USA - Donald Trump is believed to have backed down from military action against Iran, paving the way for diplomatic talks, after realising that a nuclear strike may have been the only way to completely destroy the buried Fordow enrichment plant in Iran. The President is said to have told defence officials it would only make sense for the US to join Israel in striking Iran if its 'bunker buster' bombs are guaranteed to be able to destroy the key enrichment site, according to people familiar with the discussions. Officials were said to have been told that the US would have to soften the ground with conventional bombs before dropping a tactical nuclear weapon from a B2 Bomber to completely destroy the site, believed to be some 90 metres underground. Russia warned today that any use of tactical nuclear weapons in Iran would be 'catastrophic' amid fears it could spark wider conflict across the Middle East.

USA - The gun is locked and loaded. His finger is on the trigger. All Donald Trump has to decide now is when to pull it — and destroy Iran's nuclear weapons facilities, buried deep underground, with giant 'bunker buster' bombs only America is able to deliver. The prospect of yet another Middle East military venture, this time in cahoots with Israel, is causing some dismay in MAGA circles, which has a visceral dislike of foreign entanglements. After all, they elected Trump specifically to avoid another 'forever war'. But Trump has never wavered from his belief that under no circumstances can Iran be allowed to possess nuclear bombs — and that's a popular position with the MAGA base. If the destruction of Tehran's nuclear capabilities is enough of a humiliation for the Iranian regime — on top of all the other humiliations Israel is currently inflicting on it — to lead to its demise then MAGA is ready to cheer that on too.

ISRAEL - Israel killed “dozens” of Iran’s remaining military leaders, including wartime Chief of Staff Major-General Ali Shademani, on Monday by bombing the mountain hideout to which they had retreated, the Jerusalem Post reported Wednesday. The Post said: Shademani was assassinated at a secret compound in the mountains outside of Tehran along with dozens of other senior Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps officers who had fled from their main headquarters in Tehran, believing they would be safe. Instead, the IAF [Israeli Air Force] waited for them to move to the “secret” location and then killed them all at the same time. Fox News reported the new revelations first on Wednesday, and The Jerusalem Post independently verified the information from senior defense sources.

USA - Rafael Grossi, the head of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), reaffirmed on Tuesday that his organization had “no proof” that Iran decided to build a nuclear bomb ahead of Israel’s attacks on the country. Grossi made the comments in an interview with CNN host Christiane Amanpour, who brought up the fact that US intelligence had also assessed there was no evidence Iran was working toward a nuclear weapon. He added that the IAEA couldn’t say whether or not there was “clandestine” activity that it wasn’t aware of, but based on available evidence, there was no indication that Iran was attempting to weaponize its nuclear program.

UK - If you were not already worried enough about where you might be able to recharge your electric car during a long drive over the summer, now there is something else to fret about as well. You are more likely to break down than the other cars on the road. It gets worse. The faults on EV’s were less likely to be something that could be fixed on the side of the road by an emergency repair service, meaning that motorists were less likely to be able to complete their journey, and might have to pay for an expensive towing service as well.And of course, if something does go wrong it will probably cost more to fix, with surveys suggesting that EVs cost 30 per cent to 50 per cent more to repair than petrol cars... Perhaps not very surprising, the insurance is more expensive, given that the costs are higher if anything goes wrong, and that has to be recouped somehow or other. On top of all that, they are handing the auto industry to China, destroying one of Europe’s major industries.

In reality, the drive to force us all to switch to EVs was top-down. It was state-planning at its very worst. It set arbitrary targets, lavished subsidies and tax breaks on an industry, only to withdraw them when they became too expensive. Perhaps worst of all, it backed an unproven technology that may well turn out to be an expensive flop. The wheels are coming off the EV dream – and once drivers are convinced that they are not the right choice, it will be very hard to persuade them to start buying EVs again.

USA - As the headline says, 16,000,000,000 passwords have been leaked. Most likely the biggest password leak in history. It would probably be a good idea to change your passwords. If you have Google, maybe start there and change your Google password, since a lot of people have numerous saved passwords to bank accounts, social media accounts, email, etc, all under Google. Researchers have just confirmed what is almost certainly the largest data breach ever, with an almost incredulous 16 billion login credentials, including passwords, exposed. As part of an ongoing investigation that started at the beginning of the year, the researchers have postulated that the massive password leak is the work of multiple infostealers.

USA - Artificial dyes and additives are being removed from America’s food supply, Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F Kennedy Jr said this week, celebrating the moves many food giants are making to Make America Healthy Again. “Big food brands are listening. From cereals to spices to fast food, artificial dyes and additives are being removed for [sic] America’s food supply,” Kennedy said in an X post. “Thank you, @POTUS, for empowering me to put the health of our children and families first. Together, we will Make America Healthy Again,” he added.

USA - US officials have indicated that Iran has 24 to 48 hours to surrender and save itself from an American military onslaught as President Trump considers joining Israel's war. White House officials said the next two days will be critical in determining whether Washington and Tehran can find a diplomatic solution to the burgeoning crisis in the Middle East. Earlier yesterday Trump posted on Truth Social that he knew where Iran's Supreme Leader Ali Hosseini Khamenei is hiding but would not launch a strike 'yet'. He then added 'UNCONDITIONAL SURRENDER'! Israeli officials have also cryptically promised a 'surprise' on Thursday night similar to its pager attack on Hezbollah leadership. As Trump met with advisors in the White House Situation Room on Tuesday, insiders told ABC News that the President has grown frustrated by Iran's manner of response since Israel began bombing on Friday.

USA - Unless Iran agrees to give up their nuclear weapons, it looks like the US will join the war with Israel. Trump met in the ‘war room’ today. No comments were made after it broke up late this afternoon. President Trump told senior aides late Tuesday that he approved of attack plans for Iran, but was holding off on giving the final order to see if Tehran will abandon its nuclear program, three people familiar with the deliberations said. Iran’s well-defended Fordow enrichment facility is a possible US target. They have the jets and the bunker busters ready. Israel has yet to attack the facility, which is buried under a mountain and is generally considered by military experts to be out of reach of all but the most powerful bombs. Asked earlier if he had decided whether to strike at Iran’s nuclear facilities, Trump said, “I may do it, I may not do it.” And he repeated his insistence of Iran’s unconditional surrender: “The next week is going to be very big, maybe less than a week.”

USA - US spent $2 trillion, lost thousands of lives, and took 20 years to replace Taliban with… Taliban. Between 2001 and 2021, under four US presidents, the United States spent approximately $2.3 trillion, with 2,459 American military fatalities and up to 360,000 estimated Afghan civilian deaths. After the US withdrawal from Afghanistan in August 2021, approximately $7.12 billion worth of military equipment was left behind, according to a 2022 Department of Defense report.