Author: DispatchTimes News Desk

Several Celebrity Traitors contestants have been accused of cashing in on their appearances, despite BBC rules preventing stars from using the broadcaster’s programmes or brands in advertising and promotions. Singer James Blunt was reprimanded after promoting the £1,695 tweed suit he wore in the opening episode, and has since appeared to use the programme to advertise tickets for his 2027 Airplane Mode Tour. The BBC ordered Blunt to remove a post on X promoting Cotswolds-based tailor Barrington Ayre, which supplied the suit. In a separate, now-deleted Instagram video, the singer used footage of his arrival on the show before telling…

A New York judge has rejected an attempt by Cornell 7 defendant Diego Sarabia to restrict public comments about a civil lawsuit alleging that a former student was gang raped by seven members of the Chi Phi fraternity. Judge Phaedra Perry-Bond ruled that Sarabia’s lawyers had not provided sufficient grounds to limit the right to free speech, saying that simply expressing opinions about the case was not enough to justify court intervention. The judge was particularly critical of an email submitted by Sarabia’s legal team from an attorney who is not formally involved in the proceedings. The message appeared to…

Law enforcement has intercepted a letter containing white powder addressed to the Washington Secretary of State’s elections division, as federal agencies investigate a series of suspicious mailings sent to election offices across the United States. The envelope was stopped before reaching its intended facility, although authorities have not said where it was intercepted or identified the substance. No injuries have been reported in connection with the Washington mailing. The FBI and US Postal Inspection Service are examining similar letters sent to state election offices and other public officials. The FBI has said some of the mailings contained an unknown substance…

Jasprit Bumrah is returning to the India squad for the two-Test series against New Zealand, handing the Black Caps a fresh challenge. Bumrah, regarded as the world’s most feared pace bowler, will be available as India face New Zealand in the upcoming Test series.

The United States has called for dialogue as Ethiopia-Eritrea tensions escalate, with the two East African neighbours once again described as perilously close to all-out war. Their relationship has been strained by territorial disputes since Eritrea became independent from Ethiopia in 1993. The countries fought a bitter war between 1998 and 2000 and, despite a truce, remained technically at war for almost two decades. A peace agreement reached in Jeddah in 2018 eased the confrontation, but longstanding tensions have continued to shape relations between the two countries. Ethiopia accuses Eritrea of backing rebels in its Tigray region. Eritrea, meanwhile, alleges…

US arms firm Anduril could make interceptors in Europe, an executive at the company has said.

Anthony Scaramucci has responded to Katie Zacharia’s firing as White House press secretary, after her tenure ended after just five days. Scaramucci, who held a senior White House communications role during Donald Trump’s first term, was previously known for having one of the shortest spells in the administration. Zacharia’s departure has now surpassed his five-day record. The comparison was raised by Joe Scarborough, who joked: “Mooch, we hardly knew ye” – a reference to Scaramucci’s 11-day run as White House press secretary in 2017. Scaramucci replied: “Records are made to be broken. But I take no pleasure in other people’s…

Texas authorities have increased the reward for information leading to an arrest over the 1995 murder of El Paso woman Celia Loya to $6,000. The temporary reward was announced by the Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS), which said it would remain available until the next featured Texas Rangers cold case is announced. Loya, 30, was found dead inside her home on Lake Champlain Street in El Paso on 7 February 1995. Her husband discovered her body on the bathroom floor after becoming concerned when he could not contact her. She had telephoned colleagues at American Sling that morning to…

Katie Zacharia is leaving her role as Donald Trump’s press secretary after just five days, following a troubled first briefing and questions over her legal qualifications. Trump said he had urged the 41-year-old conservative media commentator to reconsider the high-pressure position, suggesting that it might not suit her. A White House official later confirmed that Zacharia was “transitioning out” of the role. “I just spoke to her about it. I said, ‘Katie, is this for you?’ Because she’s been treated very rough, and she’s a nice person,” Trump told reporters on Friday. He said he had advised her: “Honestly, if…

Kristi Noem is no longer the Trump administration’s special envoy for the Shield of the Americas, although she remains involved in the initiative as a senior adviser to Deputy Secretary Landau. A State Department official said Noem’s envoy status expired last month and that she continued to work on the Shield of the Americas portfolio in her new role. Noem said her appointment as special envoy “was always a six-month appointment”. Her designation ended shortly before last month’s United Nations General Assembly in New York, where she continued attending diplomatic meetings linked to the initiative. The Shield of the Americas…