cross-posted from: https://lemmy.zip/post/43848231

https://archive.is/qQFw2

States worry that the imposition of Hindi, the main language of northern India, would wipe out their cultural heritage.

Late last month, the government of Maharashtra, a state in western India governed by Mr. Modi’s party, was forced to retract a policy requiring that Hindi be taught in elementary schools. Opposition politicians, residents and others had called the policy an affront to Marathi, the region’s native language.

In Tamil Nadu, a southern Indian state with a history of rioting over efforts to make Hindi mandatory, the chief minister has raged for months against an education policy pushed by the Modi government, claiming that it is trying to force students to learn the language. Tamil Nadu sued the central government in May after it said that it would withhold education funds until the state implemented the policy.

• A joint DOJ–FBI memo reaffirmed that no “client list” of high-profile individuals existed and found no evidence Epstein blackmailed anyone.
• MAGA hardliners (e.g., Alex Jones) and some Trump allies lash out at AG Pam Bondi and FBI Director Kash Patel, demanding disclosures.
• President Trump urged supporters to stop attacking his team over “Epstein Files,” calling Epstein “somebody nobody cares about” and insisting his administration is “PERFECT.”
• Internal friction reportedly flared between Deputy FBI Director Dan Bongino (who threatened to quit) and Bondi, though Trump insists DOJ/FBI are united.
• Trump wants the FBI to refocus on his unproven 2020 election–fraud claims rather than “the same old…documents on Jeffrey Epstein.”

YouGov survey suggests majority support idea of Britain returning to bloc – but not on same terms it once enjoyed

A decade after MPs voted to hold the referendum that led to Britain leaving the European Union, a poll has found majorities in the bloc’s four largest member states would support the UK rejoining – but not on the same terms it had before.

The YouGov survey of six western European countries, including the UK, also confirms that a clear majority of British voters now back the country rejoining the bloc – but only if it can keep the opt-outs it previously enjoyed.

Asked whether Britain should be allowed back in on the same conditions it enjoyed when it left, including not having to adopt the euro currency and remaining outside the Schengen passport-free zone, the numbers changed significantly.

Russia’s foreign minister warned the U.S., South Korea and Japan against forming a security partnership targeting North Korea as he visited his country’s ally for talks on further solidifying their booming military and other cooperation.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov spoke Saturday at North Korea’s eastern Wonsan city, where he met the country’s leader, Kim Jong Un, and conveyed greetings from President Vladimir Putin.

Kim during the meeting reaffirmed his government’s commitment to “unconditionally support and encourage all measures” taken by Russia in its conflict with Ukraine.

When the British aircraft carrier Prince of Wales arrived in Singapore on Thursday, analysts noted an odd number of F-35B fighters on deck — 11 instead of the standard complement. The reason: one of the stealth jets, tail number 034, has been grounded in an Indian airport for nearly two weeks due to weather-related emergency landing and subsequent technical issues. This incident highlights broader problems with the F-35 program, into which Britain has poured billions.

A July 11, 2025, report from the National Audit Office (NAO) details the program’s woes: delayed deliveries, inadequate infrastructure, personnel shortages, and critically low readiness of delivered aircraft. Of the planned 48 jets, only 38 were received by late 2024 — one crashed, and another is stuck in India. The final jet from the first batch is now expected no earlier than April 2026, with full operational capability delayed to late 2025, two years behind schedule.

Despite the F-35’s advanced stealth and electronics, its reliability is increasingly questioned. Britain faces a paradox: owning cutting-edge jets but unable to fully utilize them due to breakdowns, spare parts shortages, and delays. Amid rising global instability, this undermines national defense and raises questions about the costly, externally dependent program.

cross-posted from: https://lemmy.zip/post/43831713

The official designation earlier this month of Palestine Action as a proscribed group under the Terrorism Act 2000 means that membership in the group and support for its actions are punishable by up to 14 years in prison

cross-posted from: https://lemmy.zip/post/43837531

Australia will not commit troops in advance to any conflict, Defence Industry Minister Pat Conroy said on Sunday, responding to a report that the Pentagon has pressed its ally to clarify what role it would play if the U.S. and China went to war over Taiwan.

Doubling down on his trade wars, Trump is threatening to raise taxes on many goods from Canada, hike his universal tariff on imports from around the world and punish Brazil for prosecuting his friend, the country’s former president.

On Saturday, Trump announced more tariffs still, this time on two of the United States’ biggest trade partners: the European Union and Mexico, at 30% each.

Former U.S. trade negotiator Wendy Cutler said that Trump’s recent moves “underscore the growing unpredictability, incoherence and assertiveness’’ of his trade policies. “It’s hard for trading partners to know where they stand with Trump on any given day and what more may be coming their way when least expected,’’ said Cutler, now vice president at the Asia Society Policy Institute.

The head of the French army, General Thierry Burkhard, on Friday said France was Russia’s “main enemy in Europe” as he held a rare press conference ahead of President Emmanuel Macron's annual address to members of the armed forces.

The Élysée said on Thursday that President Emmanuel Macron will make "major announcements" when he gives a planned speech to members of the armed forces in two days' time.

Burkhard said Russia saw Paris as a primary adversary largely due to French support for Ukraine since the full-scale Russian invasion. “It was [Vladimir] Putin who said” this, the general added.

I’m not 100% sure this meets the “news” requirement as opposed to being investigative journalism. Is there a community that fits better?