Month: July 2025

PARIS: Elon Musk’s social media platform X has dismissed a French investigation into alleged foreign interference as politically motivated, refusing to comply with authorities’ demands. The probe, launched on July 11, examines suspected manipulation of automated systems, including X’s recommendation algorithm. “X believes that this investigation is distorting French law in order to serve a… Continue reading X calls French probe politically motivated over algorithm claims

PARIS: Donald Trump has turned his Truth Social platform into a powerful megaphone during his second presidential term, using it to bypass traditional media and communicate directly with his supporters. The app, which he owns, allows him to post without moderation, censorship, or fact-checking. On Sunday, marking his first six months back in office, Trump… Continue reading How Trump uses Truth Social as his White House megaphone

NEW YORK: A federal judge scrutinized the Trump administration’s decision to cut billions in federal funding to Harvard University, prompting a sharp response from the former president. Judge Allison Burroughs questioned the administration’s lawyer on how reducing research grants would address alleged campus anti-Semitism, according to US media reports. Trump swiftly criticized Burroughs on Truth… Continue reading Federal judge questions Trump admin’s Harvard funding cuts

WASHINGTON: Hunter Biden has launched a scathing attack on actor George Clooney, marking the one-year anniversary of his father Joe Biden’s withdrawal from the 2024 presidential race. In interviews published on Monday, the president’s son used strong language to condemn Clooney’s role in urging Joe Biden to step aside. “F*** him. And everybody around him,“… Continue reading Hunter Biden criticises George Clooney over father’s campaign exit

WASHINGTON: US defense and diplomatic leaders assured Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos of increased military deterrence against China during high-level talks on Monday. The meetings set the stage for Marcos’ Tuesday discussion with President Donald Trump, whose NATO spending demands have unsettled European allies. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and Secretary of State Marco Rubio separately emphasized… Continue reading US vows stronger deterrence against China for Philippines

WASHINGTON: US President Donald Trump was reportedly “caught off guard” by recent Israeli airstrikes in Syria, according to White House spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt. The strikes targeted Damascus and the southern city of Sweida, with Israel citing pressure on Syria to withdraw troops from conflict zones. Leavitt stated, “The president was caught off guard by the… Continue reading Trump surprised by Israeli strikes in Syria, White House confirms

LOS ANGELES: A Chinese-born engineer has pleaded guilty to stealing sensitive US trade secrets, including advanced missile detection technology. Chenguang Gong, 59, admitted to transferring thousands of confidential files from a research firm to his personal devices, according to the US Justice Department. Gong, a naturalized US citizen since 2011, worked briefly at an unnamed… Continue reading Chinese engineer pleads guilty to stealing US missile tech secrets

WASHINGTON: The White House has blocked The Wall Street Journal from covering President Donald Trump’s upcoming trip to Scotland, escalating tensions over the newspaper’s recent report linking Trump to Jeffrey Epstein. The decision follows Trump’s $10 billion lawsuit against the WSJ and its owner, Rupert Murdoch, over claims he denies. Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt stated,… Continue reading White House bars WSJ from Trump trip over Epstein report

KYIV: Russia and Ukraine will hold another round of peace talks on Wednesday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky confirmed Monday. The negotiations, set to take place in Istanbul, follow two previous rounds in May and June that failed to yield progress. Turkish officials confirmed the venue, though Moscow has yet to formally acknowledge the talks. Zelensky’s… Continue reading New Russia-Ukraine peace talks set for Wednesday in Istanbul

LOS ANGELES/SAN JOSE: American actor Malcolm-Jamal Warner, best known for his role as Theo Huxtable on the iconic 1980s sitcom *The Cosby Show*, has died at the age of 54. Authorities confirmed his death was due to drowning after being caught in a rip current while vacationing in Costa Rica. According to Costa Rica’s judicial… Continue reading Malcolm-Jamal Warner of ‘The Cosby Show’ dies at 54 in drowning accident

WASHINGTON: US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent called Monday for the Federal Reserve to conduct an “exhaustive internal review of its non-monetary policy operations,“ accusing the central bank of “significant mission creep.” In a lengthy post on X, Bessent sought to clarify remarks he made in a CNBC interview earlier in the day, in which he… Continue reading US Treasury chief calls for Fed ‘internal review’

WASHINGTON: The U.S. Justice Department on Monday released more than 240,000 pages of documents related to the assassination of Martin Luther King Jr., including records from the FBI, which had surveilled the civil rights leader as part of an effort to discredit the Nobel Peace Prize winner and his civil rights movement. Files were posted… Continue reading Trump releases Martin Luther King assassination files

WASHINGTON/LONDON: A large-scale cyber espionage campaign targeting Microsoft SharePoint servers has compromised around 100 organizations, according to cybersecurity researchers. The attack exploits a previously unknown vulnerability, allowing hackers to infiltrate systems and potentially install backdoors for persistent access. Microsoft issued an alert on Saturday warning of “active attacks” on self-hosted SharePoint servers, though cloud-based instances… Continue reading Microsoft server hack impacts 100 organizations globally

The World Health Organization said the Israeli military attacked its staff residence and main warehouse in the Gazan city of Deir al-Balah on Monday, compromising its operations in Gaza. The United Nations agency said the WHO staff residence was attacked three times, with airstrikes causing a fire and extensive damage, and endangering staff and their… Continue reading WHO reports Israeli military attack on Gaza staff residence

WASHINGTON: The new chief of the agency spearheading efforts to slash the federal workforce said on Monday he had no personal ties to tech billionaire and former Trump advisor Elon Musk, pledging to faithfully execute President Donald Trump’s agenda. “I have zero personal relationship with Elon Musk. I have talked to Elon Musk once on… Continue reading New Trump HR chief denies Elon Musk ties amid administration rift

LOUISVILLE: Former Louisville police officer Brett Hankison was sentenced on Monday to 33 months in prison for violating Breonna Taylor’s rights during the raid in which she was shot and killed, after President Donald Trump’s Justice Department asked the judge to imprison him for a single day. Taylor, a Black woman, was shot and killed… Continue reading Ex-cop gets 33 months for Breonna Taylor rights violation in US

WASHINGTON: The U.S. State Department said on Monday that the Chinese government had blocked a U.S. Patent and Trademark Office employee visiting the Asian country in a personal capacity from leaving. “We are tracking this case very closely and are engaged with Chinese officials to resolve the situation as quickly as possible,“ a State Department… Continue reading US government employee blocked from leaving China amid tensions