2 people shot and killed near Jewish museum in Washington DC
Israeli embassies around the world are flying their flags at half-mast after two staff members were shot dead by a lone gunman in Washington DC. The couple were shot and killed while leaving an event at the Capital Jewish Museum in downtown Washington. Nick Harper reports from Washington DC.
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Independent Singapore
2 hours ago
- Independent Singapore
From bromance to blow-up: Trump and Musk's bitter spat
The most ballyhooed bromance on earth blew up in spectacular fashion on Thursday when the world's most powerful leader traded barbs online with the world's richest man. In the middle of a meeting with the German chancellor, US President Donald Trump posted that he was 'disappointed in Elon', stung by the tech tycoon's unrelenting criticism of his 'big, beautiful bill'. The spat between these high-profile bromates lit up the internet, with live-blogging websites offering tweet-by-tweet updates, and others speculating—sometimes behind paywalls—on whether the erstwhile bosom buddies had become bitter enemies. Only the most incorrigible punters would dare wager whether the rift is permanent or passing. Given their mercurial temperaments, today's feud could easily become tomorrow's flirtation. Supporters of strong governance may, nevertheless, be relieved. The world's most powerful leader is still more potent than its richest man—at least for now. Musk blinked first. Musk indicated on X he is ready to relent, but the White House has turned a cold shoulder. The president reportedly continues to criticise the Tesla, X and SpaceX boss in private. Costly spat The spat could prove costly for both men. While Trump and his political action committees may not receive the $100 million or more reportedly pledged by Musk, the tycoon risks losing billions. Trump has threatened to cancel his government contracts, posting: 'The easiest way to save money in our Budget, Billions and Billions of Dollars, is to terminate Elon's Governmental Subsidies and Contracts. I was always surprised that Biden didn't do it.' The rift widened after Musk lambasted Trump's signature tax-and-spending bill, calling it a 'disgusting abomination' sure to wreck the nation's finances. To add insult to injury, he claimed Trump wouldn't have won the election without his support. Trump said he was 'very disappointed in Musk,' accused him of turning 'hostile' after being turfed out of government, and charged that the billionaire was meddling in politics to further his business interests. Musk, who spent over $250 million supporting Trump's re-election bid last year and once declared, 'I love @realDonaldTrump as much as a straight man can love another man,' hit back hard. He called for Trump's impeachment and replacement by Vice President JD Vance and warned that the president's tariffs could trigger a US recession. See also Hillary Clinton urges Biden not to concede in close election He also insinuated that Trump's name appeared in sealed files relating to the late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. Still, Musk eventually toned down his rhetoric. After threatening to decommission his Dragon spacecraft, which NASA uses to transport astronauts, he responded to a netizen urging calm with: 'Good advice… Ok, we won't decommission Dragon.' His conciliatory tone, however, received no response from the White House. Trump may struggle to find alternatives if he scraps contracts with Musk's companies. SpaceX remains the only US firm transporting astronauts to and from space. Several government agencies also depend on its Falcon rockets, in-orbit vehicles, and the Starlink network—more than 7,500 internet satellites, which Ukraine has used in its war against Russia. Media pundits are almost unanimous in concluding that the bromance was doomed from the start—doomed by two towering egos unwilling to share the spotlight. Ideological divide? But Guardian columnist Jonathan Freedland sees more than just a personality clash. He believes there is also an ideological divide. See also Trump and Biden outline competing visions for US economy Musk's opposition to Trump's 'big, beautiful bill' may be linked to its failure to extend tax credits for electric vehicles—a provision that might have boosted Tesla's sagging sales. Publicly, however, Musk has criticised the bill on fiscal grounds, warning that it will deepen the already gargantuan US deficit. In doing so, he has recast himself as a champion of traditional, deficit-conscious Republicans. Freedland notes a growing divide on the American right: between old-school conservatives who worry about fiscal responsibility, and nationalists like Trump's former strategist Steve Bannon, who support tariffs and oppose global immigration. Musk, by contrast, has argued against tariffs and in favour of keeping the US open to highly skilled, tech-savvy immigrants. He has even called for the formation of a new political party. No wonder the bromance has broken down. But then again, politics makes strange bedfellows—and anything's possible. Featured image by Depositphotos (for illustration purposes only)
CNA
9 hours ago
- CNA
Israel admits to supporting anti-Hamas armed group in Gaza
JERUSALEM: Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu admitted that Israel is supporting an armed group in Gaza that opposes the militant group Hamas, following comments by a former minister that Israel had transferred weapons to it. Israeli and Palestinian media have reported that the group Israel has been working with is part of a local Bedouin tribe led by Yasser Abu Shabab. The European Council on Foreign Relations (EFCR) think tank describes Abu Shabab as the leader of a "criminal gang operating in the Rafah area that is widely accused of looting aid trucks". Knesset member and ex-defence minister Avigdor Lieberman had told the Kan public broadcaster that the government, at Netanyahu's direction, was "giving weapons to a group of criminals and felons". "What did Lieberman leak? ... That on the advice of security officials, we activated clans in Gaza that oppose Hamas. What is bad about that?" Netanyahu said in a video posted to social media on Thursday (Jun 5). "It is only good, it is saving lives of Israeli soldiers." Michael Milshtein, an expert on Palestinian affairs at the Moshe Dayan Center in Tel Aviv, told AFP that the Abu Shabab clan was part of a Bedouin tribe that spans across the border between Gaza and Egypt's Sinai peninsula. Some of the tribe's members, he said, were involved in "all kinds of criminal activities, drug smuggling, and things like that". Army spokesman Brigadier General Effie Defrin on Friday confirmed the military supported arming local militias in Gaza but remained tight-lipped on the details. "I can say that we are operating in various ways against Hamas governance," Defrin said during a televised press conference when questioned on the subject, without elaborating further. "GANGSTER" Milshtein said that Abu Shabab had spent time in prison in Gaza and that his clan chiefs had recently denounced him as an Israeli "collaborator and a gangster". "It seems that actually the Shabak (Israeli security agency) or the (military) thought it was a wonderful idea to turn this militia, gang actually, into a proxy, to give them weapons and money and shelter" from army operations, Milshtein said. He added that Hamas killed four members of the gang days ago. The ECFR said Abu Shabab was "reported to have been previously jailed by Hamas for drug smuggling. His brother is said to have been killed by Hamas during a crackdown against the group's attacks on United Nations aid convoys". Israel regularly accuses Hamas, with which it has been at war for nearly 20 months, of looting aid convoys in Gaza. Hamas said the group had "chosen betrayal and theft as their path" and called on civilians to oppose them. Hamas, which has ruled Gaza for nearly two decades, said it had evidence of "clear coordination between these looting gangs, collaborators with the occupation (Israel), and the enemy army itself in the looting of aid and the fabrication of humanitarian crises that deepen the suffering of" Palestinians. The Popular Forces, as Abu Shabab's group calls itself, said on Facebook it had "never been, and will never be, a tool of the occupation". "Our weapons are simple, outdated and came through the support of our own people," it added. Milshtein called Israel's decision to arm a group such as Abu Shabab "a fantasy, not something that you can really describe as a strategy".
CNA
9 hours ago
- CNA
Israeli military retrieves body of Thai hostage from Gaza
JERUSALEM: The Israeli military has retrieved the body of Thai hostage, Nattapong Pinta, who had been held in Gaza since Hamas' Oct 7, 2023, attack on Israel, Defence Minister Israel Katz said on Saturday (Jun 7). Pinta's body was held by a Palestinian militant group called the Mujahedeen Brigades, and was retrieved from the area of Rafah in southern Gaza, Katz said. His family in Thailand has been notified. Pinta, an agricultural worker, was abducted from Kibbutz Nir Oz, a small community near the border, where one in four people was killed or taken hostage during the Hamas-led 2023 attack that triggered the devastating war in Gaza. The Israeli military said Pinta had been abducted alive and killed by his captors, who had also killed and taken to Gaza the bodies of two more Israeli-American hostages that were retrieved this week. There was no immediate comment from the militant group. Hamas-led militants killed 1,200 people in Israel in the 2023 attack, Israel's deadliest day, and took 251 hostages, 55 of whom remain in Gaza. Twenty hostages are believed to still be alive, according to Israeli authorities. Israel responded to the Hamas attacks with a military campaign that has killed over 54,000 Palestinians, according to Gaza health authorities in the Hamas-run strip, and left much of the enclave in ruins, with a population of more than 2 million people largely displaced.
