They failed to impress judge Paul Hollywood, who called their cookies ‘powdery’
ROME — Pakistan will use “whatever means are available” to defend Saudi Arabia against Iran-backed Houthi rebels, the country’s defense minister said Tuesday, offering one of Islamabad’s clearest indications yet that it could become directly involved in the widening regional conflict. Defense Minister Khawaja Muhammad Asif declined to say whether Pakistani forces had already participated in airstrikes. He said, however, that Pakistan’s military capabilities would be available to Saudi Arabia under a new mutual defense pact with Saudi Arabia and Turkey. “I’m not going into detail, but obviously when I say that we are bound by this arrangement to defend Saudi Arabia, that means whatever means are available at our disposal, they’ll be available to Saudi Arabia also. I think that’s a categoric statement,” Asif told reporters during a visit to Rome when asked whether Pakistan had been involved in airstrikes against Iranian operators in Yemen . His response did not explicitly confirm Pakistani participation in any strikes. He also did not say whether Saudi Arabia, which
Marriages between Korean men and Japanese women are rising, the Tokyo Shimbun reported. The newspaper cited the Korean wave, Japanese women's desire to live in Korea and the financial burden of domestic marriage expenses for Korean men as possible factors. The number of cross-border marriages surged following the COVID-19 pandemic, reaching 1,483 last year, according to Korean government data. This marks the highest annual figure since 2000. MoaLove, a matchmaking agency specializing in Korean-Japanese marriages, said its Japanese female membership doubled this year from a year earlier. The agency said most members became interested in K-pop and Korean dramas before joining and many intend to move to Korea after marriage. The agency said social media has fostered greater acceptance of cross-border couples. It added that translation apps have helped ease language barriers, allowing communication even if the men do not speak Japanese. A 38-year-old Japanese freelance worker dating a Korean man cited her personal experience of receiving daily expressions of affection. "Because they treat me
WASHINGTON — Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth is planning to announce further cuts to the number of generals and admirals serving in the military in an address set for Wednesday, the Pentagon confirmed. According to Pentagon officials, Hegseth will direct all the military services to double the 10% reduction that he ordered last spring to the roughly 800 flag and general officer positions, making it a 20% total decrease to be completed by Jan. 1, 2027. President Donald Trump or Hegseth already have fired or pushed to retire more than two dozen military leaders since taking office, including the Army's top uniformed officer , Gen. Randy George, in April. They also have fired the only two women serving as four-star officers, as well as a disproportionate number of other senior female officers. Hegseth plans to make the announcement in a speech to troops at the Marine Corps Base Quantico in Virginia, the second year in a row he will deliver what the Pentagon is calling his “State of the Force” address. Fox News earlier reported the new reductions, which could include any one-star gener
When a hijack alert is sounded — after a pilot enters international emergency Squawk Code 7500 — it sets off a rapid, highly coordinated national security, aviation response
A senior army officer said the strategy could be aimed at complicating India’s target-selection process & creating an information-warfare advantage for Pakistan in case of a strike
Flydubai Flight FZ1073: The suspected terror hijacker is believed to be of Omani nationality. Israeli authorities say major disaster was averted, according to reports
Benjamin Netanyahu travelled secretly to the United Arab Emirates over the weekend, Israeli media has reported, to ask its leader to deny claims he had warned the Israeli prime minister about a looming Hamas threat ahead of the Palestinian militant group's Oct. 7, 2023 attack on southern Israel. Netanyahu himself has confirmed making the secret trip, but denies he urged his UAE counterpart to do anything of the kind. France 24’s Douglas Herbert takes a closer look.
The US-led coalition has formally ended its 12-year military mission in Iraq after defeating the Islamic State as an organised military force. Here’s why the coalition withdrew, what role Iraqi forces will now play and how the exit affects IS remnants and Iran-aligned armed groups.
Man City are claiming ‘conspiracy’ but as Miguel Delaney explains, this may be the most sophisticated system of industrialised cheating football has ever seen and the geopolitical element adds another huge layer
‘The Bear’ star played Bruce Springsteen in singer’s biopic last year
Lawrence Ostlere is joined by Miguel Delaney for another impromptu episode of Copa Independent to react hours after an independent commission’s verdict on Manchester City was released, which finds the club guilty of almost all Premier League charges and arranging “sham” sponsorships to inflate revenue by more than £830m over nine years, misstating accounts, concealing finances from auditors and regulators, and repeatedly breaching cooperation duties. Will the Premier League ever be the same again?