US PGA Championship 2025: Jhonattan Vegas leads, Scottie Scheffler contending, Rory McIlroy makes cut
US PGA Championship 2025: Jhonattan Vegas leads, Scottie Scheffler contending, Rory McIlroy makes cut
McIlroy entered his second round with ground to make up after shooting a three-over 74 on Thursday.
He hit only four of 14 fairways in his first round and, according to PGA Championship Radio Sirius XM, he had been unable to use his usual driver because it was deemed to be non-conforming during testing by the United States Golf Association earlier this week.
The radio station reported that the decision did not mean McIlroy was at fault or even aware of the issue. They also said the USGA said testing results were kept confidential unless the player wanted to make it public.
The early signs in round two were better, a 15-footer dropping for birdie on the second hole, while three more shots were gained around the turn as McIlroy improved to one under par.
However, all of the breathing room he had earned ended up being required during a testing back nine.
An excellent par save on the 13th stopped the rot after two straight bogeys, before birdies on the next two holes restored a gap to the cut line – which was hovering between one and two over par during the latter stages of the second round.
There was some late drama as, heading down the 18th at level par, McIlroy pulled his tee shot left and his ball ricocheted off a hospitality tent before landing close to the water hazard.
But he recovered to make a bogey five, confirming his spot in the final two rounds.
Schauffele had found himself in trouble following two bogeys on the front nine but fought back sufficiently to extend his stay in North Carolina.
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Nintendo Expands Switch Online’s N64 Library With Another Game
Nintendo Expands Switch Online’s N64 Library With Another Game
“Fire Emblem: The Sacred Stones should certainly be on the download shortlist for fans of the franchise or strategy games in general. Its predecessor — the first entry released internationally — is a thoroughly worthwhile introduction to some iconic characters in the series, but Sacred Stones holds its own in setting and plot, while featuring some feature advances. Another terrific GBA title worth catching up with.” 9/10 – Thomas Whitehead | NintendoLife
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A Perth social club for gay men has been mistaken for the NRL’s new Perth Bears team
A Perth social club for gay men has been mistaken for the NRL’s new Perth Bears team
A social club for gay men known as Bears Perth has put out a notice to interstate rugby league fans that they are not the NRL’s new Perth Bears team.
Bears Perth was established in 1997 for men and was not in anyway associated with Perth’s new NRL team, the notice read, and asked people not to sign up if they wanted to join the new rugby club.
Bears Perth president Kingsley Dawes told Sydney radio station 2GB they were being inundated with new membership applications from people who lived interstate.
Adding to the confusion the Bears Perth clubhouse is located next to one of the city’s major sporting grounds at HBF Park.
Mr Dawes said it was a bit weird to receive membership requests from people outside of WA and they phoned about 20 membership hopefuls from out of state to tell them they were not the rugby league club.
Camera IconFans of the new NRL team the Perth Bears have been mistakenly contacting a gay men’s social club Bears Perth. NewsWire/Supplied Credit: NewsWire
“We hardly ever get stuff from out of state, so we got all these memberships and we had to call them up and say, ‘You do realise we are not the rugby club,” Mr Dawes said.
“So if you wanted to, you could go and watch the Perth Bears and then you could drop into the Bears Perth on the way home?” 2GB presenter Ben Fordham asked.
“Yep, and we’d be happy to have visitors, we welcome everybody,” Mr Dawes replied.
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Stay: Forever Home Review – Beyond a Mere **** Simulation | XR Source
Stay: Forever Home Review – Beyond a Mere **** Simulation | XR Source
Virtual **** simulators are having a resurgence in VR, and in this review for Stay: Forever Home you’ll find out why that’s good.
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******** woman becomes first cartel suspect to be charged under new US terrorism law
******** woman becomes first cartel suspect to be charged under new US terrorism law
A ******** woman has become the first person indicted under the U.S.’s new material support of terrorism charges, according to the Department of Justice.
Maria Del Rosario Navarro-Sanchez, 39, of Mexico, has been charged with providing material support to a designated foreign terrorist organization, the Cartel del Jalisco Nueva Generacion, She allegedly provided the cartel with grenades and assisted in smuggling undocumented individuals, firearms, cash, and narcotics for the organization.
“Cartels like CJNG are terrorist groups that wreak havoc in American communities and are responsible for countless lives lost in the United States, Mexico, and elsewhere.” Attorney General Pamela Bondi said. “This announcement demonstrates the Justice Department’s unwavering commitment to securing our borders and protecting Americans through effective prosecution.”
In addition to the material support charges, she is also being charged with “conspiracy to smuggle and transport aliens in the United States, straw purchasing and trafficking in firearms, bulk cash smuggling conspiracy, and conspiracy to possess a controlled substance with intent to distribute,” according to the DOJ.
Two others have been indicted alongside Navarro-Sanchez.
A number of AK-47 assault rifles and two .50 caliber rifles seized by the U.S. law enforcement in 2023 relating to the Department of Justice’s case against Maria Del Rosario Navarro-Sanchez, 39, of Mexico. Navarro-Sanchez is the first person indicted under the U.S.’s new charges aimed at individuals accused of providing material aid to terrorist organizations (U.S. Department of Justice)
Luis Carlos Davalos-Lopez, 27, of Mexico, has been charged with conspiracy to smuggle ******** aliens into and transport aliens in the United States, straw purchasing and firearms trafficking.
Gustavo Castro-Medina, 28, of Mexico, has been charged with straw purchasing and firearms trafficking, conspiracy to possess a controlled substance with intent to distribute, and possession of a controlled substance with intent to distribute.
The CJNG was designated a Foreign Terrorist Organization along with seven other cartels on February 20 by the US Department of State.
A gold colored AM-15 — a variant of the AR-15 assault rifle dubbed “El Dorado” — found in the possession of Maria Del Rosario Navarro-Sanchez, 39, during her arrest in Mexico on May 4, 2025 (U.S. Department of Justice)
“CJNG is a transnational criminal organization that controls a significant portion of the narcotics trafficking trade and has a presence in nearly every part of Mexico and dozens of other countries, including the United States,” The DOJ said in a press statement. “In addition to trafficking fentanyl, CJNG engages in money laundering, bribery, extortion of migrants, taxing of migrant smugglers, and other criminal activities, including acts of violence and intimidation.”
On President Donald Trump’s first day in office, he directed the DOJ and other agencies to work toward the “total elimination” of cartels due to the “extremely serious threats” they pose to the nation, the DOJ wrote.
“The arrest of Maria Del Rosario Navarro-Sanchez should send a clear message to people who wish to align themselves with terrorist groups that they will be sought out and held to the highest extent of the law,” FBI Director Kash Patel said in a statement.
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Aussie Green maintains lead in Champions Tour major
Aussie Green maintains lead in Champions Tour major
Richard Green birdied his final two holes for a four-under 68 and one-shot lead midway through the Regions Tradition tournament in Birmingham.
Green is at 13-under 131 after opening the first senior major of the season with a 63. His closest competitor is New Zealand’s Steven Alker, who shot 67 on Friday to climb to 12 under.
Green and Alker are comfortably ahead of a group tied for third at nine under: Chris DiMarco (65), Y.E. Yang of South Korea (68) and Germany’s Alex Cejka (69).
Green, 54, is vying for his first win on the PGA Tour Champions, major or otherwise.
“Good golf’s been brewing for a little while so it was nice to be hitting good iron shots and setting up putting opportunities,” Green said. “If I can keep doing that through the weekend, I’ll be happy.”
He started his round on the back nine at Greystone Golf & Country Club and had three straight birdies from Nos.18 to two. Still, three bogeys held him back before he stuck his second shot close at the par-4 eighth to set up a birdie.
Green then rolled in a lengthy birdie putt at the par-4 ninth to reach 13 under.
“It was nice. It felt a little bit like probably what I should have got out of the day,” Green said of his finish.
“I hit a lot of great iron shots and set up a lot of birdie chances and just missed ’em all. They’re a bit tricky, some of the reads today, so I was pleased to have finished well.”
Alker, meanwhile, has nine PGA Tour Champions victories to his name, including one major – the 2022 Senior PGA Championship. He was not fully pleased Friday despite a card of six birdies and one bogey.
“It was just a couple of moments, ball-striking wasn’t quite as good as yesterday,” Alker said. “It’s a great feeling to shoot that score and be a little bit scrappy.”
The round of the day belonged to DiMarco, the 56-year-old who has yet to win on the senior tour.
He started his day with a bogey at the par-3 10th but quickly brushed it off by rolling in six birdies over the next eight holes. He added two more birdies on the front nine while keeping the card clean of bogeys.
DiMarco explained why he had plenty of reason to celebrate on Friday.
“My son (Cristian DiMarco) actually qualified for his first Korn Ferry event in Kansas City, so my wife and I are kind of watching his front nine and he was right down to the wire, he was even par,” DiMarco said.
“I’m on 18, I’ve got about a six-footer for birdie after playing really good on the back, I think I birdied five or six holes on the back with a little eight-footer, (and) my wife goes, ‘He made birdie to make the cut!’ So obviously I was, like, pretty pumped.
“Motivation, you know. Obviously so proud of my son and proud of myself today. I hung in there today.”
*********** Greg Chalmers is tied 13th at six under after making a 71 to go with his opening 67. He is one ahead of Cameron Percy (70-69).
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Tesla limits investors’ ability to sue over breach of fiduciary duties
Tesla limits investors’ ability to sue over breach of fiduciary duties
Tesla CEO Elon Musk speaks at an opening ceremony for Tesla China-made Model Y program in Shanghai on Jan. 7.
Aly Song | Reuters
In a regulatory filing out Friday, Elon Musk-led automaker Tesla announced a change to its corporate bylaws that will limit shareholders ability to sue the company if investors believe the company’s board or executives committed any breach of fiduciary duties.
The filing says the new bylaw went into effect as of May 15, and that Tesla has adopted “an ownership threshold requiring any shareholder or group of shareholders to hold shares of common stock sufficient to meet an ownership threshold of at least 3% of Tesla’s issued and outstanding shares in order to institute or maintain a derivative proceeding.”
Tesla’s current market cap stands over $1 trillion. A 3% stake of common stock and all outstanding shares would be worth more than 30 billion dollars.
Tesla did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the change to its bylaws.
According to Ann Lipton, an experienced corporate and securities law trial attorney who now teaches at Tulane Law School, the company is taking advantage of a Texas state law that allows corporations to limit shareholder lawsuits against insiders for breach of fiduciary duty. The law permits companies that are incorporated in Texas, as Tesla is currently, to require a shareholder to own 3% before bringing a claim.
“Obviously, for a company of Tesla’s size, that would be a formidable barrier to anyone bringing a lawsuit for breach of fiduciary duty,” she said in an email.
By comparison, when Tesla was incorporated in Delaware, a shareholder who held just nine shares of Tesla stock was the plaintiff in a shareholder derivative suit that resulted in a judge ordering CEO Elon Musk’s 2018 CEO compensation package to be rescinded, Lipton noted.
Delaware Chancery Court Chancellor Kathaleen McCormick found that Musk, rather than Tesla’s board, had controlled the company and that the board’s compensation committee misled shareholders before seeking a vote to approve that pay plan. They also failed to negotiate with Musk over the terms of the deal, instead working “alongside him, almost as an advisory body,” the judge ruled.
The Tornetta decision, named after Tesla shareholder Richard Tornetta who brought the suit, prompted Musk to say, “Never incorporate your company in the state of Delaware.” Tesla moved its site of incorporation to Texas in June 2024 after attaining shareholders’ approval to do so after that loss in court.
Tesla has since appealed the Tornetta decision and Delaware’s state supreme court will decide if Musk can keep the shares granted to him through the 2018 CEO pay plan or not. That pay plan had been worth around $56 billion.
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Jayson Tatum greets Celtics back in New York with season on the line: ‘******* than basketball now’ – New York Post
Jayson Tatum greets Celtics back in New York with season on the line: ‘******* than basketball now’ – New York Post
Jayson Tatum greets Celtics back in New York with season on the line: ‘******* than basketball now’ New York PostTatum out of hospital, meets with C’s ahead of G6 ESPNJayson Tatum’s injury will transform the NBA, not just the Celtics The New York TimesCeltics return to New York for Game 6 days after Jayson Tatum’s season-ending injury NBA”Do I need to come home?” – Tatum’s dad offered to leave his job because he was worried about his son’s mental well-being after suffering a serious injury Yahoo Sports
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Freak-offs not worth $20m settlement
Freak-offs not worth $20m settlement
Watch: The BBC’s Nada Tawfik on how Diddy’s lawyers used freak-off texts against Cassie
Cassie Ventura has wrapped up four consecutive days of explosive testimony in the criminal trial of her ex-boyfriend Sean “Diddy” Combs.
Breaking down in sobs, the singer told a New York court on Tuesday that she would give back a $20 million legal settlement from the rap mogul if it meant never having participated in his “humiliating” drug-fuelled sex parties, referred to as “freak-offs”.
Mrs Ventura, the government’s star witness, faced intense questioning from both legal teams about the decade she dated Combs.
Combs faces charges of racketeering, sex trafficking and transportation to engage in prostitution, and could face life in prison. He’s pleaded not guilty and denied the accusations.
Mrs Ventura’s testimony revealed graphic details about her sex life with the rapper, the physical violence she allegedly endured from him and the posse that she said aided in covering up his crimes.
She also addressed that after filing a lawsuit against him in November 2023, which included many of those allegations, he gave her a settlement of $20 million.
The settlement, which came just one day after the suit was filed, was public knowledge, but the number was previously unknown. The defence seemingly tried to hammer home the financial incentives for Mrs Ventura’s accusations during their cross examination of her testimony, which went on all day Thursday and Friday.
Combs’ lawyer Anna Estevao seemed to imply Mrs Ventura was strapped for cash before filing her lawsuit. The singer had just moved to her parents house with her husband and children, for example.
Mrs Ventura pushed back against this characterization, later sharing that she would trade it all for a life free of the “freak offs”, which she said caused her physical injuries, would sometimes go on for days and stifled her career as a singer.
“I would have agency and autonomy,” she said.
Combs’ legal team also showed the jury dozens of messages between the couple from each stage of their relationship, arguing their dynamic was toxic at times, but not criminal.
The defence also offered one last bombshell minutes before Mrs Ventura was set to leave the stand on Friday: The singer arranged another legal settlement for $10 million connected to her claims against the rap mogul.
Mrs Ventura told the court she is expecting to receive about $10 million from InterContinental hotel.
The settlement relates to an incident at the InterContinental in Los Angeles in 2016, in which viral security footage showed Combs hitting, kicking and dragging Mrs Ventura in a hallway. That footage was played at length in court this week, and is one of the most important pieces of evidence in the trial.
Though the day had nearly come to an end, the prosecution squeezed in two more witnesses before court adjourned. One was Dawn Richard, a singer in the group Danity Kane – formed on Diddy’s show on MTV Making the Band – and last year had filed a lawsuit accusing him of physical abuse and withholding her earnings.
Ms Richard testified about an incident in 2009, when she said she saw Combs assault Mrs Ventura at his Los Angeles mansion.
“She fell down,” Ms Richard told the court. “She was in the foetal position.”
After the incident, she said Combs took her aside and told her what she saw was “passion” and that where he is from, “people go missing” if they talk.
US Homeland Security special agent Yasin Binda took the stand as well, telling the court about the cash, drugs and baby oil that were seized from the rapper’s hotel room when he was arrested in New York.
More testimony is expected from the witnesses called by prosecutors next week. The Lower Manhattan court has been a media circus since the beginning of the trial, with spectators gathering in droves and camping out overnight to get a glimpse of the music mogul, his family, and the celebrities testifying.
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‘Better deal’ with EU and ‘winter fuel U-turn’
‘Better deal’ with EU and ‘winter fuel U-turn’
Ahead of the EU-*** summit on Monday, Rachel Reeves has spoken to the Guardian about getting a “better deal” on trade with the bloc. There is a “lot of room for improvement” in building closer ties with the EU, she tells the paper. The frontpage carries a photo of Kristen Stewart at the Cannes film festival.
The Times leads with an interview in which Sir Keir Starmer insists people would be “better off” ahead of announcing a youth mobility scheme at the EU summit – which would let young Europeans live and work in Britain. Reform *** and the Conservative Party both claim the idea amounts to a return to freedom of movement via the back door and accuse the government of planning to give ground – something Starmer denies.
Obesity drug giant Novo Nordisk has “ousted” its chief executive, the Financial Times reports. Shares in the company, which makes Ozempic, have fallen more than 50%, causing it to “lose its crown” as Europe’s most highly-valued listed company, according to the paper. An image of French actor Juliette Binoche at the Cannes Film Festival features on the front.
The Daily Express reports the prime minister has “opened the door” to a U-turn on cuts to the winter fuel payments, following a “backlash” from pensioners. Starmer has previously defended the policy as necessary to restore public finances. Elsewhere Dame Esther Rantzen’s daughter is pictured holding a a placard calling for the legalisation of assisted dying.
Also leading on winter fuel payments, the Daily Mirror reports Starmer has “refused to rule out” making more people eligible for the allowance. The paper reports Reality TV personality James Argent has been spotted “out for first time” since he was handed a suspended prison sentence for a gender violence offence against his partner.
Parking fines could “rocket” by 75%, the Daily Mail declares, in what the paper says would be a “major blow” for millions of “hard-pressed” motorists. Elsewhere a feature is teased promising “super easy” lifestyle tweaks to reduce biological age.
Banks have told Chancellor Rachel Reeves to “leave Isas alone” as she prepares to review the savings scheme, the Daily Telegraph says. The paper has an interview with Match of the Day presenter Gary Lineker, who apologised for sharing a social media post about Zionism earlier this week.
And the Daily Star heralds the arrival of sunshine with the declaration: “Three o’clock is beer o’clock,” suggesting pub bosses want a “3pm beer garden break” law brought in when the mercury hits 20C, as a reward for a day’s thirsty work.
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Tesla limits investors’ ability to sue over breach of fiduciary duties
Tesla limits investors’ ability to sue over breach of fiduciary duties
Tesla CEO Elon Musk speaks at an opening ceremony for Tesla China-made Model Y program in Shanghai on Jan. 7.
Aly Song | Reuters
In a regulatory filing out Friday, Elon Musk-led automaker Tesla announced a change to its corporate bylaws that will limit shareholders ability to sue the company if investors believe the company’s board or executives committed any breach of fiduciary duties.
The filing says the new bylaw went into effect as of May 15, and that Tesla has adopted “an ownership threshold requiring any shareholder or group of shareholders to hold shares of common stock sufficient to meet an ownership threshold of at least 3% of Tesla’s issued and outstanding shares in order to institute or maintain a derivative proceeding.”
Tesla’s current market cap stands over $1 trillion. A 3% stake of common stock and all outstanding shares would be worth more than 30 billion dollars.
According to Ann Lipton, an experienced corporate and securities law trial attorney who now teaches at Tulane Law School, the company is taking advantage of a Texas state law that allows corporations to limit shareholder lawsuits against insiders for breach of fiduciary duty. The law permits companies that are incorporated in Texas, as Tesla is currently, to require a shareholder to own 3% before bringing a claim.
“Obviously, for a company of Tesla’s size, that would be a formidable barrier to anyone bringing a lawsuit for breach of fiduciary duty,” she said in an email.
By comparison, when Tesla was incorporated in Delaware, a shareholder who held just nine shares of Tesla stock was the plaintiff in a shareholder derivative suit that resulted in a judge ordering CEO Elon Musk’s 2018 CEO compensation package to be rescinded, Lipton noted.
Delaware Chancery Court Chancellor Kathaleen McCormick found that Musk, rather than Tesla’s board, had controlled the company and that the board’s compensation committee misled shareholders before seeking a vote to approve that pay plan. They also failed to negotiate with Musk over the terms of the deal, instead working “alongside him, almost as an advisory body,” the judge ruled.
The Tornetta decision, named after Tesla shareholder Richard Tornetta who brought the suit, prompted Musk to say, “Never incorporate your company in the state of Delaware.” Tesla moved its site of incorporation to Texas in June 2024 after attaining shareholders’ approval to do so after that loss in court.
Tesla has since appealed the Tornetta decision and Delaware’s state supreme court will decide if Musk can keep the shares granted to him through the 2018 CEO pay plan or not. That pay plan had been worth around $56 billion.
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My Bakewell tart moment
My Bakewell tart moment
Megan French taste-tests an authentic dessert in its namesake English town
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Angler fishing in Lake Michigan fog discovers remains of abandoned tugboat J.C. Ames
Angler fishing in Lake Michigan fog discovers remains of abandoned tugboat J.C. Ames
MADISON, Wis. (AP) — A Wisconsin angler fishing in the fog this week discovered the wreck of an abandoned tugboat submerged in the waters of Lake Michigan for more than a century, state officials announced Friday.
Wisconsin Historical Society Maritime Archaeologist Tamara Thomsen said that the society confirmed that Christopher Thuss found the wreck of the J.C. Ames. Thuss was fishing in Lake Michigan off the city of Manitowoc in foggy conditions on Tuesday when he noticed the wreckage in nine feet of water off a breakwater, she said in a message to The Associated Press.
The society said that according to the book “Green Bay Workhorses: The Nau Tug Line,” the Rand and Burger shipbuilding company in Manitowoc built the J.C. Ames in 1881 to help move lumber. The tug was one of the largest and most powerful on the Great Lakes, with a 670-horsepower engine.
The tug served multiple purposes beyond moving lumber, including transporting railway cars. It eventually fell into disrepair and was scuttled in 1923, as was the practice then when ships outlived their usefulness, Thomsen said.
The ship had been buried in the sand at the bottom of the lake for decades before storms this winter apparently revealed it, Thomsen said. A lack of quagga mussels attached to the ship indicates it was only recently exposed, she said.
Historians are racing to locate shipwrecks and downed planes in the Great Lakes before quagga mussels destroy them. Quagga have become the dominant invasive species in the lower lakes over the last 30 years, attaching themselves to wooden shipwrecks and sunken aircraft in layers so thick they eventually crush the wreckage.
“These kinds of discoveries are always so exciting because it allows a piece of lost history to resurface. It sat there for over a hundred years and then came back on our radar completely by chance,” Thomsen said in a statement. “We are grateful that Chris Thuss noticed the wreck and reported it so we can share this story with the Wisconsin communities that this history belongs to.”
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Warner Bros Horror Rules: ‘Final Destination: Bloodlines’ Stabs $43M, ‘Sinners’ Still Holy With $15M Fifth Frame – Box Office – Deadline
Warner Bros Horror Rules: ‘Final Destination: Bloodlines’ Stabs $43M, ‘Sinners’ Still Holy With $15M Fifth Frame – Box Office – Deadline
Warner Bros Horror Rules: ‘Final Destination: Bloodlines’ Stabs $43M, ‘Sinners’ Still Holy With $15M Fifth Frame – Box Office DeadlineThe New Movie in One of Our Oldest, Dumbest Horror Franchises Is Actually Really Moving Slate Magazine’Gore is back, baby!’ Directors of ‘Final Destination’ are pushing bloody boundaries NPRFinal Destination: Bloodlines Confidently Revives the Best Horror-Film Franchise Vulture‘Final Destination Bloodlines’ Directors on Adding Gore After Test Screenings, Tony Todd’s Goodbye to Fans and How They Got the Job by Turning an Exec Zoom Call Into a Bloodbath Variety
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Brits can be extradited over Tokyo jewellery heist
Brits can be extradited over Tokyo jewellery heist
Thomas Mackintosh
BBC News, London
Getty Images
The high-end Harry Winston jewellery store in Tokyo was burgled in November 2015
Two British men accused of robbing a luxury jewellery store in Tokyo can be sent to Japan following a landmark ruling.
For almost a decade, Japanese authorities have pursued the extradition of Kaine Wright, 28, Joe Chappell, 38, and a third man over allegations they posed as customers to steal items worth £679,000 (¥106m) from a Harry Winston store.
On Friday, chief magistrate Judge Goldspring rejected Wright and Chappell’s challenges against extradition. Their case now passes to the home secretary to decide whether they should be sent to Japan.
No extradition treaty exists between the *** and Japan, meaning it would be the first time Japan have successfully received fugitives.
Japan’s initial request was rejected, but the High Court overturned the original decision following an appeal lodged by the Japanese government.
In Friday’s judgement – seen by the BBC – Wright, of Plumstead, and Chappell, of Belvedere, both in London, had raised concerns over prison conditions in Japan which they argued were “arbitrary, excessive and breach international standards”.
The Japanese government said the submissions were “fundamentally flawed both legally and factually”.
District Judge Goldspring, chief magistrate of England and Wales, found there was a “prima facie case” – enough evidence to support a charge at first glance – against Chappell and that extradition would be “compatible” with his and Wright’s human rights.
PA Media
Kaine Wright appeared at Westminster Magistrates’ Court last month
Friday’s ruling follows a recent High Court judgement that the Japanese government had a case to extradite Wright, Chappell and a third man named in papers as Daniel Kelly – who is Wright’s father.
Japan’s case against Kelly will be heard at the end of this month. He has not appeared in previous extradition hearings due to a conspiracy to ******* case against him taking precedence.
Details from January’s High Court judgement state that the Japanese “relied upon a range of evidence” which demonstrated that Kelly, Wright and Chappell travelled to Tokyo around the time of the jewellery raid in November 2015.
CCTV captured all three arriving at Narita International Airport on 18 November 2015 and staying at “the Elm Share House”, Japanese authorities said.
Ch Insp Suzuki set out a record of the investigation to the High Court which indicated the trio “took taxis” to Harry Winston’s branch in Omotesando Hills.
In their efforts to escape, the trio left a number of items behind including an Armani jacket, he said.
Ch Insp Suzuki added: “Goggles were left at the shop and a jacket was left on the route the robbers took to flee from the scene.”
A professor at the Tokyo Dental College compared ePassport images taken at Narita Airport and compared it to CCTV stills of three men taken at the Harry Winston store.
“The possibility that two (or three) persons in the relevant comparison are the same is extremely high,” Ch Insp Suzuki said in his report, citing the professor’s “expert” findings.
As well as other DNA matches, Ch Insp Suzuki’s report referred to “expert evidence that glass shards found at the property where the three stayed that matched the glass in the display case at the jewellery shop”.
Findings in the reports were challenged at the High Court by lawyers representing Wright and Chappell.
The Japanese government said it would ensure that the three men would have the right to consult with a lawyer in private, have any interviews recorded and have the right not to answer any questions.
Wright, once a promising footballer on the books of West Ham United and Brentford, served time in prison after being convicted in 2023 of trying to sell a Ming vase which was stolen from a museum in Switzerland.
Subject to any further appeals, Home Secretary Yvette Cooper now has 28 days to decide whether to extradite Chappell and Wright or reject Japan’s request.
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A to Z on Zurich rail hub
A to Z on Zurich rail hub
Steve McKenna relishes a key railway hub in Europe
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This “Magnificent Seven” Stock Will Be the Most Valuable Company in the World in 10 Years
This “Magnificent Seven” Stock Will Be the Most Valuable Company in the World in 10 Years
The long-term value of generative AI has yet to be fully recognized by anyone.
Nvidia has been the biggest winner from AI spending so far, but the second-order effects of the trend could be even *******.
Meta Platforms has a clear roadmap for how AI can improve its business over the long run.
10 stocks we like better than Meta Platforms ›
If you looked at a list of the world’s 20 most valuable companies from a decade ago, you’d notice several familiar names: Apple, Microsoft, Google (now Alphabet), and Berkshire Hathaway all made the list back then.
But as much as things have stayed the same, there’s also been considerable turnover and movement in the ranks. Wells Fargo and Novartis have fallen way down the list over the last decade. Nvidia had only recently climbed out of the mid-cap stock range in 2015, but soared into the top 10 in 2021.
All this is to say a lot can change in 10 years. And I believe one “Magnificent Seven” company that’s bringing up the rear in that group today is also the one that’s best positioned to become the world’s most valuable company within the next decade.
Image source: Getty Images.
Nvidia has been a huge beneficiary over the last few years from the massive artificial intelligence (AI) infrastructure spending by the hyperscalers: Microsoft, Alphabet, Amazon, and Meta Platforms (NASDAQ: META). Its cutting-edge GPUs (graphics processing units) are unparalleled when it comes to training large language models in the most cost-efficient manner. As a result, Nvidia is selling its chips just as fast as they’re manufactured (indeed, faster — its order backlog for Blackwell GPUs is now around a year), leading to strong margin expansion and earnings growth.
But the long-term winners of any technological revolution tend to be those that are best able to use the technology. That is, the second-order effects of new technology are even ******* than the first-order effects. To use the old gold rush analogy, it’s not the pick and shovel makers, but the prospectors with the best systems for utilizing those picks and shovels who end up wealthiest of all.
With that in mind, Meta looks best positioned to take advantage of everything large language models and generative AI can do. That’s why I expect it to be the biggest second-order winner from artificial intelligence, and why I anticipate that tailwind to propel it to the status of most valuable company in the world. It’ll just take some time for the company (and investors) to fully realize the impact of AI on its business.
Meta has been a big investor in artificial intelligence for a long time. It’s fundamental to its core business, which is simply putting content in front of users. Whether that content was originally generated by a friend, a stranger, or a business, Meta has become very good at surfacing the right content to users in order to maximize its revenue through a combination of increased engagement and increased ad value. And its AI algorithms are a key reason why it’s been able to successfully do that.
Generative AI powered by large language models has the potential to unlock a ton of value for Meta’s business. Here are four ways that could happen over the next decade.
Meta used to require advertisers to select a target audience for their ad creatives. While sophisticated marketers may be able to eke out a few extra basis points of performance from custom ad targeting, Meta’s AI now does a great job of finding those target audiences to optimize for conversions (or any other campaign objective).
As a result, there’s more emphasis on the ad creative. Developing a good ad creative that resonates with the target audience performs exceptionally well on Meta’s platform. But that requires a lot of testing and iteration, not to mention time. Generative AI can assist with developing dozens of ad creatives with hyper-targeted copy, images, and videos. That in turn improves conversions faster than any improvements Meta can make to its targeting algorithm.
Meta also has more potential to benefit from generative AI than other digital advertising channels like Google or Amazon. That’s because marketers use Meta to find their target audiences, while ad impressions on Google or Amazon already have viewers with high intent. If someone searches for “shovel” on Amazon, it doesn’t take complicated software to figure out that you’ll probably do well to show them ads for shovels.
Meta stands to benefit from building several different types of AI agents for its customers.
During Meta’s first-quarter earnings call, CEO Mark Zuckerberg described his vision for AI in advertising: “Our goal is to make it so that any business can basically tell us what objective they’re trying to achieve … and how much they’re willing to pay for each result, and then we just do the rest,” he said.
What he’s describing is an AI agent that will make some ad creatives, test them using Meta’s automated targeting, iterate on those creatives, and ultimately deliver the desired result. The advertisers’ savings in time and resources should translate into higher ad prices for Meta.
Meta could also benefit from developing customer service agents and sales agents for its messaging apps. That could enable businesses to deepen their relationships with prospective and existing customers without spending significantly on overhead. More importantly, that software scales quickly and easily. That should enable Meta to massively expand its click-to-message business, which was a $10 billion annual business as of early 2023. One analyst thinks chat agents could be a $100 billion business for Meta.
Generative AI is helping marketers make more engaging ads. Eventually, Meta could use AI to generate bespoke content for each user.
Zuckerberg said as much on the company’s first-quarter earnings call. “AI is also enabling the creation of better content,” he said. While some of that content will be in collaboration with human creators, he also sees “AI generating content directly for people that is personalized for them.”
If Meta is able to create an endless feed of hyper-specific personalized content, it could result in one of the most engaging platforms ever. On top of that, it could make advertising even more effective, as AI-generated ad campaigns become just as personalized and even indistinguishable from entertainment in Meta’s feeds.
Meta was an early mover when it came to virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR). One of the biggest challenges it has faced is that there’s not a large ecosystem of content, nor many compelling use cases yet for a headset compared to smartphones and other computer formats. However, generative AI could help solve that.
The company has already seen success with integrating Meta AI into a pair of glasses, which gives the AI the ability to take in visual data from the world as the user sees it. Augmented reality takes that one step further by enabling the AI to interact virtually with the world. That could lead to all sorts of interesting human-computer interactions, better user interfaces, and improved experiences.
Just as Zuckerberg envisions AI generating unique content for users on Facebook and Instagram, it could also generate even more immersive and interactive content. That’s the type of content that could push AR and VR headsets forward, and Meta is well positioned to own that format with its 10-year head start.
There’s a good reason Meta is willing to spend around $70 billion this year on capital expenditures, primarily going toward the advancement of its AI development. The potential payoff for the business is massive, likely more than any other company.
So, while Nvidia is reaping the rewards in the short run, Meta stands to be the biggest long-term winner from AI, and I expect that will translate into the social media giant carrying a much ******* market cap a decade from now.
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John Mackey, former CEO of Whole Foods Market, an Amazon subsidiary, is a member of The Motley Fool’s board of directors. Suzanne Frey, an executive at Alphabet, is a member of The Motley Fool’s board of directors. Randi Zuckerberg, a former director of market development and spokeswoman for Facebook and sister to Meta Platforms CEO Mark Zuckerberg, is a member of The Motley Fool’s board of directors. Wells Fargo is an advertising partner of Motley Fool Money. Adam Levy has positions in Alphabet, Amazon, Apple, Meta Platforms, and Microsoft. The Motley Fool has positions in and recommends Alphabet, Amazon, Apple, Berkshire Hathaway, Meta Platforms, Microsoft, and Nvidia. The Motley Fool recommends the following options: long January 2026 $395 calls on Microsoft and short January 2026 $405 calls on Microsoft. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.
Prediction: This “Magnificent Seven” Stock Will Be the Most Valuable Company in the World in 10 Years was originally published by The Motley Fool
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Sean 'Diddy' Combs trial live updates: Cassie Ventura finishes testifying in sex trafficking case – Yahoo
Sean 'Diddy' Combs trial live updates: Cassie Ventura finishes testifying in sex trafficking case – Yahoo
Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs trial live updates: Cassie Ventura finishes testifying in sex trafficking case YahooCassie’s Husband Speaks Out After Listening to 4 Days of Disturbing Testimony About Diddy and His Wife People.comCassie recalls aftermath of hotel assault and alleged ***** at Diddy’s trial NBC NewsSean ‘Diddy’ Combs Trial Live Updates: Cross-Examination of Cassie Continues The New York TimesCassie’s harrowing testimony, the myth of ‘mutual abuse’ and what domestic violence really looks like USA Today
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Trump suggests his opinion of Taylor Swift has made her less popular
Trump suggests his opinion of Taylor Swift has made her less popular
President Trump suggested Friday his swipe at Taylor Swift last year has hurt her popularity.
“Has anyone noticed that, since I said “I HATE TAYLOR SWIFT,” she’s no longer “HOT?”,” the president wrote in a Truth Social post Friday, as he flew back from the Middle East to the U.S. after the first major overseas trip of his second term.
A White House official told CBS News: “As a business and entertainment mogul President Trump is highly qualified to comment on the rise and fall of various celebrities,” including Swift.
Mr. Trump posted “I HATE TAYLOR SWIFT!” last fall, days after Swift endorsed former Vice President Kamala Harris. Swift’s Eras tour was still in progress at the time. The post was quickly overshadowed by news of a second assassination attempt against Mr. Trump hours later.
It wasn’t clear what prompted Mr. Trump’s mid-air musing about Swift. The pop megastar has been keeping a lower public profile in recent weeks. Her Eras tour has ended, and boyfriend Travis Kelce’s football season is over. Swift fans caught a glimpse of her at a Mother’s Day brunch in Philadelphia with the Kelce family, but she’s been photographed less frequently, except for the occasional date night, since the Kansas City Chiefs lost their Super Bowl bid.
Mr. Trump lashed out at Bruce Springsteen less than an hour later, calling him “Highly Overrated” and mocking what he called his “atrophied” skin, days after Springsteen called the Trump administration “treasonous” at a concert in the U.K.
The president’s digs at Swift and Springsteen came at the tail end of a four-day tour of Saudi Arabia, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates. During the trip, Mr. Trump met with allied Arab leaders, pledged to drop sanctions against Syria in a surprise move and announced a set of economic deals with Gulf states. Shortly before the trip started, reports emerged that Qatar would donate a Boeing 747 for Mr. Trump’s use, drawing ethics concerns — though Mr. Trump defended the move.
The bad blood between Swift and the president extends back years. Swift has only occasionally waded into politics, but has endorsed Mr. Trump’s opponents twice, backing former President Joe Biden in 2020 and Vice President Kamala Harris in 2024. Last year, she suggested she endorsed Harris in part because Mr. Trump had shared images on Truth Social that implied Swift supported him.
In endorsing Harris, Swift said she was “a steady-handed, gifted leader and I believe we can accomplish so much more in this country if we are led by calm and not chaos.”
Swift also endorsed Democrat Phil Bredesen in his unsuccessful 2018 race against Tennessee Sen. Marsha Blackburn, whom Swift called “Trump in a wig” in a documentary released in early 2020.
Mr. Trump responded to the 2018 endorsement by saying, “I like Taylor’s music about 25% less now,” adding that Swift “doesn’t know anything about” Blackburn.
Mr. Trump called Swift “unusually beautiful” and said, “I hear she’s very talented” in a 2023 interview with Variety editor Ramin Setoodeh — but questioned her stated political views.
“She’s legitimately liberal? It’s not an act? It surprises me that a country star can be successful being liberal,” Mr. Trump said of the crossover star to Setoodeh, according to excerpts published by Variety last year.
Swift’s representative did not offer a response to Mr. Trump’s post Friday.
Joe Walsh
Joe Walsh is a senior editor for digital politics at CBS News. Joe previously covered breaking news for Forbes and local news in Boston.
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I was on a flight
I was on a flight
Catherine Snowdon
BBC News
BBC
Catherine Snowdon is still puzzled by her experience on a trip to Madrid
An extraordinary thing happened to me on a recent flight to Madrid: I unwittingly travelled under the wrong identity, becoming a potential security issue, and no one realised.
I was packing for a short business trip to make a film for the BBC when I attempted to check-in online. It didn’t work, so I headed to London Heathrow Airport to do it in-person.
Upon arrival there, I tried once again to check myself in, this time at a self-service booth. Again I was denied, the machine flashing up an error code: “Assistance required.”
I ended up at a check-in desk and after checking in my bag, a British Airways staff member handed me a boarding pass. Admittedly I didn’t read the pass in any detail, but headed off to get processed in the security area as normal.
At the gate, I was among the first passengers to board flight BA7055 departing at 10:50 on 23 April, operated by BA’s Spanish partner carrier Iberia, as I was in row six.
Dutifully, I handed my passport and boarding pass to a member of BA ground crew, who glanced at them both and waved me through.
Once on board I realised my seat was in business class. I assumed this must have been a free upgrade, because I would of course usually have been in economy; we had chosen this flight because it was the most cost-effective option with all our filming equipment.
No sooner were we off the tarmac and at cruising altitude than the delicious baked cod and chickpea stew lunch was served. Tiramisu for dessert, too. No complimentary alcohol for me though; it was a work trip.
It was on arrival in the Spanish capital when things started to go wrong.
A boarding pass mystery
As soon as I gained mobile signal on the ground, an email popped up: my return flight had been cancelled.
I asked the BBC’s travel provider what had happened and what the plan was for getting me home?
In response, the travel company said it had been cancelled because I was a no-show on the outbound flight.
I explained that I was in fact very much in Madrid and waiting – endlessly, it seemed – to collect my checked luggage from the baggage belt.
After some no doubt confusing conversations between our travel team and BA, I received a further message to say the airline was adamant I had not travelled and that the boarding pass in my possession did not display the correct details.
This was when I realised that the name on my boarding pass was not mine, it was a man called Huw H. The BBC is not using Huw H’s full name, which was printed on the pass.
His name was also printed on my luggage tags.
BA claimed there was no way I could have travelled using that document as security checks wouldn’t allow it – but I did. My colleague, who was seated a few rows behind me, can vouch for me being on that plane.
The airline was so sure that I was not in Madrid that the BBC had to book me another seat on the flight home I was originally booked onto, at great expense. BA has since offered a £500 goodwill voucher as well as refunding the cost of the extra ticket.
The security protocol for passengers boarding flights is relatively simple: ground crew must check the name on the boarding pass matches that on the passport presented.
This process appears to have broken down in my case – with no one at check-in or the boarding gate identifying the discrepancy between the name on the boarding pass and my passport.
So what went wrong, and who is Huw H? I tried to find out.
An ‘unusual’ case
Some internet sleuthing brought limited proof of Huw H’s existence. I made a few attempts to contact accounts using his full name via various social media channels, to no avail. It’s made me fear that he might not even exist.
I did manage to get in touch with someone with a similar name – Jonathan Huw H – who, it turns out, flew on a BA flight on 24 April, a day after mine, landing at Heathrow, so is it possible his name was somehow floating around in the BA system? “It’s really worrying,” Jonathan told me.
My married name, which was on my booking confirmation and passport, begins with the letter H – though is very different to Huw H’s surname. Could this have factored in?
It’s impossible to know, and BA cannot confirm anything for privacy reasons.
Simon Calder, travel correspondent at the Independent, said it was to be expected that mistakes will sometimes happen “in the high-pressure, deadline-strewn world of aviation”.
But he added: “This case is unusual in that the error wasn’t picked up at the departure gate, where it could have been easily rectified.
“The airline needs urgently to investigate and make amends.”
Aviation security and operations expert Julian Bray added: “There is a security issue here, in that the plane took off with an incorrect passenger manifest.
“It is wrong and shouldn’t have happened. The passenger manifest should be correct as it is an important document that shows who is travelling and where. That said, as the name on the baggage tag matched the one on the boarding pass and the correct number of people were on board when the plane took off, I can see how it happened.”
Catherine’s plane home from Madrid – which she was relieved to eventually get on
Others would argue that it was not a security risk, though, because both myself and my luggage went through all the usual security checks.
A spokesperson for BA, which managed my ticket as well as the Heathrow ground crew in my case, said: “We’ve contacted our customer to apologise for this genuine human error. While incidents like this are extremely rare, we’ve taken proactive steps to ensure it doesn’t happen again.”
Meanwhile, the Civil Aviation Authority has told me it has launched an investigation into what happened.
Heathrow Airport said in response to a request for comment that it was not responsible for the ground crew or anything else in my case, and security screening went ahead as normal.
Iberia, whose only involvement in my journey was operating the outbound plane and cabin crew, has not responded to a request for comment. As is nothing out of the ordinary, my passport and boarding pass were not manually checked on the plane.
Apologies and investigations aside, the question remains how this was ever possible in this day and age of high security.
On social media there are threads about this type of thing happening around the world in the past, but the mistake was rectified before take-off as there were two people trying to sit in the same seat.
What happened to me appears to be different as my name was seemingly replaced with someone who seemingly wasn’t travelling to Spain that day.
I’m not sure I’ll ever really know what happened, but one thing is for sure – I won’t ever walk away from a check-in desk without reading every detail printed on my boarding pass in future.
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Smurf song: Rihanna drops first new music since 2022
Smurf song: Rihanna drops first new music since 2022
Rihanna has returned with her first new music since 2022.
The singer has shared Friend of Mine from the new Smurfs animated film – in what marks her first release since Born Again from the ****** Panther: Wakanda Forever soundtrack.
Rihanna will also voice Smurfette in the animated movie released in July.
The 37-year-old star- who hasn’t released an album since 2016’s ANTI – previously showed off her voice talents in Home and has acted in the likes of Ocean’s 8 and Battleship.
Rihanna previously admitted she would like to win an Oscar one day.
Asked if its on her list of goals, she previously said: “I’d love to get there one day. Who doesn’t want to be told they are doing a great job?
“Any validation that your work is impacting is rewarding. I work hard and put my all into everything I do but the rest isn’t up to me.
“I don’t think anyone makes an album thinking about winning a Grammy, or makes a movie thinking about winning an Oscar. What you do is work as hard as you can and if awards follow, then that’s great.”
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F-15 Eagles Deploy To Diego Garcia To Protect The Indian Ocean Outpost
F-15 Eagles Deploy To Diego Garcia To Protect The Indian Ocean Outpost
The U.S. Air Force has sent a contingent of at least four F-15 fighters to Diego Garcia in the Indian Ocean to help provide force protection for the island and the assets currently deployed there, which includes B-52H bombers. TWZ explicitly raised this possibility in April in a piece touching on evolving threats to the highly strategic Indian Ocean outpost and the vulnerabilities they highlight.
“The F-15s are deployed providing force protection,” an official with U.S INDOPACOM confirmed to The War Zone. We had some follow up questions and will update this story with any new pertinent details provided.
TWZ first noted the F-15s in a satellite image of Diego Garcia taken on May 16, 2025, from Planet Labs archive. Whether these are F-15C/D Eagles, which the U.S. Air Force is steadily retiring, or F-15E Strike Eagles isn’t perfectly clear, although they appear to most likely be E models based on their paint tone. Four B-52H bombers, five KC-135 tankers, a C-17 cargo plane, and a white-colored airliner with orange nacelles — most likely an SAS airlines personnel transport flight — is also viewable in the image. A review of additional satellite imagery from Planet Labs indicates the F-15s have been there since at least May 14.
Diego Garcia has long been a highly strategic operating location for the U.S. military. Beyond its large airfield that sits in the center of the Indian Ocean, it plays many roles for the Department of Defense, including hosting Space Force operations, serving as a key port for U.S. Navy vessels, including nuclear submarines, and its lagoon provides shelter for a Sealift Command Prepositioning Ship Squadron.
Navy Diver 2nd Class Jaden Johns, right, and Navy Diver 2nd Class Gabriel Gaona, both assigned to submarine tender USS Emory S. Land (AS 39) exit the water after an Anti-terrorism Force Protection Security Swim during the Ohio-class ballistic-missile submarine USS West Virginia (SSBN-736) port visit at U.S. Navy Support Facility (NSF) Diego Garcia. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Jan David De Luna Mercado) Petty Officer 2nd Class Jan David Mercado
The island outpost drew particular attention recently after an unusually large force of six B-2 Spirit stealth bombers began arriving in March in a clear show of force aimed primarily at Iran. The B-2s subsequently conducted strikes on Iranian-backed Houthi militants in Yemen.
The four B-52s now on Diego Garcia began arriving last week. For a very brief *******, there were 10 U.S. bombers on the island, but the B-2s quickly began departing for home. Online flight tracking data indicates that the last B-2s left the island on or around May 9th.
10 US Air Force strategic bombers are at Diego Garcia as of today.
Yet to be seen is whether the B-2s will return to the States or stay for a while longer. [Hidden Content]
— TheIntelFrog (@TheIntelFrog) May 8, 2025
A satellite image from 9 May with 3x B-2 and 4x B-52 bombers in Diego Garcia. Source: MizarVision, a ******** commercial satellite imagery company. Media reports and open-source flight data and air traffic control monitoring indicate that the B-2 bombers are leaving Diego Garcia. pic.twitter.com/KGa3I2CBXz
— Shahryar Pasandideh (@shahpas) May 11, 2025
Historically, Diego Garcia’s remoteness has been seen as a natural barrier to attack by non-near-peer potential adversaries like Iran. However, as TWZ has previously noted, the threat ecosystem has steadily changed in recent years. As we wrote in a story about the island’s potential vulnerabilities in April:
“At the same time, ever-growing threats emanate from Iran, as well as its regional proxies, that are no longer just defined by range rings around the Middle East. Iran has notably commissioned multiple sea base-like vessels that can be used to launch potentially large numbers of ballistic and cruise missiles, as well as long-range kamikaze drones, all from hundreds of miles away, in recent years. The Iranians have also demonstrated missile and drone capabilities, including launchers in standard shipping containers, which could be employed from commercial cargo and other civilian ships. Iran already has a history of using converted cargo vessels as motherships for intelligence gathering and covert attacks. There is also the potential for Iranian operatives or proxies to infiltrate an area to launch more localized campaigns, including using smaller and shorter-ranged weaponized drones.”
As noted, in that same story, we had also explicitly raised the question of whether a fighter contingent might appear on the island to provide force protection in light of those threats. Deploying to enhance security for a high-profile VIP visit is another possibility, although we have no indication that is the case at this time.
Regardless, F-15s would be an ideal platform for this force protection role. U.S. Air Force F-15E Strike Eagles very pointedly demonstrated their ability to contribute to a layered defense against complex cruise missile and drone attacks while helping to defend Israel from threats launched by Iran last year. They are arguably the most experienced fighter community in the USAF for dealing with a high-volume drone and cruise missile threat. This is beyond the fact that the F-15E force is taking on a ******* counter-air role as the F-15C’s inventory continues to dwindle. The Strike Eagles could also use their high endurance, large payload, and very capable sensor suite to detect and neutralize surface threats and provide non-traditional reconnaissance in the region surrounding the archipelago.
A U.S. Air Force F-15E Strike Eagle flies a combat air patrol over the U.S. Central Command area of responsibility, April 11, 2025. The F-15E Strike Eagle provides the capability to deter and, if necessary, target violent extremist organizations within the AOR. (U.S. Air Force photo by Senior Airman Keegan Putman) Senior Airman Keegan Putman
It’s also possible that these aircraft are indeed F-15Cs, which are also very well suited for the counter drone and cruise missile mission set. They bring some capabilities the F-15E doesn’t have, including an infrared search and track (IRST) system. On the other hand, they would not be able to provide the air-to-surface capabilities that an F-15E contingent could. They could still provide limited reconnaissance support with the help of the Sniper targeting pods, though.
While we do not know the intelligence or mission demand that triggered this relatively unprecedented force protection deployment to the island, if the potential threat picture at Diego Garcia is significant enough to warrant a fighter contingent, it highlights broader issues facing the Air Force and the rest of the U.S. military. Sending the six B-2s to Diego Garcia had added to an already heated debate about whether the U.S. military should be investing more in hardened aircraft shelters and other fortified infrastructure at key facilities globally. There are particular concerns about the vulnerability of airbases across the Indo-Pacific region during a potential future high-end fight with China. The airfield on Diego Garcia currently has just four specially designed B-2 shelters, which are not hardened.
A USAF image from the 2000s showing bomber operations from Diego Garcia during the height of the U.S. military’s operational focus on the war in Afghanistan and the Global War On Terror. (USAF via Getty Images) Pictures from History
At Diego Garcia, “we have multi-layered defense systems to ensure the security and protection of our personnel and equipment,” a spokesperson for U.S. Indo-Pacific Command (INDOPACOM) had told TWZ in April.
How long the U.S. military will continue to have a bolstered airpower presence at Diego Garcia, which now includes the F-15 detachment, remains to be seen. American authorities agreed to a ceasefire with Yemen’s Houthis, brokered by the Omani government, last week.
The United States and Iran are also currently engaged in negotiations over Iran’s nuclear ambitions. U.S. President Donald Trump has signaled in the past that military action against Iranian nuclear sites, which could be carried out in part by bombers flying from Diego Garcia, could be on the table if those talks fail. This would heighten the need for force protection assets at Diego Garcia, as well as other U.S. facilities across the Middle East.
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Moody's downgrades US credit rating citing rising debt – BBC
Moody's downgrades US credit rating citing rising debt – BBC
Moody’s downgrades US credit rating citing rising debt BBCU.S. Loses Last Triple-A Credit Rating WSJMoody’s downgrades United States credit rating on increase in government debt CNBCMoody’s downgrades U.S. credit as Congress considers bill that could add to deficits The Washington PostMoody’s Downgrades U.S. Credit Rating Below Triple-A The New York Times
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