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Play video content SHE MD Podcast Hailey Bieber's proof you should "Never Say Never" when it comes to pregnancy ... because she was pretty sure she wasn't going to be carrying a baby for awhile
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Play video content TMZ.com T.I. absolutely cooked 50 Cent with a recent barrage of diss tracks aimed at the rapper-turned-TV-mogul ... but T.I. downplayed the beef when our producer ran into him in NYC today.
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Get ready to flip out, people ... we've got pics of some celebs enjoying serious piles of flapjacks for you to peruse. It's National Pancake Day, so we've put together a gallery of Hollywood A-Listers
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Morgan Cozzi -- who was linked to Lily Allen's ex-husband, David Harbour, late last year -- was asked to leave a birthday bash for Lily's longtime producer ... TMZ has learned. Sources with direct knowledge
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People stand next to a passenger train after it was hit by a Russian drone strike, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, at a railway station in Mykolaiv region, Wednesday. At least five people were injured Wednesday in two Russian attacks targeting railway infrastructure in southern Ukraine, Ukrainian officials said.A railway worker was hurt in a drone strike, which hit an empty passenger train in the morning in the Mykolaiv region, Deputy Prime Minister Oleksiy Kuleba said on the Telegram messaging app.Another worker and two children were hurt later when a Russian missile hit an administrative building at a railway station in the neighbouring Odesa region, he said.An official later updated the number of injured in the missile attack to four, without saying who the fourth person was.Kuleba said there was also an attempted Russian drone attack late on Tuesday on a train operating between the eastern-central city of Dnipro and Kovel in northwestern Ukraine. It was stopped by railway workers and the drone hit a few metres away from the locomotive, he said.Ukrzaliznytsia, Ukrainian national railways, said Russia had intensified drone attacks on railway infrastructure, and that rolling stock was among the main targets.It reported that 18 strikes had been recorded since the start of March, damaging 41 facilities.Locomotives, freight cars and specialised equipment used to repair infrastructure have also been targeted, as well as railway depots and bridges, the operator said.On Monday, a Russian drone attack on a commuter train in Dnipropetrovsk region killed one person and wounded seven others. Related Story
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Luxury cars are on display, as Taiwan auctions off luxury cars linked to the Cambodian scam centre Prince Group, in Taipei, Taiwan. Taiwanese prosecutors charged 62 people and 13 companies Wednesday in connection with a Cambodian conglomerate whose founder is accused of running forced labour camps.Prince Holding Group founder Chen Zhi has been indicted by the US on fraud and money-laundering charges for allegedly running a multibillion-dollar cyberscam network from Cambodia.The Southeast Asian nation has emerged as a hotspot for crime syndicates running a multibillion-dollar fraud industry that sees scammers lure internet users globally into fake romantic relationships and cryptocurrency investments.Cambodia deported Chen to China in January. Beijing has called Chen "the ringleader of a major cross-border gambling and fraud criminal syndicate".The Taipei District Prosecutors Office said 62 people, including Chen, and 13 companies have been charged with offences that include "initiating, directing, manipulating, and commanding a criminal organisation".Other charges include large-scale money laundering, falsifying accounting records, operating gambling venues for profit and using forged business documents."The Prince Group, led by Chen Zhi,... established multiple companies in Taiwan from 2016 onwards to facilitate illegal gambling and money laundering operations," prosecutors said in a statement.More than $300mn was laundered in Taiwan using channels including foreign exchange transfers to Taiwanese companies, prosecutors said.Authorities also seized more than $170mn worth of assets, including luxury residences and high-end cars, as part of the investigation.Dozens of seized sports cars, including limited edition models for Porsche, Ferrari and other brands, have been auctioned off for more than $12mn.Taiwanese prosecutors are seeking jail sentences of between six and more than 20 years for the defendants.
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Malaysia's Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) chief commissioner Azam Baki takes part in a press conference at the MACC headquarters in Putrajaya Wednesday. Malaysia's anti-corruption agency said Wednesday it was probing alleged abuse of power, fraud and governance issues linked to a 1.11bn ringgit ($280mn) deal between the Malaysian government and British chip giant Arm Holdings.The Southeast Asian country, which is one of the world's top chip exporters, signed an agreement with the firm last March to boost production of high-end semiconducters, as the US-China tech trade war shook global markets."We have summoned a total of 12 witnesses so far from various government agencies, especially from the economy ministry, Malaysia's investment development authority and also from the trade ministry and several other agencies," Malaysia’s Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) chief Azam Baki said.A former minister was one of those called in to give a statement, Azam said, refusing to name the individual.Rafizi Ramli was Malaysia's economy minister at the time, while Tengku Zafrul Aziz held the investment, trade and industry minister portfolio.Malaysia is a key player in the vital chips sector but has been largely focused on packaging, assembly and testing services — the lower end of the market.The Arm Holdings agreement will see the Softbank-owned firm provide chip designs and other technology to Malaysia, helping the nation shift into more value-added production, such as wafer fabrication and integrated circuit design.Malaysia said at that time it would pay $250mn over a decade to receive support from the British company."We will investigate this matter in a fair and professional manner," Azam said, adding that more witnesses will be summoned to assist the probe.Malaysia's semiconductor exports were valued at 387.98bn ringgit ($87.48bn) in 2024, the Malaysia External Trade Development Corp said, making the country one of the world's top 10 chip exporters.Malaysia's northern island of Penang, home to a number of facilities, is often dubbed the country's Silicon Valley.Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim announced plans in April 2024 to build a massive semiconductor design park, an effort to move the country beyond chips production. Related Story
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Swedish Air Force JAS 39 Gripen aircraft are parked in a hangar at the air base in Keflavik, Iceland. Swedish fighter jets are patrolling the skies around Iceland for the first time, as Nato allies try to show both US President Donald Trump and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin that they are serious about protecting the Arctic. Sweden has sent six of its Saab Gripen fighter jets, the crown jewel of its defence industry, as part of Nato mission Arctic Sentry.The mission is seeking to strengthen Nato's presence in the strategically important Arctic region as part of an effort to defuse severe tensions within the alliance prompted by Trump's push for the US to acquire Greenland.Trump has forced Nato allies to sharply increase military spending, including in the Arctic. He has been particularly unimpressed by Denmark's military presence on Greenland, which he mockingly described as "two dog sleds".The Swedish fighters are mainly on the lookout for Russian long-range bombers that can take off from air bases on the Kola Peninsula, which is home to Russia's Northern Fleet and also has nuclear missile silos. "Iceland as well as all of the Arctic would be important (in case of a conflict) because that's the warning chain for attacks against the US or Canada across the Arctic," said Major General Frode Arnfinn Kristoffersen, deputy chief of staff, operations, at Nato Joint Force Command Norfolk."Russia sees the Arctic as vital to becoming a great power and has also built up new Arctic bases and opened up former Soviet military sites, including deep-water ports and airfields," he said. Russia has repeatedly dismissed claims it is seeking to take over Greenland, or is a threat in the Arctic, saying they are false "horror stories" made up by Western leaders to justify their own behaviour.HARSH ARCTIC CONDITIONSKeflavik Air Base, built during World War Two and up until 2006 an American base, is home to the Nato air policing missions that have been done periodically since 2008.The cold and windy conditions are the same as those on Greenland and the rest of the Arctic."We have experiences from operating in this kind of harsh environment...so for us, it's quite natural to also be able to operate here in Iceland," said Major General Jonas Wikman, Sweden's Air Force chief.The JAS 39 Gripen is a fourth-generation light single-engine supersonic multi-role aircraft, meaning it can do air-to-ground, air-to-surface, and air-to-air operations."It's perfectly suitable for this weather. It's built in Sweden for the Swedish climate, and this is basically what we have back in Sweden," said Lieutenant Colonel Robin Arvidsson, fighter pilot and squadron commander in the Swedish Air Force.It has a low logistical footprint and can be refuelled and rearmed by one officer and four conscripts in as little as 10 minutes.DANGEROUS BUILD-UPWhile Nato allies have rushed to increase the alliance's presence in the Arctic, some analysts and politicians have questioned the rationale behind the build-up, saying Russia does not currently pose a threat to Greenland."This is very dangerous because it leads to an action-reaction cycle," said Pavel Devyatkin, senior associate at Washington-based think tank, The Arctic Institute."There's a very high chance of an accidental incident, of an escalation," he said. "These moves from Sweden and from Nato are basically appeasing President Trump," he said. Related Story
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World number one Aryna Sabalenka on Tuesday voiced her support for a proposal to make women's matches best-of-five sets during the later stages of Grand Slam tournaments.Speaking ahead of this week's ATP-WTA tournament in Indian Wells, the hard-hitting Sabalenka said she believed switching to five sets would benefit her game."Yeah, let's do that," the four-time Grand Slam singles champion said when asked about the idea, which was floated by incoming US Tennis Association chief Craig Tiley at the Australian Open earlier this year."I feel like I would have probably more Grand Slams," Sabalenka added. "Physically I'm really strong, and I'm pretty confident that my body can handle that. So let's do it."Tiley, the former head of the Australian Open who last week was named as the new USTA chief, told the New York Times in an interview last month that switching to five sets from the quarter-finals onwards at Grand Slams should be discussed."All the research shows interest grows as the match goes on," Tiley said. "As a sport, we need to evolve."But while Sabalenka backed the move, other women players were more circumspect."I mean, it probably would favor me, because I'm physically up there with the best, but I mean, I probably wouldn't want to see that happen," reigning French Open champion Coco Gauff told reporters."And if it were to happen, I would prefer it to be the whole tournament, not just the quarters. I think changing the format in the middle of the tournament defeats the purpose of the playing field."Six-time Grand Slam champion and former world number one Iga Swiatek was firmly against the idea, and questioned the suggestion it would boost audiences."I think honestly it's a weird approach in the world where everything is becoming faster, you know," Swiatek said. "So I don't know if the audience honestly would like that."Also, I don't know if we would be able to keep the quality for five sets. Well, that's a fact, like, men are more physically strong and they can handle it for sure better."Swiatek said the physical demands would also force players to adjust their schedules, potentially leading to them playing fewer tournaments."We have never practiced in a way to prepare for that, so we would need to change, I think, our whole calendar, because the Grand Slams would be so tough that I don't think we would have honestly time to prepare for any other tournaments," she said."I think it would change a lot. I don't think it would change anything for good."World number five Jessica Pegula echoed Swiatek's remarks, stating while five sets were well within the physical capabilities of women, a switch could be counter-productive."I think we have amazing female athletes that honestly I think we could do that," the American said. "I don't think it's the fact that we can't; I just don't necessarily think that we should."On that aspect, I don't even know how you would schedule tournaments. We'd have to add weeks. We can't even get through the schedule now. So I'm not really sure for like a fan experience how that would really work." Related Story
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Having missed the onset of a historic inflation surge just years ago, European Central Bank policymakers are likely to avoid casting any Iran war-induced price spike as “transitory” and may keep a lower bar for policy action than in past energy price shocks. In 2022 the ECB was one of the last of the big central banks to tighten policy in response to the economic disruption caused by the pandemic and Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, only lifting interest rates in July of that year — months after the US Federal Reserve and the Bank of England - calling the “inflation hump” merely transitory. It subsequently found itself having to raise rates at a record pace as price growth shot past 10%, five times its target and the highest level since the currency bloc was established. While the ECB will again react cautiously to any temporary, oil-led surges in inflation, this time it is mindful both of the lessons from 2022 and of the fact that the import-dependent euro zone economy is more exposed than others to rising energy costs, economists and policymakers said. “We must at all cost avoid describing inflation as ‘transitory’,” said one policymaker who requested anonymity so as to discuss policy deliberations candidly. “The ECB policy outlook is in the hands of military generals now,” the source added of how global prices would now depend on twists and turns in the conflict sparked by the US and Israeli strikes on Iran. The key lesson for the bank is that standard models are less reliable in exceptional shocks and more pragmatic analysis is needed, drawing on the lessons of similar episodes. The war has already pushed oil prices 20% higher this week, and fuel retailers are likely to pass this cost on to motorists within days, creating an instant feedback mechanism. The current environment is not fully comparable with 2022. Fiscal and monetary policies are tighter and there is no post-pandemic spending exuberance which aggravated supply bottlenecks. The war could also resolve quickly, reversing energy price increases. But domestic inflation is still too high. It was only an earlier fall in the oil price which lowered the headline figure below the ECB’s 2% target at the start of the year. Rapid inflation is still a recent memory for firms, so the central bank may be quicker than in the past to start adjusting prices. Global inflation is also still elevated. Even before the war, the US Federal Reserve said the risk of inflation running above its target was meaningful. Minutes from its January meeting show several policymakers were open to rate hikes. “With the 2022 inflation spike a fresh memory, risks are that inflation expectations are less anchored, and the ECB will try to not make the same mistake of reacting too late twice,” Nordea economists Tuuli Koivu and Anders Svendsen said. The ECB’s dilemma is that rate hikes only weigh on prices with a 12- to 18-month lag, so action is only warranted if it believes inflation will be persistent. Moreover, an energy price spike would hit growth, which in turn would be deflationary. But some say that should not be an excuse for inaction. “We had this debate in 2022 and we were clearly too timid,” another policymaker, who asked not to be named, said. “If we faced this growth-versus-inflation debate again, that lesson will be fresh on everybody’s minds and we would obviously need to act quicker.” Policymakers speaking on the record have cautioned against hasty action, arguing that the environment is volatile and time is needed before the outlines of a new normal emerges. Yannis Stournaras, Greece’s central bank governor, argued for flexibility while Martins Kazaks, Latvia’s central bank chief, said the ECB should sit tight while the impact of the war remains unclear.
