International
SHOCKING: Donald Trump to dismiss 15,000 transgender officers from US military — Report
United States President-elect, Donald Trump, is reportedly preparing to issue an executive order banning transgender individuals from serving in the US military, a move that would effectively discharge the 15,000 transgender service members currently enlisted.
According to reports by The Times Newspaper, Trump plans to implement this measure as soon as he re-enters the White House on January 20, marking a return to controversial policies from his first term.
Trump initially announced a ban on transgender military service in 2017, citing “tremendous medical costs and disruption.” The policy, which was implemented in 2019, was later reversed by President Joe Biden.
However, Trump is now expected to reinstate the ban and extend it by mandating the removal of transgender troops through medical discharges.
Rachel Branaman, executive director of the Modern Military Association of America, warned of the potential consequences during an interview with correspondent.
She stated that, “This would undermine the readiness of the military and create an even greater recruitment and retention crisis, not to mention signalling vulnerability to America’s adversaries.
”Branaman further underscored the operational and financial ramifications of such a move, explaining, “Abruptly discharging 15,000-plus service members, especially given that the military’s recruiting targets fell short by 41,000 recruits last year, adds administrative burdens to war fighting units, harms unit cohesion, and aggravates critical skill gaps.
”The Republican Party, emboldened by Trump’s 2024 campaign, has positioned anti-transgender policies as a central aspect of its platform.
GOP members have introduced numerous state-level anti-trans bills and invested millions in advertising campaigns targeting transgender rights, with Trump pledging to expand these restrictions beyond the military.
Trump’s campaign rhetoric also includes proposals to ban gender-affirming healthcare for transgender youth and prevent transgender students from participating in sports or using bathrooms aligned with their gender identities.
Paulo Batista, a transgender analyst in the Navy, highlighted the potential impact of such a ban.
“You take 15,000 of us out — there’s more, but that’s the number that is always mentioned — that’s 15,000 leadership positions. Every one of us plays a vital role,” he said.
The timing of Trump’s proposed actions has sparked alarm within military circles, particularly given the armed forces’ significant recruitment shortfalls.
A source familiar with Trump’s plans told The Times, “These people will be forced out at a time when the military can’t recruit enough people.
”Adding to the controversy, Trump’s nominee for Secretary of Defense, a known supporter of the previous transgender ban, has already faced criticism for claiming that transgender individuals are “not deployable” and bring “complications” to military service.
International
JUST IN: Plane Crash Near Trump’s Florida Home Kills All 9 Aboard
A private Learjet 60 crashed into a residential neighborhood in Palm Beach County, Florida, on Sunday afternoon, killing all nine people on board, officials confirmed.
The aircraft, flying from Austin, Texas, to the Bahamas, went down around 12:50 p.m. local time near Cresthaven/Greenacres, roughly 7–11 kilometers (about 4–7 miles) from President Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago resort.
It struck near a busy roadway at the entrance to a mobile-home community, creating a large fireball and leaving a crater in the road. Debris was scattered across a wide area, and nearby power and water lines were damaged.
Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy called the crash a “horrific tragedy” and confirmed there were no survivors among the nine occupants.
Florida Governor Ron DeSantis described the impact as “cataclysmic,” saying it “looked like a missile going down.” No injuries were reported among people on the ground. About 600 residents of a nearby mobile-home park were evacuated.
Trump had been at Mar-a-Lago earlier Sunday but departed on Air Force One from the nearby airport about an hour before the crash.
The National Transportation Safety Board is leading the investigation, with support from the Federal Aviation Administration.
Early reports noted the crew had discussed moderate turbulence and ice shortly before the steep descent.
International
Tens of thousands protest against Narendra Modi regime in Delhi
The protest was one of the largest shows of opposition strength in years, taking place amid a wider resurgence of anti-government dissent which has been systematically crushed over the 12 years of the Modi regime.
Thousands of opposition supporters have gathered in Delhi as protests against the Narendra Modi government continue to gather momentum.
Led by the Congress party, India’s opposition alliance has brought together supporters from across the country, amid growing anger over a large-scale revision of the country’s voter roll that has seen 130 million names erased.
Opposition leaders have alleged the process gives Modi’s ruling Bharatiya Janata party (BJP) an electoral advantage, and have called for the resignation and impeachment of the chief election commissioner, Gyanesh Kumar.
The BJP has denied the claims.
Addressing tens of thousands of party workers and supporters, the opposition leader Rahul Gandhi said Kumar had “carried out the biggest crime. He has tried to silence the voice of people, strangulate our country.”
Gandhi said the opposition, united under the acronym India (Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance), would not let “democracy be finished in the country” and warned Modi: “You can’t run anywhere.”
The protest was one of the largest shows of opposition strength in years, taking place amid a wider resurgence of anti-government dissent which has been systematically crushed over the 12 years of the Modi regime.
The Guardian Uk
International
Survivors recount horrors as Spain mourns 68 dead victims of trains crash
Pablo Mejia, 42, escaped with injuries to his head, telling AFP that a last-minute change of seat saved his life.
• AFP photo showing truck crane operating at the site of a train crash between two high-speed units, a Renfe AVE train and an Iryo train around 150 km south of Madrid between Urda and Los Yebenes in the province of Toledo, on October 28, 2026.
Spain began three days of mourning on Thursday after its second high-speed rail collision this year killed 68 people and injured scores, with relatives desperately seeking news about their loved ones.
The collision happened in the central region of Castilla-La Mancha on Wednesday morning when a service by state operator Renfe ploughed into the back of a stationary train belonging to private Spanish company Iryo.
Emergency services combed through the wreckage at night to find further victims on the key line linking Madrid with the southern city of Seville, hoisting pieces of mangled metal with cranes, AFP reporters saw.
Josimar Medina, a 31-year-old Peruvian who was holidaying in Spain with his girlfriend, said he was sleeping on the Renfe train when “I woke up and I was in the air.”
Pablo Mejia, 42, escaped with injuries to his head, telling AFP that a last-minute change of seat saved his life.
Wearing a bloodstained grey jumper and holding his tattered suitcase, he recounted “a very strong hit… a lot of people on the floor, on top of each other, seats ripped out, suitcases, a lot of chaos”.“I think I’ve been born again,” he said.
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