US president earlier drew criticism after saying Kyiv ‘should have never started’ war; Trump predicts Ukraine will soon sign minerals deal with US. What we know on day 1,095

• Europe live: latest news on the Ukraine war

US secretary of defense had questioned whether history-making air force general CQ Brown Jr got job because of race

Donald Trump abruptly fired the air force general CQ Brown Jr as chair of the joint chiefs of staff on Friday, sidelining a history-making Black fighter pilot and respected officer as part of a campaign to purge the military of leaders who support diversity and equity in the ranks.

The ouster of the second Black general to serve as chair of the joint chiefs comes three months after Pete Hegseth, the secretary of defense, outlined a plan for ridding the US military of diversity, equity and inclusion efforts during a podcast interview.

Adam Abeldon rules that president’s efforts to ban DEI programs likely violate first amendment of constitution

A federal judge in Maryland on Friday temporarily blocked Donald Trump from implementing bans on diversity, equity and inclusion programs at federal agencies and by businesses that contract with the federal government.

US district judge Adam Abelson said the directives by Trump and an order urging the Department of Justice to investigate companies with DEI policies likely violate the first amendment of the US constitution.

Capitol police said officers saw Tarrio strike protester at gathering he attended with Oath Keepers’ Stewart Rhodes

Enrique Tarrio, a former national leader of the far-right group the Proud Boys, was arrested on Friday near the US Capitol on a charge that he assaulted a woman protesting against a gathering attended by him and others who received presidential pardons for crimes stemming from Donald Trump supporters’ 6 January 2021 attack on the US Capitol.

Capitol police said officers saw Tarrio strike the protester’s cellphone and arm after the woman placed the phone close to his face as they walked near the Capitol. Tarrio had just left a news conference that had ended “without incident”, police said.

German police have arrested a suspect after attack on Spanish tourist and say they have not yet found a motive

German police have arrested a man suspected in a stabbing attack at Berlin’s Holocaust memorial that left a Spanish tourist seriously injured.

There was no immediate indication of a motive for the attack late on Friday, two days before Germans vote in a national election.

No injuries reported after three explosions in Tel Aviv suburb of Bat Yam and two more bombs being defused

A string of explosions has rocked buses in the Israeli city of Bat Yam, in what police described as a “suspected terror attack”.

No injuries were reported in the blasts late on Thursday. Police said bomb disposal units were searching for any additional bombs in the city, which is a suburb of Tel Aviv.

World’s largest retailer expects inflation-weary consumers to pull back after shares hit record high of $105 last week

Walmart on Thursday forecast sales and profit for its latest fiscal year below Wall Street estimates, suggesting that the world’s largest retailer expects inflation-weary consumers to pull back after several quarters of solid growth.

Walmart shares, which had risen about 72% in 2024 and hit a record high of $105 last week, were down 6% in early trading. Shares of its rival retailer Target were down 1.6%, with Amazon 0.9% lower.

Claudia Sheinbaum’s warning follows Washington designating Mexican cartels as terrorist organizations

Mexico will never tolerate an “invasion” of its national sovereignty by the United States, Claudia Sheinbaum has warned after Washington designated Mexican cartels as terrorist organizations.

“This cannot be an opportunity for the US to invade our sovereignty,” the Mexican president said. “With Mexico, it is collaboration and coordination, never subordination or interventionism, and even less invasion.”