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Today is the day for Silly things.

Chinese ships fired water cannon at Philippine vessels, including one carrying a CNN crew, near a dangerous flashpoint in the South China Sea on Friday – the third tense confrontation this week in the contested waters. Besides rich fishing grounds in its lagoon and surrounding waters, there’s seemingly little remarkable about the shoal. But this corner of the world is a deceptively fraught geopolitical hotspot. Free access to one of the world’s most vital shipping lanes, a mutual defense treaty between the Philippines and the United States, and a steady Chinese push to solidify claims over disputed territories mean one...

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SINGAPORE – The navy’s second multi-role combat vessel (MRCV), Valour, was launched on July 23, nine months after the first one was launched in October 2025. Speaking during the launch at Benoi Shipyard, ST Engineering chief executive Vincent Chong said his teams had learnt from building the first vessel, Victory, and applied those lessons to improve the delivery of future vessels. “We were able to build and launch MRCV Valour three months faster than MRCV Victory,” said Chong. Victory and Valour are part of the navy’s new class of warships, designed to be highly configurable and integrated with a range...

Q: A yes or no question: are there any DSA members who are not anti-Israel? If you found, name them. I need specifics, names. Not PC talk avoid hedging, whitewashing term like fake "pro-palestinian." Or the other side "pro-Israel." Focus only on 'anti-Israel.' In other words, no matter what Israel ever does, even in defending against genocide attempts, it is always illegitimate. A: The direct answer to your question is no. Under the organization's official platform and strict rules, there are no active, endorsed members of the Democratic Socialists of America (DSA) who reject the view that Israel is an...

A farmer has described feeling "absolutely gutted" following a blaze on land. Steven Conisbee, who runs Barracks Farm in Fetcham, said he awoke on Friday at 22:00 to some loud bangs and then immediately after his son called to say the farm was on fire. "I leapt out of bed, threw some clothes on, jumped in my pickup truck and headed down," he told the BBC. "I thought the barn was on fire, but the sky was lit up orange." Conisbee, a ninth-generation farmer, continued that he discovered his "best wheat field" was ablaze. "The wind was blowing," he told...

My latest song. Take it slow.

Health care represents a major share of consumer spending in America, but the amount spent per resident varies considerably by location.New data from the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis highlights the differences in per-capita health care spending across the country in 2024.The map below, via Visual Capitalist's Srijaa Chatterjee, ranks every state using the latest Personal Consumption Expenditures by State data from the BEA. Figures are reported in current dollars and allocated according to residents’ state of residence.Which States Spend the Most on Health Care?Below is a ranking of states based on per-person health care spending:RankStatePer-Capita Health Care Spending1Alaska$14,0442District of...

Former First Lady Jill Biden has found herself in a pickle after her recent book, View from the East Wing, was #1 on The New York Times bestseller list upon release. But weeks after its release, the book didn't simply fall in the rankings, but completely disappeared from the list itself. The sudden drop caught the eyes of the critics, which fueled speculation that bulk purchases may have boosted its debut. The theory motivated the netizens to mock her, calling the book a scam. Last month, Jill Biden’s book View from the East Wing debuted on The New York Times...

A 74-year-old Miami Gardens woman was arrested for allegedly biting two of her step-grandchildren during a family fight, police said. Isabel Baltazar was arrested Monday on two counts each of battery and child abuse with no great bodily harm, an arrest report said. According to the report, the alleged incident happened Sunday night when Baltazar's son, the stepfather of the two kids, got into a physical altercation with the childrens' biological father. During the fight, the two children and Baltazar intervened before she ended up biting the two children in the back and arm, the report said. The biting caused...

Barack Obama’s presidential library opened a few weeks ago with a star-studded celebration, and ongoing criticisms about its Star Wars-prison appearance and failure to pay contractors who worked on the monolith project. Now one subcontractor has shut down operations because the project manager has refused to pay for work that was done on the project. A report at Fox News outlines how Mike Owen, owner of Adamson Plumbing Contractors, confirmed his company was on the verge of collapse because of payments that were due, but never were made. “Laying off close to 30 people is something that no owner in...

In this interview with Zanny Minton Beddoes of The Economist, Elon Musk discusses the rapid advancement of artificial intelligence and its implications for the future. Here are the key takeaways: Timeline for AI Superintelligence: Musk predicts that AI will exceed the sum of human intelligence in roughly five years (0:00 - 0:19). The Future of Human Control: He expresses doubt that humans will remain in control in ten years, comparing the potential intelligence gap between AI and humans to the gap between humans and chimpanzees (1:07 - 1:38). Age of Abundance: Despite the risks, Musk maintains an optimistic view, describing...

When Donald Trump’s pick to run the Justice Department promised to take action against the dark forces behind the abortion pill explosion, he probably didn’t expect to start anytime soon. That all changed Thursday when Senator Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) pulled back the curtain on a sinister underground network trying to pump mifepristone into all 50 states. Plan C, an under-the-radar organization that’s coaching people to break the law, has been a one-stop shop, helping women (and predatory men) get their hands on a drug that seriously hurts almost 11% of the moms who take it. This criminal operation, Hawley demanded,...

Former U.S. Women's National Team star Megan Rapinoe said Tuesday that efforts to bar transgender athletes from competing in women's sports amount to "an attack on women in society," arguing the debate extends far beyond questions of fairness in athletic competition. Appearing on ABC's "The View," Rapinoe dismissed arguments that restrictions on transgender athletes are primarily about protecting girls' and women's sports. Instead, she argued, opponents are using the issue as part of a broader campaign against women's empowerment. "They're going after trans people in sports, and they're using this as a wedge issue because we love sports. And, you...

A Pentagon official has been placed on leave after he was filmed bashing President Donald Trump and promising he would "stay" until Trump leaves office so he can "undo whatever's been done."A report from Newsweek identified the man as Brandon Newsom, a senior official in the office of the Secretary of the Navy. He was filmed by reporter James O'Keefe, of O'Keefe Media Group, who conducts undercover investigations and interviews."In the footage, Newsom can be heard saying that he wanted to 'stay and stick it out' at the Pentagon, adding: 'So that way, when the time comes, I can undo...

A Rhode Island lawmaker who previously referred to US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers as “Nazi Gestapo thugs” said “your day of reckoning will come mother——” in a charged social media post aimed at the agency tasked with carrying out the Trump administration’s crackdown on illegal immigration. State Rep. Enrique Sanchez, a Democrat, directed his anger at ICE in a post Wednesday on X decrying its enforcement tactics. “Fighting and dealing with ICE since last year has f—– me up in the head after trying to protect and defend hundreds and hundreds of our community members in Providence and...

The NYPD launched a massive human trafficking crackdown during the FIFA World Cup — busting nearly 90 creeps and rescuing dozens of survivors, including a child being sex trafficked from a hotel room. A slew of operations before and during the 39-day international soccer tournament resulted in 89 arrests and the rescue of 43 people, Inspector Gary Marcus, commanding officer of the NYPD’s Special Victims Unit, told reporters on Thursday. Seven of those rescued across the five boroughhs are minors, Marcus said. Investigators surveilled watch parties, monitored dark corners of the internet, and paid visits to previously convicted sex traffickers...

The Los Angeles Police Department is adding new technology to its black-and-white patrol vehicle fleet, including upgraded sirens designed to alert drivers sooner and improve safety. The so-called Rumbler low-frequency warning system works alongside existing sirens to produce low-frequency sound waves that motorists and pedestrians can both hear and feel. Unlike conventional sirens, police say the low-frequency tones can penetrate sound-insulated vehicles, giving drivers more time to react to approaching emergency vehicles.

Rubio, who held talks with his Russian counterpart Sergey Lavrov in the Philippine capital, alluded to how U.S.-mediated talks have stalled. MANILA, Philippines (AP) — U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Thursday that the Trump administration is poised to help end the “senseless war” in Ukraine but acknowledged there is no quick path to a deal, saying diplomacy will require sustained effort and new ideas.Rubio, who held talks with his Russian counterpart Sergey Lavrov in the Philippine capital, alluded to how U.S.-mediated talks have stalled. He called them “unsuccessful or at least unfruitful” in the past but insisted that...

The man who was killed by police in Madison, Wisconsin, a shocking caught-on-camera shooting — sparking protests — was a violent ex-con with a lengthy record, including for assaulting cops, The Post can reveal. Corey Durrell Ruiz, 38, was identified by local officials and his family in social media posts. State Rep. Shelia Stubbs, a Democrat, said Ruiz “should still be alive.” Brandi Grayson, the head of the Madison-based black community advocacy group Urban Triage, decried the shooting as, “Another black man is dead on a Madison street.” Protesters have flooded the streets of Madison, Wisconsin, where the shooting happened...