Uncategorized

New U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth pledged to work with Washington’s allies and partners Saturday in a message to the Defense Department as he took up his post at the Pentagon. In the short message, Hegseth appeared to try and dispel concerns stewing in allied capitals such as Tokyo and Seoul that the U.S. under President Donald Trump could mean a return to a more transactional approach to foreign policy. “We will work with allies and partners to deter aggression in the Indo-Pacific by Communist China, as well as supporting the President’s priority to end wars responsibly and reorient to key threats,” Hegseth wrote in the letter. “We will stand by our allies — and our enemies are on notice.” Source link

Gaza City, Gaza Strip – A fragile truce aimed at ending the war in Gaza entered its second week on Sunday, after four Israeli hostages and around 200 Palestinian prisoners were released to joyful scenes. While Israel and militant group Hamas completed on Saturday their second hostage-prisoner swap under the ceasefire deal, a last-minute dispute blocked the expected return of hundreds of thousands of displaced Palestinians to the Gaza Strip’s devastated north. Israel announced that it would block Palestinians’ passage to the north until a civilian woman hostage who the prime minister’s office said “was supposed to be released” on Saturday walks free. Source link

North Korea conducted its first weapons test since U.S. President Donald Trump’s Jan. 20 inauguration, firing off “strategic” cruise missiles — code for nuclear-capable weapons — as Pyongyang lashed out at the U.S. and South Korea over joint military exercises. The North’s state-run Korean Central News Agency (KNCA) reported Sunday that leader Kim Jong Un had observed the test a day earlier, calling the underwater-to-surface strategic cruise missile system part of “war deterrence means” that “are being perfected more thoroughly.” The missiles “precisely” hit targets after traveling along a 1,500 kilometer-long elliptical and figure-eight-shaped flight paths for a little over two hours each, KCNA said, adding that the test-fire “had no negative impact” on the security of neighboring countries. Source link

ABOARD AIR FORCE ONE/WASHINGTON – U.S. President Donald Trump said Saturday that Jordan and Egypt should take more Palestinians from Gaza, where Israel’s military assault has caused a dire humanitarian situation and killed tens of thousands. When asked if this was a temporary or long-term suggestion, Trump said: “Could be either.” Washington had said last year it opposed the forcible displacement of Palestinians. Rights groups and humanitarian agencies have for months raised concerns over the situation in Gaza, with the war displacing nearly the entire population and leading to a hunger crisis. Source link

Victor Wembanyama’s “priceless” week in Paris ended in defeat Saturday as Tyrese Haliburton’s hot shooting fired the Indiana Pacers to a 136-98 NBA victory over the San Antonio Spurs. In Bercy Arena, where he won the Olympic gold medal with the U.S. team last year, Haliburton poured in 16 points in the third quarter on the way to a 28-point haul that included six 3-pointers, carrying the Pacers to victory. Wembanyama, whose star power drew celebrities including singer and fashion icon Pharrell Williams, connected on seven of his 16 shots from the field to score 20 points as teammate Harrison Barnes led the Spurs with 25. Indiana turned up the intensity after slumping to a 140-110 reverse in the first game against the Spurs in the French capital Thursday. Pascal Siakam contributed 23 points for the Pacers who improved to 25-20. “I think it was a really good showing by us tonight,” Haliburton said. Despite the defeat, Wembanyama’s return to Paris confirmed his status as one of the NBA’s biggest names at just 21 years of age. He attended the Paris Saint-Germain Champions League soccer game against Manchester City, sat front row at an LVMH fashion show, opened basketball courts for delighted schoolchildren and gave dozens of interviews. “I did my best to make this week special for my team, for my family, my friends but people still found ways to surprise me, to make things feel like it mattered for them and I mattered for them,” Wembanyama said. “It’s priceless.” Source link

The highway leading west from Saudi Arabia’s capital city weaves through reddish dunes in the Ad-Dahna Desert, where summertime temperatures can surpass 50 degrees Celsius. About two hours into a drive, a cluster of modern, factory-style buildings materializes through the heat haze. This remote region, known as Shaqra, is a hub in the petrostate’s blueprint to breed more chickens and be the foremost farmer in the Middle East. A local processing plant owned by Tanmiah Food handles about 150,000 birds a day to supply McDonald’s, Popeyes and Subway outlets, among others. One of the hottest, driest places on Earth has almost doubled poultry production in the past decade as Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman pushes for food self-sufficiency. The kingdom imports about 80% of what it eats, triggering worries about shortages in a time of rising geopolitical tensions, contagious animal diseases and stressed supply chains. Source link

Pete Hegseth’s confirmation as U.S. Defense secretary bodes well for President Donald Trump’s other controversial Cabinet choices as well as his ability to maintain Republican support for an ambitious legislative agenda in the months to come. Hegseth, a combat veteran and former Fox News commentator, was confirmed by the U.S. Senate 51-50 in a late Friday night vote that concluded Trump’s first week back in the White House. He won approval, with the tie-breaking vote of Vice President JD Vance, despite a stream of allegations ranging from spousal abuse to excessive drinking to financial mismanagement — all of which he denied. Vance administered the oath to Hegseth at the White House on Saturday. Source link

MELBOURNE – Madison Keys once suffered under the weight of expectation that one day, some day, she would achieve the Grand Slam success tipped for her since she was an 11-year-old prodigy. On Saturday, nearly 16 years after turning professional, the liberated American upset world No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka 6-3, 2-6, 7-5 in the Australian Open final. Good things come to those who wait as the saying goes — but Keys’ wait may have seemed interminable. Source link

Police on Saturday arrested a man in his 40s who is believed to have fatally stabbed one person and injured two others in front of JR Nagano Station days earlier. The suspect, who had apparently been on the run since Wednesday, was being held on suspicion of attempted murder, NHK reported. In the stabbing, a 49-year-old male officer worker from the city of Nagano was killed, while a 37-year-old man and 46-year-old woman were injured. The two survivors — who were both waiting at a bus rotary on the station’s north side when the assailant struck — told police that they did not know their attacker, with authorities saying the stabbing appeared to be a random attack. The suspect in a deadly stabbing is seen just before the attack outside JR Nagano Station on Wednesday. | Nagano Prefectural Police / VIA JIJI Police had publicly released images from security cameras in a bid to uncover the suspect’s whereabouts. The deadly attack and hunt for the suspect had spurred panic in the area, with business closing down early and prompting an increased police presence. Police were set to hold a news conference later Sunday. Source link

Washington – A week before the Democratic National Committee chooses its next leader, the two leading candidates are racing to show their momentum in the secretive race by announcing a series of public endorsements. The contender seen as a modest underdog, Ben Wikler, the chair of the Democratic Party of Wisconsin, has been scrambling to show that he can overcome Ken Martin, the chair of the Minnesota Democrats, who is viewed as the favorite. Since Tuesday, Wikler has proclaimed that he has support from eight governors, two members of Congress and a liberal business group, in addition to four major labor unions that are influential in the party. Source link