Latest news with #TheTimes
North Wales Chronicle
7 hours ago
- Business
- North Wales Chronicle
‘No doubt' UK will spend 3% of GDP on defence by mid-2030s, Healey says
The Government has previously set out its 'ambition to reach 3% in the next parliament', after meeting its pledge to ratchet up defence spending to 2.5% of GDP by April 2027. But the Defence Secretary has promised a 'certain decade of rising defence spending', according to The Times, and said there was 'no doubt' the UK would meet its target. Mr Healey told the newspaper: 'It allows us to plan for the long term. It allows us to deal with the pressures.' The Government is looking at the roles, capabilities and reforms required by UK armed forces as part of its strategic defence review (SDR). It will explore 'deliverable and affordable' solutions 'within the resources available to defence within the trajectory of 2.5%'. When he announced the targets earlier this year, Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer said: 'In an ever more dangerous world, increasing the resilience of our country so we can protect the British people, resist future shocks and bolster British interests, is vital.' The new defence money will be found by reducing UK overseas aid from 0.5% to 0.3% of GNI (gross national income), according to the Government, a move which prompted then-international development minister Anneliese Dodds to resign. 'You have maintained that you want to continue support for Gaza, Sudan and Ukraine; for vaccination; for climate; and for rules-based systems,' she told Sir Keir. 'Yet it will be impossible to maintain these priorities given the depth of the cut.' Nato heads of government are set to meet in The Hague, in the Netherlands, next month. Addressing the alliance's parliamentary assembly in Dayton, USA this month, Nato secretary-general Mark Rutte said: 'I assume that in The Hague we will agree on a high defence spend target of, in total, 5%.'
Yahoo
7 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Elon Musk Was Using So Much Ketamine While Campaigning for Donald Trump It Was Affecting His Bladder, NY Times Reports
Elon Musk was using drugs 'far more intensely than previously known,' while helping Donald Trump successfully campaign to get back in the White House last year, The New York Times reported on Friday. Musk was taking ketamine, Ecstasy and psychedelic mushrooms, the newspaper reports, adding that his 'drug consumption went well beyond occasional use,' possibly including the stimulant Adderall. More from The Hollywood Reporter Savannah Chrisley Reacts to Parents Todd and Julie Chrisley's Prison Release: "It's Absolutely Insane!" I Helped Pick National Endowment for the Arts Grant Recipients. Trump Eliminated Many of Them Bono Weighs in on Trump-Bruce Springsteen Drama: "There's Only One Boss in America" He reportedly told people he was taking so much ketamine, 'it was affecting his bladder,' the Times reports, noting that this is a 'known effect of chronic use.' The drug use allegedly took place as Musk was dealing with drama in his relationships with the mothers of his various children. The Times pointed to Claire Boucher, the musician known as Grimes and mother of three of Musk's children, jostling for control of their 5 year-old son, X. The child appeared alongside his father in the Oval Office and at other high-profile political events. 'Ms. Boucher has privately complained that the appearances violate a custody settlement in which she and Mr. Musk agreed to try to keep their children out of the public eye, according to people familiar with her concerns and the provision, which has not been previous reported,' the Times writes. 'She has told people that she worries about the boy's safety and that frequent travel and sleep deprivation are harming his health.' The Times also stated it was 'unclear' whether the controversial Tesla and SpaceX CEO had been taking drugs while participating in Trump's second administration, including by leading its Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) initiative. With a focus on Musk backing Trump's earlier re-election effort, the Times said interviews with insiders and private messages obtained by its reporters revealed 'some people who knew him worried about his frequent drug use, mood swings and fixation on having more children.' Musk and his lawyer didn't respond to requests for comment from the Times about his drug use and personal life and The White House, the Times reports, didn't respond to questions about whether it had asked Musk to take drug tests. Though, after the Times article was published, the newspaper notes that White House spokesman Harrison Fields issued a statement crediting Musk with cutting government waste but didn't comment on his drug use. Musk has a history of recreational drug use, The Wall Street Journal reported last year. During his headline-making sit-down with Don Lemon in March 2024, the former CNN anchor pushed him on his drug use. Musk said he only took 'a small amount' of ketamine, roughly once every other week, as prescribed for times when he had a 'negative frame of mind.' 'If you've used too much ketamine, you can't really get work done, and I have a lot of work,' he said. The Times found he had 'developed a far more serious habit' and people familiar with his drug use said he was taking it often, sometimes daily and mixing it with other drugs. 'The line between medical use and recreation was blurry, troubling some people close to him,' the Times reported. Musk also poured his own money into Trump's re-election campaign. The SpaceX owner at one point apparently committed to donating $45 million a month to support Trump, although he later denied making that pledge. He then began channeling his money into a pro-Trump political action committee, AmericaPAC. Musk's rightward political turn and related online antics, including on his X, formerly Twitter, platform, coincided with a severe dent in brand images and sales for Tesla cars and his other businesses. The tech billionaire on Wednesday said he was ending his work with the government and focusing on his Tesla and SpaceX companies. Best of The Hollywood Reporter Most Anticipated Concert Tours of 2025: Beyoncé, Billie Eilish, Kendrick Lamar & SZA, Sabrina Carpenter and More Hollywood's Most Notable Deaths of 2025 Hollywood's Highest-Profile Harris Endorsements: Taylor Swift, George Clooney, Bruce Springsteen and More
Los Angeles Times
7 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Los Angeles Times
Loretta Swit, who played libido-driven Maj. ‘Hot Lips' Houlihan on ‘M*A*S*H,' dies at 87
Loretta Swit, the Emmy-winning actor best known for her time as Maj. Margaret 'Hot Lips' Houlihan on the TV version of 'M*A*S*H,' died Friday in her New York City apartment, her representative confirmed to The Times. She was 87. Swit was found by her housekeeper around 10 a.m., according to publicist Harlan Boll, who said he had been on the phone with her at 11 p.m. local time Thursday night — 2 a.m. Friday in New York. Her doorman saw her drop something in the mail at 4 a.m. Friday, New York time, Boll said, and six hours later, she was gone. The actor — born Loretta Jane Szwed on Nov. 4, 1937, in Passaic, N.J. — loved playing Hot Lips so much that she was the only performer other than Alan Alda who stayed on the series from its pilot in 1972 through its much-watched finale in 1983. 'M*A*S*H,' set during the Korean War, was a sitcom but also more than that to Swit. 'There is, I think, an intelligence behind the humor,' she told The Times in 1977. 'The audience is huge, and they deserve to be entertained on the highest level we can achieve.' Though her portrayal of the libido-driven blond in fatigues and Army boots catapulted Swit to household-name status, she had been in acting since before her 8th birthday in stage productions and musicals in New York. She left home at 17 to work in the theater, temping at secretarial jobs while studying at the American Academy of Dramatic Arts. A confessed workaholic, Swit moved easily from comedy to drama, acting in 'Same Time, Next Year,' 'Mame' and 'The Odd Couple' before moving to Los Angeles to star in 'M*A*S*H.' She appeared in iconic series such as 'Hawaii Five-O,' 'Mission: Impossible' and 'Mannix,' and had a productive television career until very recently. Her most recent TV appearance was as herself in the 2024 Fox tribute special 'M*A*S*H: The Comedy That Changed Television.' Her theater work was plentiful, and in addition to Broadway, off-Broadway, regional and national work, included shows in Southern California. She joined Harry Hamlin in 'One November Yankee' at the NoHo Arts Center in 2012, three years after doing a reading of the play with a different actor at the Pasadena Playhouse. 'M*A*S*H' filmed its outdoor scenes at Malibu Creek State Park, where the set was re-created for fans' enjoyment in 2008. 'It's thrilling to be honored in this way,' Swit told The Times that year. 'I think if I had to sum it up, what we're most proud of is that we made everybody come together. And I think this will also bring people together.' Swit was nominated for five Emmys for her Hot Lips role and won for supporting actress in a comedy, variety or music series in 1980 and 1982. She garnered four Golden Globe nominations for her work on 'M*A*S*H,' in the lead and supporting actress categories, but did not win. She was given a star on Hollywood's Walk of Fame in 1989, near what is now the home of Amoeba Music. An animal lover, Swit set up the SwitHeart Animal Alliance to prevent cruelty and end animal suffering. The alliance worked with numerous nonprofit organizations and programs to protect, rescue, train and care for animals and preserve their habitat, while raising public awareness about issues that concern domestic, farm, exotic, wild and native animals. She created an art book, 'SwitHeart: The Watercolour Artistry & Animal Activism of Loretta Swit,' which includes 65 of her full-color paintings and drawings and 22 of her photographs. Proceeds went to animal causes, and the 2016 Betty White Award from the group Actors and Others for Animals was but one of the many honors she received for her philanthropic work. Former freelance writer T.L. Stanley contributed to this report.
South Wales Argus
7 hours ago
- Business
- South Wales Argus
‘No doubt' UK will spend 3% of GDP on defence by mid-2030s, Healey says
The Government has previously set out its 'ambition to reach 3% in the next parliament', after meeting its pledge to ratchet up defence spending to 2.5% of GDP by April 2027. But the Defence Secretary has promised a 'certain decade of rising defence spending', according to The Times, and said there was 'no doubt' the UK would meet its target. Mr Healey told the newspaper: 'It allows us to plan for the long term. It allows us to deal with the pressures.' The Government is looking at the roles, capabilities and reforms required by UK armed forces as part of its strategic defence review (SDR). It will explore 'deliverable and affordable' solutions 'within the resources available to defence within the trajectory of 2.5%'. When he announced the targets earlier this year, Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer said: 'In an ever more dangerous world, increasing the resilience of our country so we can protect the British people, resist future shocks and bolster British interests, is vital.' The new defence money will be found by reducing UK overseas aid from 0.5% to 0.3% of GNI (gross national income), according to the Government, a move which prompted then-international development minister Anneliese Dodds to resign. 'You have maintained that you want to continue support for Gaza, Sudan and Ukraine; for vaccination; for climate; and for rules-based systems,' she told Sir Keir. 'Yet it will be impossible to maintain these priorities given the depth of the cut.' Nato heads of government are set to meet in The Hague, in the Netherlands, next month. Addressing the alliance's parliamentary assembly in Dayton, USA this month, Nato secretary-general Mark Rutte said: 'I assume that in The Hague we will agree on a high defence spend target of, in total, 5%.'
Powys County Times
8 hours ago
- Business
- Powys County Times
‘No doubt' UK will spend 3% of GDP on defence by mid-2030s, Healey says
The Government has previously set out its 'ambition to reach 3% in the next parliament', after meeting its pledge to ratchet up defence spending to 2.5% of GDP by April 2027. But the Defence Secretary has promised a 'certain decade of rising defence spending', according to The Times, and said there was 'no doubt' the UK would meet its target. Mr Healey told the newspaper: 'It allows us to plan for the long term. It allows us to deal with the pressures.' The Government is looking at the roles, capabilities and reforms required by UK armed forces as part of its strategic defence review (SDR). It will explore 'deliverable and affordable' solutions 'within the resources available to defence within the trajectory of 2.5%'. When he announced the targets earlier this year, Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer said: 'In an ever more dangerous world, increasing the resilience of our country so we can protect the British people, resist future shocks and bolster British interests, is vital.' The new defence money will be found by reducing UK overseas aid from 0.5% to 0.3% of GNI (gross national income), according to the Government, a move which prompted then-international development minister Anneliese Dodds to resign. 'You have maintained that you want to continue support for Gaza, Sudan and Ukraine; for vaccination; for climate; and for rules-based systems,' she told Sir Keir. 'Yet it will be impossible to maintain these priorities given the depth of the cut.' Nato heads of government are set to meet in The Hague, in the Netherlands, next month. Addressing the alliance's parliamentary assembly in Dayton, USA this month, Nato secretary-general Mark Rutte said: 'I assume that in The Hague we will agree on a high defence spend target of, in total, 5%.'
