Pakistan faces backlash over Trump Nobel Peace Prize nomination
Pakistan 's nomination of Donald Trump for the Nobel Peace Prize has caused a significant political controversy and widespread condemnation within the country.
Critics, including opposition leaders and civil society members, have denounced the nomination as an act of "crass flattery" and national humiliation, particularly in light of the recent US bombing of Iran.
The nomination occurred just hours before the US attacked Iranian nuclear sites, creating diplomatic awkwardness as Pakistan subsequently condemned the US action and reaffirmed its support for Iran.
A resolution has been submitted in the Pakistani Senate demanding the withdrawal of the nomination, citing Trump's actions as a violation of international law and a disturbance to regional peace.
The nomination followed a meeting between Pakistan's army chief and Trump, and Pakistan had previously credited Trump for his claimed mediation in the India -Pakistan military confrontation.
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Former Iran diplomat makes disturbing claim to Aussie journalist following US bombings
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How much each NATO country will pay to meet 5% defence spending target
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According to the new regulations, weapons and ammunition that NATO members supply to Ukraine will be factored into the total spend, making the new target slightly easier to reach. The targets may also be adjusted in 2029. But many European countries have expressed concern that they will struggle to meet 5%. Spain, meanwhile, has openly declared it will not come close to meeting the target, leading Trump to threaten to slap tariffs on Spanish goods to make up for the deficit. The UK's current defence spend is 2.33% of GDP, amounting to almost $81.4 billion. If Britain were required to meet the 5% target today, the Government would need to set aside a whopping $192 billion. Our interactive map below displays the current defence expenditure of all the NATO countries, both as a percentage figure of GDP and in monetary terms. As a comparison, you can also see how much money 5% of GDP equates to today. 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The US is still by far the biggest spender on defence overall in terms - forking out a total of $967.7billion, equivalent to 3.38% of GDP. But America falls behind Poland and Estonia in percentage spend. These nations, which share a land border with Russia or its exclave Kaliningrad, contribute 4.12% and 3.43% of their respective GDPs to defence. The UK by comparison spends around $81.4billion, equivalent to 2.33% of its GDP, with Sir Keir Starmer 's government insisting it is on a 'path' to increasing this to 2.5%. But no member of the alliance is close to spending 5% of GDP on defence at present, and some nations - including Spain , Canada , Italy and Portugal - are still lagging below the 2% threshold. Spain is at the bottom of the pile, spending just 1.28% as of this year. 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NBC News
16 minutes ago
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Supreme Court set to issue rulings on birthright citizenship and 5 other cases on its final day
WASHINGTON — The Supreme Court is set to conclude its nine-month term on Friday with a flurry of rulings including a closely watched case concerning President Donald Trump's attempt to end automatic birthright citizenship. The court, which has a 6-3 conservative majority, has six cases left to decide of those in which it heard oral arguments in the current term, which began in October. Other cases are on such issues as voting rights, religious rights and health care. The one that has attracted most attention is the birthright citizenship dispute, which focuses not on the lawfulness of the proposal but whether federal judges had the power to block it nationwide while litigation continues. What the court says about so-called nationwide injunctions could have wide-ranging impacts, with judges frequently ruling against Trump on his broad use of executive power. The court also has the option of side-stepping a decision on that issue and instead taking up the merits of the plan. Birthright citizenship is conferred under the Constitution's 14th Amendment, which states: 'All persons born or naturalized in the United States, and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of the United States.' The longstanding interpretation of the provision as understood by generations of Americans, including legal scholars on the left and right, is that anyone born on U.S. soil is an American citizen with a few minor exceptions, including people who are the children of diplomats. Along with birthright citizenship, the other five cases the court has to decide concern: Whether conservative religious parents can opt their elementary school-age children out of LGBTQ-themed books in class. Long-running litigation over whether congressional districts in Louisiana are lawful. A law enacted in Texas that imposes . A challenge to the Affordable Care Act's preventive care task force. A Federal Communications Commission program that subsidizes phone and internet services in underserved areas. The justices typically break for the summer and return for a new term in October, although they will still likely have to continue acting on cases that reach them on an emergency basis. Such cases have been reaching the court with increasing frequency since Trump took office.
