PK-LIVE NEWS

The Irish Prison Service bought a bulletproof and bombproof van to transport the 49-year-old to court after his extradition from Dubai.

Elijah faced 850-to-1 odds in the Old Testament, and his story offers a blueprint for unbreakable courage amid today's fear and uncertain times.

Meanwhile, Iran has made new demands about the restart of negotiations and the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz, and the Pentagon is pressing the U.S. defense industry to accelerate production of weapons.

The curious case of Guren Bobby Zhou shows the ease with which investors with shady backgrounds and unknown motivations can funnel money to the president.

Despite a ruling blocking construction of his proposed 400 million ballroom, President Donald Trump remains adamant the project must be built for the nation's security.

Iran's military stressed that the crucial waterway would only be reopened when the U.S. accepts Iran's conditions.

It will be visible in parts of the U.S. on Wednesday.

The Iran war has depleted U.S. weapons stockpiles, resulting in a significant erosion of firepower. A more drawn-out Iran conflict benefits Moscow and Beijing, some analysts say.

The gunman - a student at the Debsirin School in Nonthaburi - killed his grandparents and five teachers before taking his own life, Thai Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul told reporters. The attacker still had "more than 30 bullets left" when he turned the gun on himself, Anutin added.

Washington — Republican Sen. Bill Cassidy of Louisiana announced Friday that he will support Todd Blanche's nomination for attorney general, clearing the way for him to lead the Justice Department in a permanent capacity. "Mr. Blanche is not perfect, and he will tell you this, but the

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s blocking of promotions for high-ranking women in the military has contributed to the lowest percentage of such nominations for women in at least 25 years, according to a New York Times analysis. Eight of 201 candidates for high-ranking posts this year have been women, or 4 percent — less than half the average percentage of the past 10 years. More women could still be promoted this year. And the number of women nominated for promotion in any year is relatively small, so the percentages can fluctuate based on a few individual officers. In 2012, for example, the percentage of high-ranking nominations going to women also fell below 5 percent. But the proportion of female nominees would be higher in 2026 if not for Mr. Hegseth’s actions. He has blocked at least 40 high-ranking promotions from reaching the Senate in recent months — some for white men, but about half for women and people of color, The Times has reported. It’s a substantial drop from 2025, when women reached the highest percentage of nominees on record during Mr. Hegseth’s first year as defense secretary. Mr. Hegseth has not disclosed his reasons for blocking promotions, but he has argued that the Pentagon’s past diversity efforts have degraded the military. “For too long, we’ve promoted too many uniform leaders for the wrong reasons,” he said in a speech to military leaders last September. “Based on their race, based on gender quotas, based on historic so-called firsts.” These high-level promotions, however, are extremely competitive. For one- and two-star ranks, selection boards across branches conduct an in-depth review to vet a candidate’s experience and record, in addition to the needs of the military at the time. Some of the would-be nominees blocked by Mr. Hegseth had spoken publicly about the importance of diversity. The decline in women’s nominations to high-ranking jobs, including general and admiral, stands in contrast to nominations for lower-level posts, including captain and major, which number in the thousands each year. Roughly 23 percent of those have gone to women, higher than in any other year in the Times analysis. This reflects the increasingly central role that women have come to play across the force over the last decade

The prime minister says enforcement is increased but there also need to be more safe routes into the UK.