Singapore: US Secretary of Defense pete hegseth On Saturday he took another dig at Washington’s NATO and European partners, saying those who do not substantially increase defense spending “will face a marked change in the way we do business”.NATO members pledged last year to increase defense-related spending to five percent of gross domestic product, but despite increased efforts, many states say they may not be able to reach that goal.“For too long, polite pleas by our European allies to spend more on their defense have fallen on deaf ears,” the Pentagon chief told a defense summit in Singapore.“They’re finally playing catch-up,” Hegseth said in a speech at the annual Shangri-La Dialogue conference.“Allies who refuse to step up and carry their weight to protect our collective will face drastic changes to the way we do business.”Secretary of State Marco Rubio said this month that NATO was facing U.S. troop cuts in Europe as Washington focused on other threats and European countries stepped up their security.In Asia, Hegseth reiterated that the region’s security “rests disproportionately on American military power, while many of our allies and partners have allowed their own defense capabilities to weaken”.Many countries in the Asia-Pacific region are actually moving forward, Hegseth said, using South Korea as a specific example.“South Korea has continually invested in its defense because it does not have the luxury of treating war like an academic exercise.“They remain on the front lines, and so they constitute the real fighting force.”“This reflects a clear understanding of the threat environment,” he said.Hegseth also praised the spending policies of other countries, including Australia, the Philippines and Japan.“You don’t have a strong coalition unless everyone is in the game. No freebies,” Hegseth said.When Hegseth was asked by a New Zealand representative whether he considered the Pacific island nation’s plan to increase defense spending by one to two percent as “freebies”, he agreed.“If I’m being honest, two percent is not enough, and so two percent is freebies.“I have nothing against New Zealand, (but) I want the partners to step up,” Hegseth said.

More than 400 people were arrested across France and seven police officers were injured after celebrations following Paris Saint-Germain’s Champions League win turned violent, authorities said Sunday.Clashes between police and supporters following PSG’s victory in the Champions League final in Budapest led to 416 people detained across the country, including 283 in Paris, according to the French Interior Ministry.Interior Minister Laurent Nunez said that seven police officers were injured during the unrest and described the violence as “absolutely unacceptable”.Amid concerns of possible disturbances, French authorities deployed approximately 22,000 police officers across the country for the match, including 8,000 in Paris. Despite extensive security measures, including the closure of several metro stations, tram lines and bus routes, large crowds gathered across the capital.Police said about 20,000 supporters gathered on the Champs-Élysées after PSG’s dramatic penalty shootout win. Six vehicles and two businesses were damaged during the disturbance. A group of supporters also briefly blocked traffic on the Paris ring road, known as the perimeter, by setting off fires.Near PSG’s Parc des Princes stadium, where thousands watched the final on giant screens, clashes broke out after thousands gathered outside the venue. Police said about 150 people attempted to enter through one of the gates of the stadium, but were pushed back by officials.Officials also said that shells and fireworks were thrown at police near the stadium, prompting officers to respond with tear gas. A bakery and a restaurant in the area were damaged, while attempts to set up barricades using rental bicycles were quickly removed by police.Before the match, businesses on the Champs-Élysées closed their windows to avoid a repeat of the unrest that followed PSG’s Champions League success last year. Police seized about 100 fireworks and two dozen flares during Saturday night’s operation, while a bus shelter near the avenue was destroyed.The violence was criticized by far-right leader Marine Le Pen, who wrote on X that “Only in France does a football club win provoke riots.”Núñez defended the security arrangements, saying there were “very strong, very solid systems in place” to prevent violence.PSG players are expected to take part in a victory parade near the Eiffel Tower on Sunday, which is expected to be attended by around 100,000 supporters, before being welcomed by French President Emmanuel Macron at the Elysee Palace.

File photo: World Health Organization Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus (Image credit: AP)

World Health Organization Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus has urged strong international support to stop the rapidly spreading infection. Ebola outbreak In the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), there are warnings that response delays and distrust within communities are hindering efforts to control the virus.Tedros made the appeal on Saturday after reaching Bunia, the capital of Ituri province, one of the worst-affected areas.Speaking to journalists, he said the international community was already assisting the DRC government, but stressed that more funding and stronger community involvement were urgently needed.“We are here to discuss with the community, to see how the response is going and what challenges there are in helping,” Tedros said, according to news agency AFP.He added, “You are not alone in this. We are here, we are with you, and we will get through this together.”

Call for restoration of confidence amid increasing cases

Tedros stressed that controlling the outbreak will require “community ownership”, including addressing misinformation and mistrust about the response to the disease.He also said that although international aid is important, local cooperation remains vital. “This country has experience and with government leadership, and especially with community ownership, we can stop this,” he said, according to AFP.The WHO chief urged countries that impose travel bans or border closures to reconsider such steps, saying they could discourage the reporting and transparency that are needed to control the outbreak.“The Democratic Republic of Congo has faced Ebola 16 times before, and has eliminated every outbreak. This is the 17th. That history gives me real confidence,” Tedros said at a news conference, according to news agency AP.

Spread rapidly in Congo and Uganda

The outbreak, caused by the highly contagious hemorrhagic fever Ebola, has already spread to three eastern DRC provinces and neighboring Uganda. There have been at least 1,077 suspected cases and 246 deaths in the DRC since the outbreak was declared on May 15, according to Africa CDC data, as well as nine confirmed infections and one death in Uganda.Health officials have warned that the true scale of the outbreak may be much larger due to limited testing capacity and insecurity in the area.

Aid efforts and challenges on the ground

Medical aid has begun to arrive in Bunia, including supplies from the European Union, while the United States has also announced additional funding assistance. However, humanitarian agencies say the response is still struggling to keep pace with the spread of the outbreak.Doctors Without Borders (MSF) warned that the outbreak was moving faster than the response, saying, “Never before have so many cases been recorded so soon after the declaration of an Ebola outbreak”.The organization called for expanded testing, faster deployment of health workers and better access to medical supplies.Health facilities in Ituri province reported ongoing challenges, including insecurity, limited infrastructure, and repeated attacks on medical centers, further complicating response operations.

Vaccine discovery and prevention measures

The type of Ebola behind this epidemic, Bundibugyo virus, currently has no approved treatment or vaccine. However, health officials said potential vaccines are being evaluated for clinical trials, and a candidate could be ready later this year.For now, WHO says containment relies on traditional measures such as surveillance, contact tracing, isolation, infection prevention and safe burial practices.Uganda has closed its border with the DRC and imposed quarantine measures for arrivals, while displacement camps in eastern Congo remain at high risk due to overcrowding and poor sanitation, raising fears of further spread.

Indian man in Canada says he didn’t know his friend was working for Lawrence Bishnoi.

Jashandeep Singh, an Indian man linked to extortion and shooting incidents in Canada, made some shocking revelations after his friend Arshdeep Singh was deported back to India for his direct role in criminal activities in Ontario, Alberta and BC. Jashandeep stated at his immigration hearing that he was not gang affiliated, that he did not even know his college friend was Arshdeep and that his only mistake was that he never asked his friend why he had a gun – because Jashandeep believed it was a toy gun and even posed for photos with it.“It was my bad. Why didn’t I ask him at that time?” Singh testified through a Punjabi interpreter. “At that time, I didn’t know that if I grabbed a gun, they would link me to extortion.”The Canadian administration also wants to deport Jashandeep but he presented his side saying that he came to Canada as a student in 2022 and is now waiting for his postgraduate work permit.Jashandeep Singh is currently living with his sister and brother-in-law while he awaits a decision on whether he can stay in Canada. He said he felt ashamed and could not look his family members in the eyes.He said, “My mother and father borrowed money and sent me here, so that I could make a good future for myself. They had a lot of hopes and dreams for me.”While Jashandeep pleaded innocent, he himself admitted that he had gone to the spot in Arshdeep’s car where Arshdeep fired the gun in the air several times. Jashandeep said that Arshdeep called him the previous night and asked him if he could stay the night at Jashandeep’s house in Edmonton, as it was his birthday the next day.Jashandeep said he shared the house with seven-eight other men. Jashandeep Singh testified, “Arshdeep had a bag. He took out the gun from that bag and showed it to us. I don’t know whether it was a licensed gun or an unregistered one.” “When I picked it up, I was just holding it when another friend of mine who was staying in the house with me started joking with her. I jokingly put it on her head while we were watching movies.”

Lawrence Bishnoi Group is directly threatening Canada Police

At the deportation hearing, investigator Kevin St. Louis said he had received a letter last year directly from the Lawrence Bishnoi gang in which Bishnoi said he had 1,000 foot soldiers in Canada who were willing to open fire. The letter also states how every business has to pay ‘tax’ to the Bishnoi gang.

A NYT report claims that JD Vance is not active on social media on the advice of Susie Wills.

vice president JD Vance He has not been seen fighting his critics on X recently. The real reason, as reported by The New York Times, is that White House Chief of Staff Susie Wills advised him not to get involved in petty social media feuds because they are beneath his dignity. But now White House spokesperson Steve Cheung said that this never happened and it is completely fake news. Cheung said, “This is not true. We denied this to The New York Times and they refused to run our quote. This is completely fake news. This alleged “conversation” never happened.”The NYT reported that Vance often scrolled through his phone during meetings. President Trump also posts a lot on Truth Social but he doesn’t respond to people online but Vance used to do that. “Mr. Trump’s chief of staff, Susie Wills, recently advised Mr. Vance to take a break from social media, as did other West Wing officials, according to people familiar with those conversations, as the fight raged beneath her office,” the report said.JD Vance recently said he had taken a break from X for Lent (penitential preparation for Easter, which involves fasting, abstinence and almsgiving in imitation of Jesus Christ’s fast in the wilderness), which began on February 18 and ended on April 2. But he said he still hasn’t reinstalled X on his mobile.“It’s one of those things where not having the distractions, I think, has made me a lot more productive,” Vance said recently. “You’re not scrolling all the time when you’ve got five minutes. I can actually read something as opposed to, you know, scrolling or getting distracted by X.”However, Vance said he was hoping to reinstate X because social media provides raw opinions. “I live in such a crazy bubble,” he explained. “I travel with the Secret Service all the time. If you think about how many unplanned conversations I have in a given week, it’s close to zero, because I live in such a bubble.”He said, “I think one of the cool things about social media is that it really exposes you to unfiltered raw opinion, and that’s one of the things I need to hear as a political leader.” “So I’ll definitely be revisiting it, but I’ve enjoyed my little break from it.”