But for the Iran crisis, Labour’s first major policy announcement since the party’s calamitous defeat in the Gorton and Denton byelection would have been arguably the biggest political story of the week.

Shabana Mahmood, the home secretary, pressed ahead with what is intended to be the party’s full-throated answer to the competition it faces from Reform UK as she declared an end to permanent refugee status and the removal of state support from some asylum seekers.

Israelis back war with Iran despite uncertainty and fatigue

Posted on March 5, 2026 by Admin

Israelis broadly support the US-Israeli military campaign with Iran, even if they are tired of air raid alerts and constant upheaval.

Israel orders more than 500,000 people to evacuate Beirut’s southern suburbs

Posted on March 5, 2026 by Admin

Instruction comes as Israel continues to bomb Lebanon and Iran, while Tehran launches retaliatory strikes

Middle East crisis – live updates

The Israeli military has ordered the entire population of Beirut’s southern suburbs to evacuate, as it continued to bomb Lebanon and Iran, while Tehran launched retaliatory strikes against Israel and US bases across the region.

An Israel Defense Forces spokesperson told all residents of Beirut’s southern suburbs – more than 500,000 people – to “save your lives and evacuate your homes immediately”, before Israel launched airstrikes on what he described as Hezbollah targets. The area covered by the order included several hospitals and government ministries.

Trump says he wants to be involved in picking Iran’s next leader – PBS

Posted on March 5, 2026 by Admin

UK’s private dentistry market faces review after price jumps of more than 23%

Posted on March 5, 2026 by Admin

CMA says it wants to ensure market ‘working well for consumers’ as more Britons forced to seek private care

The UK’s competition watchdog has launched a review into the £8bn private dentistry market after the price of a consultation increased by nearly 25% over a two-year period.

One in five people in Great Britain sought private dental care in 2024 in part because they could not access NHS treatment. Announcing its investigation, the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) said it wanted to make sure the market was “working well for UK consumers”.

Three men deported by US file legal case against Eswatini over detention

Posted on March 5, 2026 by Admin

The men, sent to Africa after completing criminal sentences in the US, are from Cuba, Jamaica and Yemen

Three men deported by the US to Eswatini – rather than their home countries – have filed a case against Eswatini’s government with the African Union’s human rights body, claiming their detention was an unlawful violation of their rights.

Two of the claimants, from Cuba and Yemen, have been in prison in Eswatini, formerly Swaziland, for eight months. The third, Orville Etoria, was repatriated to his home country, Jamaica, in September.

Israel, US intensify Iran strikes, targeting homes, hospitals, stadium – Al Jazeera

Posted on March 5, 2026 by Admin

Germany moves to legalise wolf hunting in response to livestock ‘bloodlust’

Posted on March 5, 2026 by Admin

Lower house votes in favour of polarising law after rapid increase in population and attack on grazing farm animals

Wolf hunting will be allowed in Germany under legislation passed by the lower house of parliament in response to a rapidly growing population and a sharp rise in attacks on livestock.

The return and growth of the wolf population in the last three decades has emerged as a wedge issue in Germany, the land of the Brothers Grimm who popularised the spectre of the Big Bad Wolf.

Iran’s high-risk war strategy seems to centre on endurance and deterrence – BBC

Posted on March 5, 2026 by Admin

Iran’s high-risk war strategy seems to centre on endurance and deterrence

Posted on March 5, 2026 by Admin

Tehran's approach appears to rest on a belief it can absorb strikes longer than its adversaries sustain pain and costs, writes BBC Persian's Amir Azimi.