U.S. President Donald Trump strongly criticised the Supreme Court’s decision to overturn key parts of his tariff programme during his State of the Union address, calling the ruling “very unfortunate” as justices watched from the gallery. The high court held that Trump exceeded his authority by imposing broad import duties under emergency trade powers. Defending his approach, Trump said tariffs were vital for American economic and national security and suggested tariffs could even replace income tax. He pledged to pursue new legal and legislative avenues to reinstate his trade policies and protect U.S. industries amid global competition. (PC: India Today)

Former US President Donald Trump has made a dramatic new claim regarding the India-Pakistan conflict, stating that Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif “would have died” if the situation had escalated further. Trump reiterated that his intervention, including warnings of severe trade consequences, helped prevent a full-scale war between the two nuclear-armed neighbours. While Pakistan has acknowledged US diplomatic engagement during past tensions, India has consistently maintained that de-escalation was achieved through direct military-level talks without third-party mediation. Trump’s remarks have reignited debate over Washington’s actual role in easing the crisis. (PC: Bloomberg)

Anthropic, the AI company behind Claude, is locked in a high-stakes standoff with the US Department of Defense. Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth issued a Friday deadline demanding Anthropic remove safety restrictions from its AI models for unrestricted Pentagon use, including autonomous weapons and mass surveillance. CEO Dario Amodei has firmly refused, describing these as "red lines." Hegseth warned Anthropic could be labelled a "supply chain risk", a designation typically reserved for foreign adversaries or face the Defence Production Act, compelling compliance. Anthropic holds a $200 million government contract and remains the only AI provider cleared for classified military networks, making this standoff extraordinarily consequential for both sides. (PC: India Today)

In a landmark State of the Union address, US President Donald Trump made a bold and sweeping economic claim, asserting that tariffs paid by foreign countries could eventually replace America's modern income tax system entirely. Trump declared, stating that tariffs would "substantially replace the modern-day system of income tax, taking a great financial burden off the people that I love." Drawing a parallel to historical precedent when tariffs were America's primary revenue source before income tax was introduced in 1913, Trump framed his aggressive tariff policy not merely as a trade tool but as a long-term fiscal strategy aimed at fundamentally restructuring how the United States government generates its revenue.

Authorities in Chiang Mai are investigating after 72 tigers died at Tiger Kingdom Chiang Mai this month. The deaths happened in less than two weeks across two facilities.   Officials said tests found canine distemper virus in samples. The virus attacks the respiratory and nervous systems. It can infect big cats. Authorities said the outbreak is no longer spreading and no humans were infected.   “All remains have been buried,” officials said. Gravely ill tigers were recommended for euthanasia.   The park has been closed for two weeks for disinfection. Animal groups said the case shows the “extreme vulnerability of captive wildlife facilities to infectious disease.”

As US-Iran tensions escalate, America's most expensive warship, the $13.3 billion USS Gerald R. Ford is battling an unexpected internal crisis after a catastrophic sewage system failure leaving most of its 650 toilets non-functional. Over 4,500 sailors face 45-minute toilet queues daily while technicians work 19-hour shifts attempting repairs. The vacuum-based sewage system's fragile design means a single valve failure disables entire departments, with calcium build-up requiring $400,000 acid flushes each time. Now in its eighth month at sea well beyond the standard six exhausted sailors are missing family milestones and contemplating leaving the military entirely. The USS Harry S. Truman suffered similar crew fatigue issues, resulting in multiple lost fighter jets in 2025.

The United States has begun collecting a new 10% tariff on most imports. The move was confirmed in a notice by US Customs and Border Protection. It said goods would face “an additional ad valorem rate of 10%.”   The rate is lower than the 15% tariff earlier announced by President Donald Trump. A White House official said the higher rate may come later, but there is no formal order yet.   The step follows a Supreme Court ruling that blocked earlier tariffs. Trump then used Section 122 of the Trade Act of 1974 to impose the new duties for up to 150 days. (PC: HT)

Reddit has been fined £14 million by the UK Information Commissioner’s Office for failing to protect children’s data. The watchdog said the platform did not properly check users’ ages. Children under 13 had their personal information collected without proper safeguards. The ICO found Reddit lacked strong age verification measures. It also failed to assess data risks to children before January 2025. UK Information Commissioner John Edwards said companies must ensure children are not exposed to harm online. He warned that relying only on self-declared age is not enough. The ICO is reviewing new controls introduced by Reddit.

Authorities in Chiang Mai are investigating the deaths of 72 tigers at Tiger Kingdom, a popular tourist park. The tigers died within two weeks across two facilities. Officials said tests found canine distemper virus and a respiratory bacteria. The virus is highly contagious and can be fatal for big cats. More than 240 tigers live at the park. Staff said the illness was hard to detect early. The park has been closed for two weeks for cleaning and disinfection. Animal rights groups raised concerns about captive wildlife conditions. Officials are monitoring staff, but no human infections have been reported. (PC: Getty Images)

Mexico has deployed 10,000 troops to restore order following the death of Nemesio "El Mencho" Oseguera, leader of the feared Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG) and the country's most-wanted drug lord. El Mencho was wounded during a military shootout in Tapalpa, Jalisco State, and died while being airlifted to Mexico City. His death triggered immediate and widespread cartel retaliation, with members blocking roads across 20 states while torching vehicles and businesses. The violence claimed dozens of lives within hours. Mexican authorities responded by deploying thousands of soldiers nationwide to contain the unrest and prevent further cartel-orchestrated chaos from destabilising the country's already fragile security landscape.