Apple Expands Age Verification to Singapore & South Korea
April 4th, 2026Via: Reclaim the Net:
Apple’s identity verification demands are spreading across Asia. Starting in late March, the company expanded age verification requirements in both Singapore and South Korea, adding these countries to a growing list alongside the UK, where users must prove they’re adults before Apple lets them fully use their own devices.
Singapore has been partially locked down since February 24, when Apple began blocking downloads of apps rated 18+ unless users confirmed they were adults.
That initial wave also hit Australia and Brazil. But the late March update goes further, bringing Singapore’s requirements closer to the UK model. Apple now requires Singaporean users to confirm they’re 18 or older to download or purchase 18+ apps, using a credit card, a driving license, a National Registration Identity Card, or a Foreign Identification Number card. Passports, debit cards, and gift cards aren’t accepted.
German Men Between Ages of 18 and 46 Need Military Permit for Travel Abroad Lasting Longer Than Three Months
April 4th, 2026Update: Germany Suspends Military Approval for Long Stays Abroad for Men Under 45
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Via: DW:
A new military service law took effect in Germany at the start of 2026 aimed at boosting the strength of the armed forces amid threats to European security in the wake of Russia’s ongoing war against Ukraine.
The legislation was contentious and many people even took to the streets to protest the potential reintroduction of mandatory military service — after conscription was suspended in 2011 — for men.
But another provision in the law has so far gone largely unnoticed.
It relates to a requirement for men between the ages of 18 and 46 to “obtain an approval from the relevant Bundeswehr Career Center if they wish to leave the Federal Republic of Germany for more than three months.”
The Frankfurter Rundschau, which reported on the provision on Friday, said the rule would apply regardless of whether a German man “planned a semester of studying abroad, working in a foreign country or going on a backpacking trip around the world.”
Artemis II Astronauts Observing Far Side of Moon, “A Part of the Solar System that Human Eyes Have Never Seen Before” [???]
April 3rd, 2026Never seen before?
Is it strange that the Science Editor of a large circulation newspaper doesn’t know that U.S. Astronaut Michael Collins saw the far side of the moon, according to mainstream accounts of the Apollo 11 mission?
See: “Michael Collins’s Solitary Orbit”
And Apollo 8:
The crew orbited the Moon ten times without landing and then returned to Earth.
Via: Telegraph:
When the Artemis II astronauts reach the far side of the Moon on Monday their world will fall silent as communications with Earth are blocked by the bulk of our nearest neighbour.
During the almost hour-long communication blackout the three Americans and one Canadian aboard will be making scientific observations that could help shed light on the origin of life on Earth.
The crew will be floating alone, cut off from Earth and gazing down at a part of the Solar System that human eyes have never seen before.
What they see will be nothing like the calm, smooth, silvery disc that lights up our night sky.
The far side is never seen from Earth. It has borne the brunt of billions of years of bombardment and is a pock-marked golf ball of deep-shadowed overlapping craters.
Trump: “We can easily OPEN THE HORMUZ STRAIT, TAKE THE OIL, & MAKE A FORTUNE. IT WOULD BE A ‘GUSHER’ FOR THE WORLD???”
April 3rd, 2026Actual Trump post on Truth Social:
With a little more time, we can easily OPEN THE HORMUZ STRAIT, TAKE THE OIL, & MAKE A FORTUNE. IT WOULD BE A “GUSHER” FOR THE WORLD??? President DONALD J. TRUMP
Related: Trump Reposts 1987 Interview Where He Urged Seizing Iran’s Oil
Some Number of U.S. Aircraft Damaged or Shot Down Over Iran [???]
April 3rd, 2026Update: F-15E Weapon Systems Officer Shot Down Over Iran Has Been Rescued
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Another one for your heaving “Mission Accomplished” file folder…
Iran has apparently hit a number of U.S. aircraft in recent hours. This post at The War Zone attempts to piece together what is happening.
Via: The War Zone:
The F-15E went down under unknown circumstances and U.S. combat search and rescue assets have been seen deep in Iran.
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An image emerged on social media purporting to show an A-10 with a damaged tail fin rudder. It is unclear if this is the same aircraft that crashed near the Strait of Hormuz, another Warthog damaged. It is possible that additional A-10s took fire, given the role that they play supporting ground troops. Or this could have no connection to the current situation. We cannot verify the origin of the photo.
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In addition, it confirmed an earlier NBC report that two U.S. Black Hawk helicopters involved in the search-and-rescue effort were also hit by Iranian fire. The Post added that the attack “injured U.S. personnel on board, though both aircraft have safely returned to their base.”
Anduril Operates Space Surveillance Network With Over 400 Telescopes Around the World
April 3rd, 2026Pictured: Orion – 30,000 miles above Earth on the Artemis II mission – separating from the rocket's upper stage.
Anduril now has over 400 telescopes around the globe. Advanced space sensing software provides real-time focal plane processing to identify & track objects. Think… pic.twitter.com/0Iqwwlpirw
— Anduril Industries (@anduriltech) April 3, 2026
Via: The National Interest:
Defense technology company Anduril Industries is expanding its presence in the space sector with a planned acquisition of ExoAnalytic Solutions, a major provider of space domain awareness and modeling capabilities.
The deal, first announced on March 11, is still pending regulatory approval—but would significantly expand Anduril’s footprint in the rapidly growing military space surveillance and sensing market. Anduril executives have stated that the acquisition will enhance the company’s ability to develop space sensing, missile defense, and satellite tracking technologies.
Trump Seeks $1.5 Trillion for Military Spending in 2027 Budget Request
April 3rd, 2026Via: The Hill:
President Trump is seeking $1.5 trillion in defense spending as part of the White House’s fiscal 2027 budget request, a roughly 40 percent increase from 2026 funding levels.
The proposal released Friday said a base of $1.1 trillion will be specifically for the Department of Defense, while $350 billion will be requested through Congress’s budget reconciliation process for “critical Administration priorities” like more munitions and defense industrial base expansions. It also mentions the president’s planned “Golden Dome” missile defense system.
The funding request, prepared by White House budget chief Russell Vought, comes as the United States is in the fifth week of its war against Iran. While the president maintains the war will come to an end in the next few weeks, the budget signals an effort for investing in the U.S. military well into the future.
Trump Fires Pam Bondi
April 2nd, 2026My guess is that she is now going to be paid off for protecting a bunch of criminals.
Via: Independent:
Pam Bondi has spoken out after President Donald Trump fired her as attorney general, bringing an end to her 14-month tenure at the Department of Justice.
In a statement posted on X, Bondi boasted that she oversaw “easily the most consequential first year of the Department of Justice in American history” and added she is “eternally grateful for the trust that President Trump placed in me.”
She said that Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche will replace her as she transitions to the private sector, a career shift she is “thrilled about.”
Hours earlier on Thursday, the Republican president dismissed Bondi, making her the second Cabinet official to be ousted during his second term. He wrote in a Truth Social post that Bondi will be moving on from the government, describing her as a “Great American Patriot and a loyal friend.”
Bondi’s time at the DOJ was marred by controversy surrounding her management of investigations tied to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. The scandal grew into a significant political setback for the administration, and Trump appears to have ultimately lost confidence in her ability to lead.
Hegseth Fires Army Chief of Staff
April 2nd, 2026In the middle of a war? Hmm.
Via: CBS:
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has asked Army Chief of Staff Gen. Randy George to step down and take immediate retirement, sources familiar with the decision told CBS News.
One of the sources said Hegseth wants someone in the role who will implement President Trump and Hegseth’s vision for the Army.
Chief Pentagon spokesperson Sean Parnell said in a statement that George “will be retiring from his position as the 41st Chief of Staff of the Army effective immediately. The Department of War is grateful for General George’s decades of service to our nation. We wish him well in his retirement.”
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The ouster follows Hegseth’s X post lifting the suspension of the aircrew that flew by Kid Rock’s house in Nashville last weekend. After the Army announced the suspension of the aviators involved and an administrative review, Hegseth overruled the Army, writing on his personal X account, “No punishment. No investigation. Carry on, patriots.”
Hegseth’s decision to ask George to exit wasn’t related to the helicopter incident, one of the sources said.
Swedish Schools Getting Rid of Screens, Bringing Back Books
April 2nd, 2026Via: Undark:
In 2023, the Swedish government announced that the country’s schools would be going back to basics, emphasizing skills such as reading and writing, particularly in early grades. After mostly being sidelined, physical books are now being reintroduced into classrooms, and students are learning to write the old-fashioned way: by hand, with a pencil or pen, on sheets of paper. The Swedish government also plans to make schools cellphone-free throughout the country.
Educational authorities have been investing heavily. Last year alone, the education ministry allocated $83 million to purchase textbooks and teachers’ guides. In a country with about 11 million people, the aim is for every student to have a physical textbook for each subject. The government also put $54 million towards the purchase of fiction and non-fiction books for students.
